Small business marketing doesn’t have to be a challenge. When you’re already busy handling everything from managing customers to accounting, the last thing you want to do is create a website from scratch or develop a marketing campaign.
Luckily, marketing your small business is easier than you think.
Whether you're looking to attract your first clients or 10x your business over the next few months, there are plenty of actionable, essential, and easy marketing ideas you can start working on right now to get your business in front of the right people.
Table of Contents:
- Why Small Business Marketing Matters
- How to Market Your Small Business
- 10 Easy Marketing Ideas For Your Small Business
- Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business Marketing
The first marketing must-have is a website. Create one in seconds using Durable’s AI Website Builder.
Why Small Business Marketing Matters
Marketing is how you help customers find you. Without an online presence, active social media channels, or customer referrals, people may not know your business exists.
When you have a marketing strategy for your small business in place, it helps with everything from building brand recognition and trust to attracting your ideal customers. Marketing can also help you with product development, customer research, and community building which are all things that help your small business thrive.
And perhaps most importantly, marketing directly impacts your bottom line by driving sales and revenue.
How to Market Your Small Business
Before you can start marketing your small business, you need to have a marketing strategy. Here’s what to include in your marketing strategy:
- Your goals: What are you hoping to achieve with your new marketing ideas? Do you want to improve brand awareness? Or maybe you want to increase customer loyalty through referrals.
- Your customer: This one is critical. Before you put any of your marketing ideas into action, you have to understand where your customers hang out. For example, if you post a lot of content on Instagram, but your audience spends more time reading blogs and web articles, then you know you actually need to create a website with a blog and focus on improving your SEO.
- Your offering: While it seems obvious, you need to understand your offering to determine the best way to market it. If you have a roofing company, you may realize that there are a lot of roofing-related search queries that you can answer on your website. Or, let’s say you offer personal training services. It would probably be helpful to create Instagram Reels of your workouts so people can get a glimpse of your teaching style.
- Your competitors: Research your competitors so you know how they’re currently marketing themselves. This can help you see what’s working well or identify opportunities for you to pursue.
10 Easy Marketing Ideas For Your Small Business
Ready to drive more customers to your small business? Here are some easy marketing ideas you can try to increase your brand awareness, attract more customers, and increase your sales.
#1: Build a Website
No matter what your business is, you need to build a website. A website acts as the home base for your entire marketing engine (and business), so consider this step a "must-have" for marketing your business.
Whether you sell products or offer services, customers will use your website as a place to learn more and decide if they want to make a purchase. Not to mention, having a website is essential if you want your small business to show up in search engine result pages (SERPs).
Your website also helps build trust and credibility with your customers. According to a report by Top Design Firms, 50% of consumers say their impression of a business depends on the company’s website design.
If you haven't yet, generate a website using Durable. It's the single fastest way to build an online presence for your business without any web or design skills.
#2: Create a Blog
One of the best ways to market your business is by sharing helpful or educational content (for free) with your target customers. You can easily do this through a blog on your website. Creating helpful and in-depth content showcases your expertise, builds trust, and creates engaging content you can repurpose for your social media channels or email marketing. Plus, it can help your website show up in search results when people search for the keywords associated with your blog.
For example, if you're a mobile bike mechanic, you might want to feature a short video or article on how to turn a wheel or fix skipping gears. It might seem like you're giving things away for free, but that's kind of the point — the more people engage with your content and find it useful, the more likely they'll consider you for that big repair job they need next month.
If you don’t have a blog on your website yet, don’t worry — you can use Durable’s AI Blog Builder to get one up and running in seconds.
#3: Use Word-of-mouth
There's a very high chance your first few clients will be friends or family. And there's nothing wrong with that. People love having a "go-to person" for different services, and you can be that person for the people closest to you.
Don't be shy about using your network. Post to social media, send emails, text, send messages in group chats — anything to help get the word out about your business.
This approach is called word-of-mouth marketing, and it works because the people you tell will tell others, and so on. And people trust their friends. A Nielsen survey found that 88% of people trust recommendations from people they know.
#4: Post on Social Media
Posting on social media is one of the best low-cost marketing ideas to try as a small business. It doesn’t take much investment, either. Plus, most people learn about new products and services through social media.
All you need is some time and creativity to make content that promotes your brand and reaches your ideal customers. The channels that matter most to your business will depend a bit on your specific business and where your potential customers hang out online. Your best bet is to get up and running on as many social channels as you can, experiment with different content types, and see where you start seeing the most traction. Don't overthink it! Start posting, don't worry too much about quality, and see what sticks.
