In this episode of International Web Effectiveness Podcast, hosts Bill Hunt and Bill Scully share creative ways to secure budgets for web projects. They break down key strategies like using external funding sources (OPM), working with other departments, and aligning with stakeholder priorities. They highlight the importance of thorough preparation, anticipating objections, and making a strong business case.
Key Takeaways
- Think “OPEOM” (Other People’s Money): Look for opportunities to collaborate with other teams or individuals who have existing budgets. By helping them achieve their goals, you can leverage their resources for your project.
- Find Common Ground: Identify shared goals and objectives with other departments. This can lead to partnerships and joint initiatives, where both parties benefit from the project.
- Provide Value: Demonstrate the potential benefits of your project, both for the organization and for the individuals involved. This could include increased revenue, improved efficiency, or enhanced brand reputation.
- Be Prepared: Develop a solid business case with clear objectives, a detailed plan, and a cost-benefit analysis. This will help you gain the confidence of decision-makers and increase your chances of securing funding.
- Anticipate Objections: Consider potential concerns and objections from stakeholders and address them proactively. Be prepared to answer questions and provide evidence to support your claims.
- Understand Your Audience: Tailor your approach to the specific needs and interests of the individuals or departments you are targeting. This will help you communicate effectively and increase your chances of success.
Catch the Full Episode
YouTube: https://youtu.be/rLdkYoTkGTc?si=-HbJz–rD8D9f81l
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5ALchmdgs0Cq6C93wNX2yt?si=5r7zCMjaTCyRKgZcpzNwMw
Transcript
Bill Scully: Welcome to Episode 7 of the International Web Effectiveness Podcast, where Bill Hunt and I, Bill Scully, focus on strategies and techniques to improve web presence and manage global websites.
In our last episode, we discussed Bill’s insights into the Search Off the Record podcast, particularly about website internationalization and Hreflang. Today, we’re diving into creative ways to leverage other people’s money for your project—what I like to call OPM (Other People’s Money).
Understanding the scope and complexity of these projects is critical. Large international websites often require significant resources and budgets, but these are not always allocated in advance. In many cases, it makes sense to start these projects as soon as possible to maximize returns and achieve other strategic goals.
We’ll explore different ways to present these cases, but for now, let’s focus on creative methods. Bill, what are some innovative ways you’ve seen companies secure budgets for their projects?
Bill Hunt: I love the way you describe it—other people’s money. At the end of the day, that’s what we need: other people’s money. But if you want it, you have to follow the principle of “help me help you,” as the infamous Jerry Maguire once said. Finding creative funding strategies is essential, and I’ll share a couple of examples.
One large company we worked with had no budget for link building. However, our analysis clearly showed that they needed more links. While enterprise-level businesses don’t always require extensive link building, certain niche areas within their organization did. So, we had to think outside the box.
We found that the company’s primary source of backlinks was through their partner network and PR efforts. When we approached the PR team, we discovered they were working with an old-school PR agency that refused to include hyperlinks in digital press releases. They were so outdated that they still compiled physical clipping books—literally printing web pages and putting them in binders.
We saw an opportunity: many websites were copying and pasting these releases onto their own pages. If we embedded links in the press releases, we’d naturally acquire backlinks. Initially, the PR agency resisted, but we found someone willing to break protocol and include them.
By tracking analytics, we demonstrated how much referral traffic, leads, and sales these links generated. For the first time, the PR team could walk into a meeting and prove their direct contribution to business performance. From that point forward, every press release included links, resulting in hundreds of high-quality pickups.
Bill Scully: That’s a brilliant workaround. Any other examples?
Bill Hunt: Yes, another great example came from securing funding through the events team. In many large organizations, especially five to ten years ago, event budgets were often the largest line item in marketing. However, they weren’t leveraging the website much to support these events—mainly relying on emails.
We proposed a strategy to drive more people to their event booths through digital marketing. In return, we secured a portion of their budget, which we then used at our discretion to support their initiatives while also advancing our own marketing goals. It was a win-win.
Speaking of events, at IBM, we had a guy named Turbo Todd, who was like the Energizer Bunny of social media. He had this idea to attend major partner events and interview key players as social media was gaining traction. We took those interviews, posted the videos on YouTube, and converted them into transcripts rich with keywords and insights from industry leaders.
By collaborating with Todd, we drove substantial traffic to IBM’s digital properties, which in turn helped him justify additional funding to attend even more events. It was a perfect example of how aligning with existing initiatives can amplify efforts and make them more discoverable.
