10 Simple Ways to Improve Your Small Business Marketing
Marketing your business can feel like a never-ending to-do list.
Post on Instagram. Send an email. Write a blog. Go to a networking event. Sort your SEO. Make some videos. Oh, and apparently you should be on TikTok too…
It’s no wonder so many small business owners feel overwhelmed by marketing.
But here’s the thing: you probably don’t need to do more marketing. You need to get clearer on what’s worth doing for your business.
So, if you know your marketing could be working harder but you’re not quite sure where to start, here are 10 things I’d look at first.
1. Google your business and see what your customers see
Yes, actually Google yourself!
Start with your business name. What comes up? Is everything accurate? Does your Google Business Profile look good? Have you got recent reviews? Are there old listings hanging around with the wrong information?
Then comes the more important test. Open an incognito tab and Google what you do without using your business name. Where do you appear in the results?
If you’d never heard of your business before, could you find it?
It’s incredibly simple, but you’d be surprised how many business owners never do it.
2. Ask three of your best customers why they chose you
We spend a lot of time deciding what we think makes our businesses different, but your customers can often give you a much better answer.
Pick three customers you really enjoy working with and ask them why they originally chose you.
What made them get in touch? What stood out? Why did they choose you rather than someone else? And now they’ve worked with you, what do they value most?
You might be surprised by what they say.
And don’t just think, “Oh, that’s nice!” Use it.
Those answers could help shape your website copy, social media, sales conversations and wider marketing.
3. Give your website the five-second test
Open your website and pretend you’ve never seen it before. Or even better, give this task to someone who will be honest with you.
Within five seconds, can you work out:
What does this business do?
Who is it for?
Why should I be interested?
What should I do next?
Your potential customers shouldn’t have to hunt around trying to work out what you actually sell.
I’m all for a clever headline, but clarity wins every time.
4. Tell people what you want them to do next
You’ve got someone onto your website. Great!
Now what?
Do you want them to enquire? Book an appointment? Buy something? Visit your shop? Arrange a call?
Make it really obvious.
Don’t assume someone will search through three pages to find your contact details or magically know what the next step is.
The same applies to your social media and emails. If you want somebody to do something, tell them.
5. Give your customers a reason to come back
We can spend so much time trying to find new customers that we forget about the lovely people who already know and like our businesses.
Could you introduce a loyalty scheme? Offer a referral reward? Give existing customers something extra? Or use a digital rewards scheme such as Llama Points?
It doesn’t need to be complicated.
Think about how you can encourage your existing customers to come back, recommend you and feel appreciated when they do.
6. Please start asking people how they found you!
This is one of my biggest bugbears because it’s SO easy to do.
Every time you get a new enquiry, ask:
“How did you hear about us?”
And, importantly, actually record the answer.
Over time, you’ll start spotting patterns.
If you’re spending hours every week on Instagram but all your best customers are finding you through Google, that’s pretty useful information to have!
Without tracking where business comes from, you’re guessing about which bits of your marketing are actually working.
7. Get out and talk to people
Not all marketing happens behind a screen.
I’m a huge believer in networking, introductions, and simply getting to know people. I’ve built a massive part of my own business through relationships across Leeds and Yorkshire.
I co-founded Rise Up Networking for women in business and also run The Yorkshire Wedding Directory for wedding suppliers, so perhaps I’m slightly biased, but I’ve seen first-hand how one conversation can lead to a customer, collaboration, introduction or opportunity you could never have planned.
Get out there. Meet people. Recommend good businesses. Make introductions. Look for opportunities to collaborate.
And don’t walk into every networking event wondering what you’re going to sell. Go and get to know people and find our how you can help them.
8. Make asking for reviews part of your process
We all know reviews are important.
We’re also very good at forgetting to ask for them!
Rather than remembering every six months and suddenly asking everyone you’ve ever worked with, build it into your customer process.
Think about the point when your customer is happiest. Perhaps their project has just finished, their order has arrived or they’ve told you how pleased they are.
That’s your moment.
Send them the direct link and make leaving a review as easy as possible.
And when you get a brilliant review, use it! Add it to your website, share it on social media or turn it into a case study. Your happy customers can say how good you are far more convincingly than you can.
9. You really don’t need to be everywhere
I promise.
You don’t need Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest and whatever new platform has appeared by the time I finish writing this.
You need to know where your customers are and show up well there.
For one business, that might be LinkedIn, networking and email. For another, Instagram and Google might bring in most of the business. If you’re very locally focused, community groups, events, print and local partnerships could be brilliant.
There’s no prize for being on the most marketing channels.
Focus on the ones that make sense for your business and do them consistently.
10. Make a simple 90-day marketing plan
Please don’t finish reading this and add another 27 things to your to-do list!
Instead, decide what you actually want your marketing to achieve over the next three months.
Do you want more enquiries? More bookings? To launch something new? Grow your email list? Become better known locally?
Then work backwards.
Ask yourself:
What am I trying to achieve?
Who do I need to reach?
What am I going to do?
When am I going to do it?
How will I know if it’s working?
You do not need a complicated 30-page marketing strategy that sits in a drawer and never gets looked at again.
You need clear goals, realistic actions and a plan you can actually stick to.
Get clear on your marketing. Grow your business.
If you’ve got to the bottom of this list and realised you’ve got a few things to sort out, don’t panic!
Pick one or two and start there.
Good marketing isn’t about doing everything. It’s about understanding your customers, getting the foundations right and putting your time and money into the things that are actually going to help you grow.
Actually, that’s exactly why I created Marketing Club Foundations.
It’s a practical four-workshop course for small business owners who want to stop feeling overwhelmed by their marketing and get some proper direction. We work through your marketing foundations, website and online presence, social media and other ways to market your business, before bringing everything together into your own realistic 90-day plan.
The next Marketing Club Foundations course starts in January 2027. Find out first when it goes on sale by signing up to my newsletter here.