If you haven't yet set up dedicated social media channels for your business, post to your channels. It might seem scrappy, but you'd be surprised how many people in your network might be looking for your services (or know someone).
Friends and family want to help and see you succeed — reminding them that you're in business via Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or wherever else will very likely lead to a client or two (or ten).
#5: Optimize Your Website for SEO
Alright, time to get a little more technical (but not too much!). SEO, or search engine optimization, determines how high your website ranks when someone searches for keywords related to your business (for example, "Pressure washing businesses in Tamarindo"). Local SEO is especially important if you have a small business that caters to customers in a specific area.
If your website is well-optimized, you'll be closer to the top of the results page and more likely to get those sweet clicks to your website. Sound complicated? It isn't. Especially when you use a tool like Durable’s AI Website Builder. It includes built-in SEO optimizations and takes just a few minutes to set up.
#6: Explore Paid Ads
Consider running paid ads if you have some room in your marketing budget. PPC (pay-per-click) advertising, such as Google Ads or Facebook Ads, can help you reach potential customers and drive traffic to your website. This can be a cost-effective way to reach a large audience and generate leads.
Our advice? Start with Google Ads. They're easy to get started, and you can use AI to generate a Google Ad in about two seconds. Start with a smaller daily budget (as little as $10 can be enough to generate leads). Paid Facebook advertisements work, too, but generally require a higher budget to see results.
#7: Ask For Customer Reviews
Positive customer reviews are gold for a small business. Not only do reviews help your Google ranking, but they’re essential for building trust and social proof. In fact, 50% of consumers trust customer reviews as much as recommendations from friends and family, according to a survey by Brightlocal.
If you have a service business, ask customers to write a review about their experience once the service is complete. You can do this in person or through a follow-up email. You can also encourage customers to share a picture with their review to showcase real results — even better if you can offer an incentive like a discount on their next service.
#8: Partner With Influencers and Other Businesses
Partner with other businesses in your industry or niche to promote your products or services. This can help you reach a larger audience and build trust with potential customers. The key is to partner with businesses that complement your business and don't compete with it. For instance, a dog toy brand may partner with
If you are a local small business, it’s also a good idea to connect with local influencers in your community. Micro or niche influencers tend to be more approachable than celebrities or mega influencers with millions of followers. Plus, if they are a local blogger or influencer, they care more about supporting small local businesses.
#9: Attend or Host Events
Attend industry events, trade shows, community events, and conferences to network with potential customers and promote your business. There are usually plenty of free networking events held by local business organizations, but you may need to pay to attend some bigger events like conferences. Consider it an investment in your business.
You can also host your own events, such as product launches or workshops, to showcase your products or services. An event is a great way to increase foot traffic if you have a brick-and-mortar business like a retail store. Just remember to market the event ahead of time using social media, posting signs in your store, and partnering with local influencers or media outlets who can help spread the word.
#10: Start a Referral Program
Encourage your existing customers to refer their friends and family to your business. Offer incentives, such as discounts or free products or services, to customers who refer new business to you. Don't be afraid to reach out and ask — the squeaky wheel gets the grease (or, in this case, money).
Here’s an example of how a referral program can work: Let’s say you have a local lawn care business. Anytime you get a new customer, ask if any of their neighbors may need lawn work done and offer a discount on their next service if they refer a new customer to you. It’s as easy as that!
Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business Marketing
What type of marketing is best for small businesses?
The best type of marketing for small businesses is anything that’s low-cost and helps you get in front of your target customers. Small business owners should focus on the channels or marketing strategies that bring the most customers and sales instead of spreading themselves too thin by trying to be everywhere at once.
How to grow your small business with marketing?
There are many ways to grow your small business with marketing, including building a website, posting on social media, optimizing your site for SEO, generating customer reviews, and connecting with local influencers.
How to create a marketing strategy for a small business?
To create a marketing strategy for your small business, follow these steps:
- Understand your offering
- Identify your target audience
- Research your competitors
- Build a website to drive traffic to
- Choose a few marketing channels to start with (e.g., Instagram, SEO, influencer marketing)
- Review your performance and adjust as needed
How can I market my business with little money?
You can market your business with little to no money if you are on a budget. A few free marketing ideas include posting on social media, using word-of-mouth marketing, and encouraging customer reviews and referrals.
What is the most successful marketing tool for small business?
The most successful marketing tool for a small business is a website. Your website is a destination for everything you do, whether you sell products or promote services. It’s also how customers can find you and learn more about your business.
Durable makes your marketing easy. Build your website in one click with our AI Website Builder.
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