Marketing Investment for Small Business: Planning and Financing
You’ve mastered the free and low-cost marketing tactics. Now what happens when your business is ready to invest real dollars into marketing investment for small business, whether that’s a rebrand, paid ads, a new website, or a bigger content push?
Marketing Investment for Small Business
You’ve mastered the free and low-cost marketing tactics. Now what happens when your business is ready to invest real dollars into growth, whether that’s a rebrand, paid ads, a new website, or a bigger content push?
This session walks through how to plan a marketing budget that ties to real revenue goals and how to decide what’s worth financing versus paying out of pocket. You’ll leave with a framework for making that decision with confidence.
By the end of this webinar, you will be able to:
- Recognize when it’s time to move beyond free and low-cost tactics, and build a marketing budget that connects to real revenue goals.
- Evaluate and prioritize marketing investments (paid advertising, websites, branding, content, outside support) and understand what to weigh when deciding to pay out of pocket versus finance.
- Use a practical decision-making framework, grounded in financial readiness, to decide whether to move forward, wait, finance, or self-fund — and how to measure whether it’s working.
Meet the Experts
Angelina Ramirez
Founder, The Amblyn Group; AOF Certified Business Advisor
Angelina Ramirez is a marketing and business development leader with over 20 years of experience driving brand growth for Fortune 200 companies, start-ups, and nonprofits. She successfully spearheaded strategic marketing initiatives at American Express, PepsiCo, and Philip Morris, leveraging consumer-centric analytics to craft impactful brand strategies. As the former Executive Director of the Washington Heights Business Improvement District, she played a pivotal role in advancing economic development for over 3,000 small businesses in Northern Manhattan. Currently, as the Founder and President of The AMLBYN Group, Angelina excels in delivering strategic marketing and communications solutions for government agencies, nonprofits, and small businesses.
Stay in touch with Angelina:
Paul Gilbertson
Manager, Business Banking, First Citizens Bank
Paul Gilbertson is a Senior Vice President and Manager of Business Banking for Oregon and SW Washington at First Citizens Bank, with over 25 years of experience helping business owners and commercial clients achieve their financial goals. He specializes in business banking, commercial lending, credit analysis, and relationship management, working closely with his banking team and clients to develop tailored financing solutions that support growth and long-term success.
Stay in touch with Paul:
- Email: paul.gilbertson@firstcitizens.com
Jon McLean
Business Banker III, First Citizens Bank
Jon McLean is a Commercial Banker at First Citizens Bank and a banking professional with 20+ years of experience delivering seamless and efficient banking services and commercial credit to well-established manufacturers, wholesalers, and professional service businesses, including operating lines of credit, real estate and equipment financing, and expansion capital, to help companies grow, succeed, and increase their enterprise value.
Stay in touch with Jon:
- Email: jon.mclean@firstcitizens.com
Marketing Investment for Small Business FAQs
- When a business owner feels like they’ve maxed out the free and low-cost marketing tactics, what are some signs that it may actually be time to invest more seriously in marketing?
- How should a business owner set a marketing budget that connects back to actual revenue goals, instead of just choosing a number they feel comfortable spending?
- Marketing investments can look really different. How should business owners prioritize between things like a website, paid advertising, branding, or content?
- What should a business owner think through before hiring an agency, freelancer, web designer, or other outside marketing support so they don’t spend money without a clear plan?
- What should a business owner have in place before they consider financing a marketing investment?
- What things should business owners understand abut whether an investment makes sense for a business when considering financing something like paid ads, a website, or a rebrand?
- Are there certain marketing expenses that tend to make more sense to finance than others, or does it really depend on the business and its financial position?
- What are some common mistakes business owners make when they borrow for growth before they’re really ready?
- Once a business owner has thought through the marketing opportunity and their financial options, what framework or questions should they use to decide whether to move forward, wait, pay out of pocket, or finance the investment?
- Once a business makes a larger marketing investment, how should they measure whether it’s working, especially when the return may not be immediate?
