My Marketing Budget. How Much Should I Spend?

Small business owners always have to deal with the burning question during the first of year as they set their annual marketing budget.  How much can I spend and how should I spend it?  We all know marketing gives your business that chance to grow and prosper.   Increasing your sales is every business owners goal.  So the question is how to do it without spending a ton of money.
Setting a budget is your first priority.  You have to know what you can and can not afford and how and when you will launch your various marketing campaigns.  The next question is "Will I do this myself or should I hire outside firms to do this for me?"  That again is if  can you afford those outside firms?   There are various media specialists who are small and large.  Like myself, I deal with small business owners. Then there are larger full size agencies who can do it all but you pay for that luxury as well. Another solution is content marketing and using Google or Facebook ads.  These can be done cheaply on a "pay per click" basis.  Again you as a small business owner can do this yourself or you can hire a consultant. Using a professional however will give you quality content and your image and brand will shine.
Social Media is where everything is at these days and understanding social media for your marketing budget is essential.  I mentioned those pay per clicks and that is all integrated with social media.  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Vine all are sources for your digital footprint.  Understanding how to use it  however is another thing.  The last item is using those giveaways to keep your brand out front.  Items like pens, water bottles, notepads, etc.. all are inexpensive ways to promote your marketing brand.  Consider doing a contest, an event, or other campaign as you plan your annual budget.   Good luck and put a lot of though into your marketing budget.