Making Every Dollar Count: How to Evaluate Advertising Proposals on a Tiny Budget

Lisa Jeffries Nobling on September 22, 2026

When you run a self-funded small business, a bootstrapped startup, or a donor-reliant organization, every dollar in your marketing budget matters. You likely field a steady stream of advertising proposals, and with so many formats, claims, and price points, it can be hard to separate a genuine growth opportunity from an ineffective expense. Here is the framework we use at Raleighwood Media Group to evaluate inbound advertising proposals and ensure limited budgets deliver the maximum possible impact.

Raleighwood’s Guide to Advertising on Nextdoor.com

Raleighwood Media on December 18, 2019

Are you taking advantage of Nextdoor.com to promote your business? If not, it’s time to claim your local businesses page! This will ensure that your business shows up on Nextdoor for nearby neighbors that are searching for your specific business or the products and services you offer. (Or, referring you to others in the area.)

New Facebook Feature: More Local Pages You Might Like

Lisa Jeffries Nobling on February 4, 2013

To be honest, this may not technically be new, but it is the first time I’ve seen this feature, personally. Facebook often rolls out new features and functionality in waves to different users, so I’m curious – has anyone else seen it, yet?

Facebook Feature - More Local Pages You Might Like

Facebook Feature – More Local Pages You Might Like

A few thoughts follow – as scattered as they might be:

  • Anytime I see something “new” on social, I wonder, “what can we (marketers, publicists, online marketing people) do with this?”
  • Can we do some positive PR and leave a nice comment on the wall of a new page we found and say “Hi, I’m here because Facebook thought I might like you since I liked (insert name of other local business here)!”
    • Does that open the door to a nice note becoming a nasty-gram if that other business is actually a competitor? (We can’t really expect Facebook to NOT suggest direct competitors, can we?)
  • Do we leave just leave it alone and hope Facebook doesn’t start suggesting that we like “Target” when we’ve just liked the neighborhood independent gift shop?
  • This rogue thought still burns me up and I think of it every time I think “Facebook Marketing”: when is Facebook going to finally stop so heavily throttling how many people see page-created content? These are the Facebook users who have opted-in to liking the pages we heavily invest time and effort into promoting (you’re welcome, Facebook). Facebook is forcing us to buy “sponsored” visibility to improve the chances that more than 10% of page subscribers will see the posts we take the time, and have been trained to, create. {Read more about this on NewMediaRockStars.com, if you’re so inclined.}

Ending today and this post on a positive note: big “thank you” goes out to Kim Adamof for the referral that came my way today in need of public relations services!

Happy Mondaying,
Lisa

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas… in June!

Lisa Jeffries Nobling on June 14, 2011

Those who have worked in retail or holiday event planning know that the holiday season comes very early to those whose businesses peak in the winter months – and two very festive opportunities are already coming your way in the next few weeks. Details of the first, the 67th annual Raleigh Christmas Parade, are below. Details of opportunity number two should be available in just a few weeks, so look for a follow-up post soon!

Greater Raleigh Merchant’s Association Announces 2011 Raleigh Christmas Parade

The Greater Raleigh Merchants Association (GRMA) announces their 67th Annual Raleigh Christmas Parade to be held on November 19, 2011 at 9:30am in downtown Raleigh.

Applications are now being accepted for all parade entries. Registration will close on September 16, 2011. Visit https://grma.org/christmas-parade/parade_schedule.html for the full parade schedule. If your group is interested in having a float, classic car, helium balloon, walking group or other entry, please visit the Greater Raleigh Merchant’s Association website: https://grma.org/christmas-parade/application.html and submit an online application. No applications will be accepted after the September 16 deadline. Applications are chosen based on realtionship to theme, creativity, entertainment, and community appeal.

Sponsorship and volunteer opportunities are also available. If your company is interested in sponsorship opportunities, please contact the executive director of GRMA, Jennifer Bradshaw at 919-755-9235 or jennifer@grma.org. If you are interested in serving on the committee, please email info@grma.org to receive more information.

The Raleigh Christmas parade is the largest parade between Atlanta and Washington DC. Over 250,000 will watch the parade live from home and over 60,000 will attend the parade in person. The parade will last approximately 2.5 hours and will feature something for the whole family.

Looking forward to seeing you and yours participating in the planning and production of the 2011 Raleigh Christmas Parade… or at least participating as an entertained audience member!