Before increasing the marketing budget, I’d take inventory of three groups of people already connected to the business.
Former clients or patients.
Some may simply have drifted away.
Others may tell you something about the business you need to hear.
People who already trust your work.
Current and former clients, professional colleagues and others who have firsthand experience with you may be able to make introductions that begin with considerably more trust than an advertisement can provide.
Professionals who serve the same kinds of people you do.
An accountant and an attorney may serve many of the same business owners.
A dentist may have relationships with other healthcare professionals.
A contractor may work alongside designers, appliance professionals, architects, and trades.
The point isn’t to turn everyone you know into a lead source.
It’s to recognize that an established business has accumulated relationships over the years.
Those relationships are assets.
Before spending more to reach people who don’t know you, I think it’s worth understanding the value of the people who already do.