Small businesses: Practical marketing tips you can use today
Running a small business means doing a lot with little time and budget. This page pulls together practical marketing moves that actually move the needle: cheap tests you can run this week, tools that save hours, and how to use AI without sounding robotic.
Quick, low-cost marketing moves
Start with one clear goal: more local customers, more online sales, or more leads. Pick one and measure it. For local businesses, claim and optimize your Google Business Profile—add photos, hours, and a short weekly post. For online shops, make a single landing page focused on one offer and drive traffic with a small ad test (even $5/day can show results).
Content that helps people beats content that brags. Write short how-to posts, FAQ pages, or quick video demos that solve a real customer problem. Example: a bakery posts a 30-second video showing how to store sourdough—people save it, share it, and remember the brand.
Use email like a friend. Send one useful tip and one offer per month. Keep subject lines simple: “3 ways to keep plants alive this summer” beats vague clickbait. Track opens and adjust—small lists respond well to personal, helpful notes.
Use AI like ChatGPT without losing your voice
ChatGPT can save hours on content, captions, and ad copy—if you edit. Ask it to draft five short social captions or three ad headlines, then tweak the tone to sound like you. Don’t paste outputs verbatim; add local details, product names, or a line that only your team would say.
Practical prompts: "Write 5 Instagram captions (15–25 words) for a coffee shop promoting iced lattes, friendly tone, include a question." Use one idea as-is and rewrite two others. This keeps content consistent and human.
Automate routine replies but watch quality. Set up canned responses for common questions (hours, returns, booking) and add a rule to forward complex queries to a person. Fast, accurate replies build trust and reduce churn.
Measure weekly and cut what doesn’t work. Track three metrics tied to your goal (visits, leads, sales). If a tactic doesn’t move metrics in 4–6 weeks, stop it and try something new. Small wins compound: improve one page, get 10% more sales, reinvest that into a test.
Tools that help: a simple landing page builder, a lightweight email tool, Google Business Profile, and ChatGPT for drafts. None need to be expensive—use free tiers first, then scale what pays off.
Pick one action from this page and do it today—update your Google listing, write an email, or test a ChatGPT prompt. Small, specific actions beat big plans that never start.