Bill Scully: That’s a great approach—looking at what others are already doing and finding ways to enhance and leverage it for mutual benefit. I also love the idea of engaging with IT teams, understanding what’s already on their task list, and identifying opportunities to collaborate. Keeping an open mind and exploring unconventional funding sources can make all the difference in securing the resources needed to drive impactful digital initiatives.
Bill Hunt: One way to find collaboration opportunities is by identifying others’ goals and seeing where you can contribute. For example, we learned that the ECRM team and their agency had a goal of reaching 300,000 new sign-ups. Since we already had data on where people were coming in, we asked ourselves, How can search help deliver that?
We reverse-engineered the process, analyzing which pages or content types from organic search were driving ECRM sign-ups. Then, we simply asked, Can we get more of them? We worked with the content team—who were always looking for fresh ideas—and provided them with data that showed, Hey, there are this many people searching for this topic, but we don’t have content on it. Here’s the gap.
Since we knew that people who engaged with this type of content were more likely to convert into ECRM sign-ups, our goal was to get that content created, indexed, and driving traffic through organic search. Not only did this help us improve rankings, clicks, and overall traffic, but we also contributed directly to the ECRM sign-up numbers. It was a win-win.
A lot of times, success comes down to recognizing where someone else might be struggling and finding ways to assist them. Collaboration, as we’ve discussed with the Center of Excellence, is a game-changer.
If you have a Center of Excellence in place, it can make things easier, but even without one, you can seek help from various departments—marketing, sales, customer service. For example, HR teams trying to fill job vacancies may have separate budgets for recruitment initiatives. In a matrix organization, priorities exist across divisions, corporate teams, and regional offices. Each has different goals, and a single well-planned project can align with multiple objectives, making it easier to secure funding from different teams.
Ultimately, collaboration is about making things better for everyone. Just like with PR initiatives or template optimizations, you should look for ways to align with what others are already doing. The more you contribute to someone else’s success, the more likely they are to reciprocate—whether that’s with resources, budget, or support.
I also want to remind everyone—if you enjoy what we’re sharing, please take a moment to leave a review in your podcast app and share this episode with others. We have a public Facebook group where we continue these discussions, so feel free to join in.
One key factor in securing a budget is identifying potential blockers. Before presenting your case, figure out who the detractors are and how your initiative might impact them. Think about whose sandbox you’re stepping into—whether it’s an agency, an internal team, or another department. Who stands to lose something if your project moves forward? Whose resources might be reallocated? Most importantly, what’s in it for them?
At some point, we should do an episode about understanding stakeholders—who benefits from your project? Is it shareholders, customers, or the executive sponsor allocating the budget? You need to ensure that every key player sees value in what you’re proposing.
Another important point: never come unprepared. If you’re asking for budget, you need a well-thought-out plan. You likely won’t get a second chance to make your pitch, so do everything you can to control the outcome in your favor.
Many decision-makers are risk-averse. They don’t want to green-light something that could fail. If you’re dealing with a leadership team that is hesitant to take risks, your proposal needs to be rock-solid. Anticipate potential questions. Keep your pitch concise—ideally five slides or fewer—while having supporting data ready.
Most importantly, always highlight the business impact. Too often, people focus only on the benefits of doing something but fail to address the risks of not doing it. Ask yourself, If we don’t proceed, what’s the cost? Will we lose market share? Will we fall behind competitors? Understanding the consequences of inaction is just as crucial as presenting the benefits of action.
At the end of the day, it all ties back to goals. How can your initiative align with someone else’s objectives? How can you mitigate risk and help decision-makers feel confident about approving your request?
Bill Scully: Exactly. It’s about making the case in a way that helps everyone win.
Bill Hunt: Right. And that’s why we should also consider an episode on planning—specifically yearly planning. Being proactive about budget cycles can make a huge difference. Depending on your organization, you might be working with a zero-based budget, meaning you’re always justifying expenses. But no matter what, securing additional funding often means reallocating money from somewhere else.
Bill Scully: Yeah, there’s no such thing as new money—it’s always coming from another part of the budget.
Bill Hunt: Exactly. And because of that, you need to anticipate pushback. Every department fights to keep its budget, and if you’re asking for more, you’re essentially competing with them.
This was a great conversation, as always. If you’re enjoying the podcast, please take a moment to rate us in your podcast app and share the episode. Your feedback helps us keep these discussions going.
Thanks for listening—until next time!