5 Ways to Stretch Your Marketing Budget

Feb 11, 2026

According to recent data from UpFlip, 85% of small businesses spend less than $10,000 per year on marketing. If you fall into that category, you must carefully allocate your budget. With so many customers to reach, how do you make the most of the money you have to spend? Here are five ideas...

Choose your target audience strategically. If you are sending direct mail, identify your best target audiences. Are they your most frequent customers? Those who spend the most? Those who fit a particular profile? Identify your best customers for each campaign, then focus on that group.
Use storefront signage. Window displays and point-of-purchase signs are highly effective marketing tools because they attract attention right where buying decisions are made. Standout window concepts are linked with ~23% more passersby entering the store, making storefront signage a strong option if your goal is driving in-store sales and brand awareness.
Integrate direct mail & digital marketing. Take advantage of USPS postage discounts to capitalize on the proven trust and longevity of direct mail. When paired with digital marketing, direct mail reinforces brand presence and helps build long-term awareness and engagement.
Combine print with email. Send your offers by email first, then mail those who didn’t respond to your email. Print packs a powerful punch, but if your budget is tight, tight, tight, you can always skim off the first round of buyers with digital marketing. Then, print will be used for those who are more challenging to reach.
Use USPS Informed Delivery to add free digital images to your direct mail campaigns. Over one-third of Americans are signed up for USPS Informed Delivery, which provides a preview of the mail arriving that day. With a 60% open rate, those emails are marketing gold, and the USPS allows you to add full-color “representative images” with response links at no cost. This gives you an extra marketing touch for free.