Look For a Web Designer That Will Hand Over the Reins
How do you adjust your marketing budget according to your growth stage?
As we’ve come to understand our own business’s growth stages, we’ve also learned to chart our growth on both a short- and long-term basis. We might be on an upward curve from one year to the next, but within that year, there could be some flatlines or even downward curves – periods in which revenue tends to drop before picking up in the following month. As well as planning our marketing budget for the long-term, we also know how to adjust it for these ongoing short-term fluctuations. It may not always be obvious how we should adjust our budget for periods of lower growth or reduced income. You might think that you should cut your marketing spending during those times, but in fact, those might be the stages where you should invest even more in brand awareness and lead building.
If you’re at a high-growth stage, you might want to consider tactics that generate top-line revenue at a higher rate. You may take a more iterative approach: for example, a period of high growth is probably not the time to build a new website, but you may want to make incremental adjustments to certain operational elements of your site so as to improve ease of use or make the sales process faster. On the other hand, if you’re in a planning stage, you would most likely turn your attention to brand building, PR and content marketing.
Growth is never a straight line, so your marketing strategies and marketing budget should never be constant and linear. The important thing is to know where you are and where you’re going next, and take appropriate action with regard to your marketing.
-
Christina Pilarski
Christina Pilarski is CEO and co-founder of CIPR Communications, a digital PR, marketing, and AI consulting agency serving hospitality, tourism, and luxury lifestyle brands across North America. Before starting CIPR in 2010 with her life partner and business partner, Peter Pilarski, Christina led campaigns in a series of corporate roles and served as Special Advisor to the Minister at Alberta's Department of Tourism, Parks and Recreation. She now leads a team of 20+ staff and contractors across CIPR and its AI-focused division, the Tourism AI Network. Christina holds a BA with Honours and an MA in Communications Studies from the University of Calgary. Outside the office, she's a mom of twins and two dogs, based in Calgary.
-
Peter Pilarski
Peter Pilarski is the Founder of Tourism AI Network and President of CIPR Communications. He helps tourism and hospitality organizations adopt AI strategically — from AI search visibility and custom tool development to team training and executive advisory. He is a sought-after keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, and AI advisor whose sessions blend practical frameworks with real-world results.
