4 Ways You’re Wasting Your Marketing Budget

Julie Starr • December 24, 2020



Having a marketing budget is a must if you want to promote and grow your company. It’s there to allow you to advertise your business and bring in customers across the channels that make the most sense for you. But what if you’re spending money on marketing and that money is going to waste? Your business needs to use its marketing budget as wisely as possible so that you’re making money, not losing it. Even when you’re turning a profit, you could still be making less than you could be because your marketing spend is wasteful. Take a look at some of the big reasons you might be wasting money.

No Strategy

A marketing strategy is crucial if you want to be successful with your marketing plan. If you simply go ahead without trying to plan anything, you won’t be making informed decisions. Even if you manage to stumble into some successful moves at first, you will eventually find that you don’t really know what to do next. You need a strategy that forces you to set goals and work out the best methods for promoting your business. You should think about what marketing channels to use and how to make the most of them with your budget.

Poor Targeting

How well do you know your audience? Even if you know your target market well, are you actually targeting them properly? Poor targeting on marketing such as pay per click ads can be as good as throwing money down the drain. You’re wasting cash if your ads aren’t being seen by the right people. You can solve this issue with the right PPC management , which can take over your ads and improve the targeting. Your ads can be very cost-effective if only you use targeting tools correctly, but first you need to understand your audience.

Not Tracking Results

 

Do you know how well your marketing choices are working out? If you don’t know whether you’re getting positive results, you’re potentially wasting a lot of money. You need to know whether you’re getting leads or sales from your marketing and you can’t do that without tracking and measuring. There are various tools and methods for doing this, from online analytics tools like Google Analytics to CRM software. You can also leverage the best youtube link shortener tools for your marketing videos. Content creators and brands use link-tracking tools to help them make data-driven decisions by obtaining real-time campaign analytics on each link you create, user location, and how often viewers click a link. Understanding who discovered your business and where it came from can give insights to tailor your content marketing strategy. When you start tracking results, you will have a much clearer idea of the return on investment that you’re getting and how to improve it.

 

Budget Is Too Small

A bloated marketing budget can be a problem, but you might not realize that a small budget can be an issue too. If your budget isn’t big enough, you might be wasting the money that you are spending. By not doing enough to actually have a real effect on your business’s performance, you’re just spending money that isn’t really doing anything. You might need to consider increasing your marketing budget if you really want to have an impact.

Stop wasting your marketing budget and put it to good use by reassessing your spend and your marketing activities.

5 Everyday Items That Can Quietly Boost Your Brand

By Julie Starr • July 17, 2025
The best branding doesn’t always come from big campaigns or expensive graphics. Sometimes it’s the smaller stuff that leaves the biggest impression. Things people actually use, touch, or carry with them. That’s where your brand can quietly make its mark without needing to shout about it. If you’re only focusing on social media and business cards, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Here are five overlooked ways to get your name out there that feel natural, useful, and more personal. Thank-you slips If you’re already sending out orders, there’s no reason not to include a short thank-you slip. You can easily get these made through any decent online print shop , and they’re usually pretty cheap to run off in small batches. Just a simple note that says thanks, maybe with a reminder to follow you online or a cheeky discount code for next time. It’s quick, thoughtful, and makes the whole order feel more finished. Customers notice that kind of detail, especially when everything else they buy online comes with zero personality. You don’t need a complicated design either. Just something clean with your logo, a message that sounds like you, and maybe a social handle. The point is to give them a reason to come back or remember your name without it feeling forced. Branded zip pouches If you sell physical products, offer services, or run events, small zip pouches are surprisingly effective. Think of the kind you’d use for stationery, receipts, or travel bits. You can get your brand printed on the side and hand them out with purchases or include them in welcome packs. People keep them because they’re actually useful. They get tossed in handbags, school bags, or glove boxes and your logo just keeps turning up. Cleaning cloths for glasses or screens This one works brilliantly if you’re in tech, health, beauty, or anything involving screens or eyewear. A simple microfibre cloth with your branding on it can go a long way. Everyone needs one. Whether they use it for glasses, a phone screen, or their laptop, it’s something they hang onto. It’s not the kind of thing people throw away, and that means your name sticks around too. Receipt envelopes You might already use little envelopes to hand over receipts or business cards. Branding those envelopes is a small change that makes a big difference. Instead of someone getting a scruffy bit of paper in a plain sleeve, they’re handed something that feels a bit more finished. You can even add a message inside. Doesn’t need to be anything dramatic. A simple “thanks for visiting” or “see you next time” is enough to add a personal touch. Wet wipes or mini hand gels If your business is in hospitality, food, or anything hands-on, branded wet wipes or pocket-sized hand gels are surprisingly popular. People actually use them, especially at festivals, food stalls, pop-ups, or kids’ events. They end up in handbags or cars and stick around longer than you think. They don’t scream “marketing” either. They’re practical, and when done right, they make your business feel thoughtful. That’s what good branding does, it shows you’ve thought ahead.

How Student-Led ‘Energy Audits’ Are Cutting School Costs (and Lighting the Way Forward)

By Julie Starr • July 14, 2025
What happens when students stop waiting for adults to fix things and start conducting their own energy audits? Money gets saved. The lights get switched off. Data gets analyzed. And a quiet revolution in sustainability begins—inside schools that once overlooked their own inefficiencies. Across the globe, student-led energy audits are proving that change doesn't always need to come from a policy shift or a major capital budget. Sometimes, it begins with a clipboard, a spreadsheet, and a group of curious minds asking: Why are the hallway lights on at noon when sunlight floods the building? The Energy Detectives These audits aren’t science fair projects. They’re rigorous investigations, often done in collaboration with facilities staff, local environmental nonprofits, or even engineering mentors. Students go from classroom to classroom measuring electricity usage, checking for phantom loads , and identifying where heat is escaping in winter or air conditioning is leaking in summer. One high school in Ontario saved over $12,000 a year after its Grade 11 physics students ran an energy audit and suggested simple changes—LED upgrades, motion sensors in bathrooms, and smarter heating schedules. They didn’t just propose ideas. They pitched them with spreadsheets, thermal images, and payback timelines. It worked. Learning That Pays Off—Literally Unlike textbook learning, these audits blend real-world math, environmental science, economics, and persuasive communication. Students aren’t just learning about sustainability. They’re doing it. And the savings add up. From dimming overlit hallways to reprogramming HVAC systems that run all weekend for empty buildings, students are surfacing blind spots that administrators often overlook. In some districts, their findings are influencing energy policy. Elsewhere, the audits have inspired school boards to hire sustainability coordinators—often alumni of the student programs themselves. There’s something poetic about a school funding new books or laptops from money saved by students who found out the vending machines didn’t need to be plugged in 24/7. Why This Matters More Than Ever With education budgets tightening and utility costs rising, every dollar saved is a dollar that can go back into classrooms. And here’s where it gets interesting from a family finance perspective, too. If you’re a parent setting aside money for post-secondary savings, every bit of school efficiency helps. Fewer energy costs might mean more programming, better STEM facilities, or even bursaries. That raises a broader point: when families save for their children’s future, they often look into RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plans). And many wonder—is a RESP deduction available on my taxes? While contributions themselves aren’t deductible, the gains grow tax-free, and students often pay little to no tax when they withdraw the funds during school. A Movement Worth Replicating These audits aren’t just an exercise in environmentalism. They’re leadership labs. Students learn how to spot inefficiencies, speak up in board meetings, and make a business case for change. They don’t just flip switches—they shift mindsets. And they carry these habits into adulthood. The result? A generation growing up not only with climate anxiety, but also with tools to tackle it.