I’m a customer. I buy things. I know the struggle of wanting to save a few bucks by shopping around.

But, unlike some consumers, I understand the cheapest option is not always the best. There is an amount of quality you sacrifice when you only look for the cheapest option. Same goes for marketing.

Websites, logos, graphic design – all of it is a big part of your brand, so if the quality is poor, it cheapens your brand. It tells the world you don’t care about your business, so why would you care about your customers or the quality of your work? So, please, hear me when I say stop devaluing your brand! When you buy a $5 logo – nine times out of 10 –it’s going to be unoriginal or straight-up stolen. When you have your high school-age nephew build you a single-page website, it won’t look professional. When you design your own marketing materials and don’t have any experience designing, there is a huge margin of error.

Spending money on your marketing efforts is an investment in your company’s future. I know it’s hard to pay for something that doesn’t feel tangible, but it makes a huge difference to your customer and it’s an investment – if done correctly – that can last years. If you aren’t sure if what you are getting is a good quality, look around and do a little research. Ask questions. In the end, the investment of the time, effort and money will help you build a business you would want to patronize and that will matter to you and your customers.

Meagan McCall is a graphic designer and concerned consumer who believes in the power of effective marketing and wants your business to succeed.