{"id":2212,"date":"2014-09-30T19:45:20","date_gmt":"2014-09-30T19:45:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theswitch.us\/blog\/?p=2212"},"modified":"2014-09-30T22:19:02","modified_gmt":"2014-09-30T22:19:02","slug":"tips-determining-digital-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/switch.us\/blog\/tips-determining-digital-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Determining a Digital Budget"},"content":{"rendered":"
Digital projects have endless possibilities and options. It can be difficult to focus your vision and determine the budget. These tips can help you understand which investment will help you reach your goals.<\/address>\n

 
\nWhich comes first \u2013 the budget (\u201cWe can spend $X on digital\u201d) or the project needs (\u201cWe need a mobile app\u201d)? Arguably, either route can connect you with a vendor \u2026 but they may not necessarily connect you with a solution.<\/p>\n

When it comes to creating a digital budget, many clients aren\u2019t sure where to start, especially if they\u2019re not familiar with the time and costs involved in developing a digital-based project. Whether a social media strategy, touch-screen capable application or a full-blown website, different platforms and functionality require different budgets and timelines.<\/p>\n

To help you determine a digital budget, ask yourself the following questions that can help you identify your main objectives and determine which type of investment will allow you to reach your goals.<\/p>\n

1. What are your goals and objectives?<\/h1>\n

The first step in determining your budget may seem out of place, but it\u2019s a critical stage that many skip over. It\u2019s important to ask yourself: What are we trying to communicate? What are we trying to achieve? Brands will often decide to invest in a mobile app or microsite, but they neglect to identify the integral goals of each. Are you hoping to collect data from potential customers at a trade show? Provide a resource for customers? Without understanding the core goals and objectives of your messaging, it will be difficult to validate your investment. So you\u2019re not just paying $X for a trade show gamification app, for example. You\u2019re investing $X in a tool that captivates a wider audience, delivers a positive brand engagement and collects critical information.<\/p>\n

2. What\u2019s in your wallet?<\/h1>\n

Upon defining your goals and objectives, you should determine how much you can truly spend on your digital marketing initiative. Many times a client will say they want a social media strategy, website and an interactive touchscreen application for the next event or tradeshow. Do you really need all of these digital tactics? Can you afford them? Define a budget and work closely with your agency partners so that they can help you come up with the most effective plan for your money.<\/p>\n

3. What\u2019s the plan?<\/h1>\n

By defining your objectives and your budget, you can start identifying what digital elements to incorporate into your campaign.<\/p>\n

Each element can move through the objectives filter to illuminate what format the overall project will take. You might need a social strategy, a landing page or interactive touchscreen application to support your digital marketing initiative \u2013 or you may only need the social strategy to get started. The format you choose to pursue should meet the needs of your target audience and coincide with the budget you have set aside for beginning steps. If you don\u2019t know what those needs are, you might need to backtrack to perform some good ol\u2019 research to learn more about your target customers and apply findings to your plan.<\/p>\n

4. Which requirements should be defined?<\/h1>\n

You need to define project details so there are no surprises once you get into the creative and development phases of your projects.<\/p>\n

Based on your needs and timeline, digital properties might change. Maybe you wanted a mobile app, but after reviewing the project goals, realized you just need a mobile-friendly website. Or maybe a restrictive timeline requires you to invest in a campaign-specific landing page instead of a new website. Keep an open mind when it comes to which elements actually make the most sense for your plan. If you merely focus upon the dollar amount you\u2019re willing to spend, it might make you less receptive to alternative solutions.<\/p>\n

5. Do you know what you don\u2019t know?<\/h1>\n

If you are inexperienced in leading digital projects, it is easy to underestimate the hours and effort required. And that\u2019s okay. Just be sure to factor in some unknown costs, such as revisions, added functionality and social media integration. It\u2019s not your job to understand all the logistics for changing the global navigation or making subtle design changes \u2013 but you do need to understand that a rigid budget may not account for such alterations.<\/p>\n

It can be challenging to pin a number to your budget. But the more you can distill your objectives, the clearer your understanding will be of what services, skill sets or products you really need from a digital team.<\/p>\n

You can get in touch with Robyn at\u00a0RobynS@theswitch.us<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Digital projects have endless possibilities and options. It can be difficult to focus your vision and determine the budget. These tips can help you understand which investment will help you reach your goals. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":2214,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,2,1,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-digital","category-featured","category-featured-home","category-how-to"],"yoast_head":"\nTips for Determining a Digital Budget - sw:tch blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It can be difficult to focus your vision and determine the budget. 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