You own and run a small business, so naturally, you’ve got a lot on your plate. And one of the million challenges small business owners face is – yep, finding new leads.

Your ideal customers are out there. The trick is finding them and turning them into your loyal customers. That’s where your marketing strategy comes in. 

And it’s about more than buying a few PPCs and calling it a day. A marketing strategy that actually works is an investment – of time and money. It takes market research, a unique selling point, and enough time to track what’s landing and what’s missing the mark.

Sounds like a lot to add to your already over-booked schedule…but it’s actually pretty straightforward, and this guide will walk you through it step by step. Learn how to create a marketing strategy for your small business that’ll expand your customer base and bring in more high-quality leads – without burning out or blowing your budget.  

Building a small business marketing strategy that works

Sure the big guys might have more resources to play with, a whole marketing team on the payroll, and more cash to burn on ad-spend. But, with the right strategy, small businesses can create a plan that gets more traffic in the door and delivers some serious ROI.

Step 1: Define your goals

First things first – what do you want your marketing efforts to do for your business growth? Attract more leads? Land more sales? Build up better brand recognition? 

Without clear, measurable goals to direct your marketing efforts, your strategy will struggle to succeed. Try the SMART method:

• Specific: We all want to “gain new customers”. But, if you want to “get 200 new customers in the next 3 months”? That’s a clear target.
• Measurable: Whether it’s total website traffic or a specific number of referrals you’re aiming for, set a goal you can track over time. That way, you’ll not only know that your strategy works – but why it works (or what needs to change to work better).
• Achievable: Shoot for the stars! …just make sure they’re stars you can actually reach. “Ranking #1 on Google by the end of the month” might be a little too ambitious. There’s nothing wrong with starting small and scaling your goals when you’re ready. 
• Relevant: Each of your goals should support your overall business objectives. If you want to position your business as the leading expert in your industry, focus on content marketing efforts that reinforce your expertise, like publishing a blog or hosting webinars.
• Time-bound: Set a timeline for reaching your marketing target – end of year, end of quarter, end of month – and make a plan to stick to it.

And once you cross that finish line, you can assess your success and celebrate! (Or adjust your approach for the next campaign – it’s a learning curve!)

Step 2: Know your audience

You might have the best product or service in the biz, but if you want people to know about it, you need to know exactly who you’re marketing it to. (And no, it’s probably not ‘everyone’.)

The truth is, there are probably a few specific groups of people that you’ll want to target with your marketing strategy. Here’s how to pinpoint them:

• Do market research: Use online tools like Google Trends or social media searches to better understand your target audience – where do they hang out online? What problems are they trying to solve? How do they make their buying decisions? And check out the competition, too! Analyze your competitors to see what kind of customers they’re attracting, which marketing tactics they’re using, and how you can offer something unique.
• Conduct surveys: Get insights straight from the source! Gather feedback from your ideal audience about their values, preferences, pain points, and buying behaviors.
• Create buyer personas: Lay out your ideal customer’s demographics, behaviors, and motivations – and get specific. Let’s say you’re running online fitness courses. Instead of targeting everyone with a Wi-Fi connection, you’re targeting “Gina, a 36-year-old stay-at-home mom who wants to lose weight but can’t make it to the gym every week”.

Knowing who you’re talking to will guide how you’ll talk to them (and whether they’ll listen).

Step 3: Nail your messaging and value proposition

Your value proposition is what sets your small business apart from other businesses. It’s the personal touch that attracts people to small local banks instead of corporate giants, or the niche product your shop sells that you can’t find anywhere else. The essence of that value prop is rooted in your brand’s core values and mission. 

And how do you convey that unique value to your target audience? That’s messaging – the language you use, the images you include, the connection you make with the people you want to attract. Get clear on this, and your messaging will not only entice potential customers to act – it’ll keep them coming back.

Step 4: Pick the right channels

So you’ve got steps 1-3 down. It’s time to plan out how you’ll reach your target customers and get your message across. 

• Search engine optimization (SEO): Solid keyword research, technical SEO, and content optimization can attract organic traffic to your website – before you even spend a dime on PPC. Find out how people search for the products or services you offer, and make sure your content reflects the perfect answer. And don’t forget to go local! Work local SEO into your strategy to be the go-to in your area.
  
• Email campaign: Email marketing isn’t dead! A well-targeted, personalized email campaign is a direct line to your audience, giving you a measurable way to connect with new customers, strengthen customer loyalty, and build relationships that last.
  
• Social media marketing: It’s time to look back at your buyer personas and see which social channels your target market is hanging out on the most. If it’s a younger audience, it’ll likely be TikTok and Instagram. If they’re older, you might find them on Facebook. (Sorry, boomers.) Once you know where they’re spending their time, tap into influencer marketing to pull in some new customers.
  
• Referral marketing: What’s better than a referral from someone you know and trust? Referral programs bring in high-quality leads and customers often have a higher lifetime value than non-referred customers.
  
• Paid ads: With platforms like Google Ads, you can set a budget and send targeted PPC ads to your audience. Monitor them to see which ones are performing well and adjust accordingly.

Bonus: Depending on your audience, your marketing channels can be offline, too. Go old-school with print advertising and hand out flyers or leaflets, or put ads in a local newspaper to get the word out about your small business.

Step 5: Set a realistic budget 

Don’t overstretch your budget – be realistic and intentional with your spending allocation. You can get great results without breaking the bank. Start small, monitor your results, and then you can increase spending on marketing campaigns that are driving business growth.

Step 6: Review and adjust

If you don’t track and measure, you can’t improve. Track your KPIs carefully and review your progress regularly. And by regularly, I mean monthly – not just every 3-6 months. The numbers don’t lie. If something isn’t performing well, it’s time to start making adjustments.

Need help with your marketing strategy?

If the thought of planning a marketing strategy is sending you into a tailspin – hi, I’m Cody from Squeak Media. I will help you build a marketing strategy that’s high on rewards, low on late night work-a-thons, and just makes sense. Send me a message and let’s rewrite your roadmap.