Marketing Pyramid
We work with local small businesses. Doing so has given us insight into where businesses are skipping important steps. We often hear from business owners that they want more "leads." The problem is that without the basics, paying for ads can lead to wasted money. This can make you feel like the marketing "didn't work." Make sure you follow this marketing hierarchy. This will help you do the basics and avoid losing money. Marketing works, so long as you have everything in place in the Marketing Pyramid. The cool thing is, your phone will also ring more.
1. Brand Essence - Define your WHO and WHY they would choose you!
Before any marketing can succeed, you must get crystal clear on who your audience is and why they should choose you. This foundational step is often overlooked, but it’s the difference between a business that blends in and one that stands out and grows fast.
Start by identifying your ideal customer—not just general demographics, but real people with specific needs, wants, fears, and goals. Who are they? What do they care about? What problem are they trying to solve?
Next, craft your WHY story—why does your business exist, and what makes you different? This isn’t just a mission statement. It’s your origin story, your values, your vision, and the emotion behind your brand. It is the reason a person will pick you over your competitors.
Then comes your visual and emotional brand: your logo, color palette, typography, tone of voice, and brand personality. Are you bold and edgy? Soft and reassuring? Sophisticated and elite? All of these elements should align with how you want people to feel when they interact with you.
Your brand is not just a logo. It’s the total experience someone has with your company—from first impression to long-term relationship.
Don’t skip this. The clearer your identity and target audience, the easier it is to attract the right people and grow.
2. Business Profiles - Google Business, Bing Places, Apple Business, Yelp)
Once your brand and audience are clearly defined, it’s time to plant your digital flag. That starts with setting up and fully optimizing your Google Business Profile, Bing Places for Business, Apple Business Connect, and Yelp. In fact, any free listing you can make, make it. These are your most important local search listings—and they’re often the first place potential customers will interact with your business.
Make sure your business name, address, and phone number are consistent across all listings. Then, don’t stop at the basics—go deep. If you don't have time for all of them, start with Google. These platforms reward businesses that provide more detail and play the game they have set out for us to play. Get reviews, make posts, stack your profiles.
Add accurate business categories, your hours of operation, photos, services, products, service areas, and more. Write a strong business description that includes relevant keywords your ideal customers might search for. Think of this like SEO for your local presence—the more complete and specific, the better your chances of showing up in search results.
Also, enable messaging and add booking links or calls to action wherever available. Upload high-quality images that match your brand and show off your work, team, or space. Keep these listings active and updated—add posts, respond to reviews, and treat these profiles like a living marketing channel.
These platforms are powerful—and free. They give you visibility right when people are searching for what you offer. Don’t leave them half-done. A fully built-out profile builds trust, improves rankings, and drives real leads.
Need help? [Click here] to get professional support setting it all up.
3. Website - Built to Sell
Your website is next. Your website should be your 24/7 salesperson. 81% of shoppers research a brands website before buying. 31% of people will not do business with a company that lacks a website. Additionally, 42% will leave if the website is poorly designed and choose a competitor instead. 9 in 10 of those who leave will never come back!
We created the LaunchScape™ format for websites to boost sales and lead generation. However, you should also ensure your site is easy to read and understand. Also make sure you follow the technical setup requirements Search Engines like Google and Bing require for websites. If you do this, you will more likely be indexed by the search engines and your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) efforts will be more effective.
Even though search patterns are changing, many people now use voice search and A.I. to find information. So you should start spending money on SEO first. Get your website ranking higher across search engines. These technologies still rely on company websites to gather data. This is such a crucial piece of your marketing approach, we recommend getting it done by a professional even though you can do it yourself these days it often gets overlooked and put on the back burner. Learn more about Ryan Spelts Marketing SEO Offerings here.
Some popular platforms to make websites are Wix, Wordpress, Squarespace, and Godaddy. It is fine to do it yourself when you are new. However, we suggest hiring a professional as soon as you can to improve your site, homepage, as well as work on ongoing SEO, GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and AEO (A.I. Engine Optimization).
Remember no matter who you hire, make sure you own your assets. You should own your URL (web address), own your website data, and any creative they help you with. Do not do business with a company that charges you monthly for your site and if you stop paying you lose your site. You will have to pay for your URL annually and your Hosting monthly or annually, but that is inexpensive. We charge $35/mo to host websites for reference. If a company is charging a hosting fee in the $100s of dollars per month, they may be renting your site to you. Don't do it. It is fine if your company offers a payment plan for your site. This plan will last for a set time. After that, you will only pay for hosting and URL renewal. That is how we do it here.
Want help with a custom LaunchScape™ Website? [Click Here]
4. Content Creation
Look, I get it. You don't want to be an influencer. That is totally ok. However, we want you to realize that there is a unique opportunity that you should be taking advantage of. That is that the largest media companies in the world will allow you to post content to their platforms for free. 100% free! Use platforms like Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Whatsapp), Google Business Profile, YouTube, TikTok, Nextdoor, Yelp, and Pinterest to promote what you do.
They don't charge you, so try it. It doesn't have to be perfect, just put something out there. Before and After photos, timelapses, educate on what you do. Ryan has shared our best tools and methods on social media for several years. He has taught as much as possible and published everything on these free platforms. He may not be an influencer, but he likes to joke when one of his videos gets a few thousand views. He jokingly says he has gone "viral," but that isn't really the point. Ryan's goal has been to promote Ryan Spelts Marketing as the best website design, SEO, and Lead Generation company in Utah.
This approach has resulted in nearly 250,000 views of our content over the past year. There was no cost other than the time it took to record the videos and make images. To show you how valuable this is, consider this: If you wanted to buy 250,000 views on media or social media, it would cost you around $10,000 in ads.
We got it for mostly free.
This is even more important than ever. A.I. engines are looking for your Brand's total digital reputation encompassing your website, business profiles, social media presence, and conversation about your brand by others online.
Search Engines also rank social media in their search results. This means someone might see a post you made when they search for something you do. If you optimize the title and answer common questions, that post could lead them to your business. Just make the decision and start posting. You never know, it might lead to tremendous growth. We think it is worth the roll of the dice!
While we don't offer organic social media services, we can help you run ads and get great results. If you want help knowing what to post, here is our Social Media Planning Calendar.
5. SEO, GEO, AEO, Optibot
Look, we get it. Keeping up with Google feels like a full-time job. However, we want you to realize that the way people find businesses has fundamentally changed. It’s no longer just about a list of blue links on a search page. Today, it’s about Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). This means appearing not just in Google searches, but in AI-driven answers like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google Gemini.
The robots are talking about you, so give them something good to say. It doesn't have to be overly technical; you just need to be the most helpful resource in your niche. Use your website to answer the specific questions your customers are asking. When you optimize for "answers" rather than just "keywords," you aren't just ranking; you are building authority. Ryan has spent years refining these methods to ensure that when a potential client asks an AI or a search engine for the best marketing in Utah, our name is the one that gets served up.
This isn't just about being found; it’s about being the chosen solution. In the past year, these optimization strategies have funneled thousands of targeted leads to our site without us spending a dime on clicks. To put that in perspective: If you tried to buy that level of "Top of Page" intent through traditional PPC ads, you could easily spend $15,000 a month to get the same exposure. We secured that visibility by simply being the best answer to the question.
This is more critical than it has ever been. AI engines and "Optibots" are constantly scanning the web to determine your Brand’s "Digital Reputation." They look at your site structure, your authority, and how clearly you solve problems. If you aren't optimized for this new era of AEO and GEO, you are essentially invisible to the next generation of searchers.
Search engines are now "Answer Engines." This means if your website provides the clearest answer to a user's problem, you win the click. If you optimize your data and speak the language the AI is looking for, you position your business as the undisputed leader. Don’t let your competitors own the conversation. Make the decision to optimize your presence today. It is the most sustainable way to grow your brand, and we believe it’s the smartest investment you can make!
While we focus on building the foundation, we utilize tools like Optibot to ensure your site stays ahead of the curve. If you want to see how your current site measures up, here is our Search Visibility Audit Tool.
6. Get Ready
Look, we get it. You’re excited to start running ads and seeing the phones ring. However, we want you to realize that sending traffic to a business that isn't "ready" is the fastest way to flush your marketing budget down the drain. This tier of the pyramid is about your infrastructure. It’s about having a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system in place and mastering "Speed to Lead." If you don't have a system to catch the fish, there is no point in casting a bigger net.
The data doesn't lie: if you don't respond to a lead within the first five minutes, your chances of closing them drop by nearly 80%. It doesn't have to be a manual chore; you just need the right automation in place. Ryan has spent years testing different follow-up sequences to ensure that no lead falls through the cracks. He often says that "the fortune is in the follow-up," and while it sounds like a cliché, it is the literal difference between a struggling business and a scaling one.
This stage is about turning "interest" into "revenue." We have seen businesses double their income without increasing their lead count by one single person—simply by improving how they handled the leads they already had. Consider this: The average business wastes 40% to 60% of their marketing spend because they lack a follow-up system. By "Getting Ready" first, you are essentially giving yourself a massive pay raise before you even spend a dollar on Paid Ads.
This is more vital than ever because lead costs are rising across every platform. In a world of instant gratification, customers will move to your competitor in seconds if they don't hear from you. Your digital reputation depends on your responsiveness. If your website and social media are doing their job, people are going to reach out—you need to be standing by the door ready to welcome them in.
"Get Ready" means being professional, being fast, and being organized. It means having automated texts and emails that trigger the second someone asks for help. When you have a solid CRM and a lead-handling process, you can finally turn on the "Paid Ads" faucet with total confidence. Stop guessing if your marketing is working and start tracking every single dollar. We think having a rock-solid system is the only way to play the game!
While we don't manage your internal sales team, we provide the tools and automation to make them look like superstars.
7. Paid Ads
Do This Last!
Paid ads are powerful—but only when your foundation is solid. Once your brand is defined, your website is built to convert, and your organic presence is growing, it’s time to pour fuel on the fire. We help local businesses scale with targeted advertising campaigns on platforms like Google Ads, Facebook and Instagram, Yelp, YouTube, and programmatic display networks. This is where strategy meets momentum.
Paid advertising management isn’t about throwing money at a problem—it’s about amplifying what’s already working. When you have the right messaging, creative assets, sales process and landing pages in place, paid ads can become one of the most effective tools for lead generation and customer acquisition. We focus on conversion-first campaigns, using data to constantly refine targeting, keywords, and ad creative for maximum ROI.
Whether you need Google PPC for local services, Meta ads to increase awareness, or YouTube ads to dominate your niche, we’ve got you covered. Our team manages the entire process—from ad creation and A/B testing to audience optimization and reporting—so you can focus on running your business. We make sure your ad spend turns into results, not wasted impressions.
The final level of the Marketing Pyramid isn’t just about visibility—it’s about strategic growth. Let us help you turn clicks into customers with paid ads that work.
Here it is one more time. If you click on the pyramid, it will open a PDF that you can save or print out.
