Do You Even Need to Advertise?

Owning a small business is a bit crazy. You have huge dreams of growing a highly successful company and providing for your family. You want this goal so badly that you are willing to go without, skip paying yourself, work insane hours, take enormous risk, etc. I know because I do the same thing. Owning a business requires a big lift. With 100 things coming at you all at once, I know that marketing is one of the larger challenges. It is intimidating and produces unknown results. I hear from other small business owners that they fear the thought of “losing money.”

So today, I am going to use the example of some local businesses and talk about what I believe the best approach would be for each of them so that you have real-world examples. Hopefully, from them, you will be able to see your business and copy the strategy.

podcast cover for Ryan Spelts Podcast Season 2 Episode 1. — Click to Watch this on YouTube

You Don’t Need to Advertise!

There, I said it. Your business can run purely on word-of-mouth. You may be doing this already. There is some risk of your referrals running out, but if you build strong relationships, you will probably be OK. You won’t grow past a certain point, but that is OK too. If the business provides enough for your needs and you don’t need any more growth, then that works. You don’t need to advertise.

If you have been in business for long enough, you have seen ups and downs, times of plenty and times of less. Advertising “can” help those lean times, but they are probably going to be lean anyway. So relax, and remember, YOU DON’T HAVE TO ADVERTISE! And I own an advertising agency and only make money when people advertise, so that is saying something.

If you want to grow, the rest of this article is for you.

If you own a small local business, you need to listen to this!

What Does It Actually Take to be Good at Advertising?

By good, I mean effective. I mean getting results, generating more business than you spend on ads. That is what I mean by good at advertising.

What does it take to get good at advertising? Well, for one, it requires a long term approach. I remember when I owned, or ran, other companies that weren’t selling advertising and the advertising sales person would say stuff like “It takes 7-10 impressions for someone to act on advertisements. I always thought that was just salesman talk to try to get me to spend more for a longer period of time. At least, that is what I felt. I don't know if you feel differently. It is the truth, though. The only time we are willing to do business with someone spur-of-the-moment, is when we are in crisis and there is some sort of emergency. Think bathroom flooding from a clogged toilet. You want the first plumber who can show up. Even then, if a company has invested in branding and advertising, you will likely call them first. So if you want to advertise, understand this: You will have to do it for a long time and spend some money on it.

Let’s talk about some real marketing examples

For these various types of businesses, I would do these things, in this order, according to your budget.

Small Local Bakery:

A good sign: if you have a marquee, or digital sign, use it to promote and change it often. Examples could be “Fresh, Hot Cinnamon rolls starting at 6am”, or “Try our new oatmeal-craisin cookies, our new favorite!”
Optimize your Google Business Profile or hire us to do that.
A good Instagram and Tiktok. Location tag every photo and video. Post 3-5 times a day with pictures of your food. Work on lighting and background in the photos, do it as you go.
Send emails to local businesses, churches, and government groups who hold events. Offer discounts on bulk orders.
Write Blog Articles (or hire us) that will rank highly on SEO. Example “The Best Dough, Makes the Best Cinnamon Roll in ____”. Make 2-4 of these every month.
Rinse and repeat.

Painter:

Get a good vehicle wrap that advertises you while you work.
Optimize your Google Business Profile or hire us to do that.
Set up a LaunchScape homepage to help you turn browsers into leads, build confidence, and capture info.
Join your local builders association.
Email builders and ask if they are happy with their current painters, if they would be open to other bids, and if you can send them some examples of your work.
Do SEO to rank higher. Write articles, create backlinks, and improve website performance.
Run Google Search Ads (pay per click).
Post progress videos of your work on Tiktok, Instagram, and Facebook. Show before and after images.

Established Clothing Store:

Make sure your Google Business profile is optimized and get reviews.
Set up a LaunchScape Homepage for your website.
Get content, photos and videos of your inventory on a monthly basis, at least.
Find local influencers to collaborate with, maybe an accessory store, or well-known local personality.
Make sure your Socials send the right message to your ideal audience. Post daily
Ask or pay local influencers to come give reviews.
Run awareness campaigns on social, search, and banner ads. (Remember, people don’t pay attention. You will need them to remember you when the time comes.) Brand awareness campaigns are designed to keep your business top-of-mind through social, search, and display ads.
Run Google Search Ads (pay per click).
Run paid ads on Social Media.
Send out a regular newsletter to your customer base featuring “Looks”, “Deals”, “Events”, or all of the above.
Host events to bring people to your store.
Do SEO or pay us to do it for you.

Dentist's Office:

Optimize your Google Business Profile or get Optibot to do it automatically.
Optimize your Website homepage with LaunchScape formatting.
Do SEO or get it done with Ryan Spelts Marketing.
Use Google ads with location targeting.
Send targeted emails to new move-ins, and people searching for new dentists.
Use awareness campaigns to keep your name on top-of-mind.

Last One.

Deck Builder/ Remodeler:

Get your Google Business Profile Optimized or pay us to do it.
Get content created monthly or bimonthly and post to socials. Use before and after images and highlight cool projects. You can also do time-lapses and walk-throughs when projects are finished.
Optimize your Website homepage with LaunchScape formatting to bring in more business.
Run Google Search Ads (pay per click).
Run paid ads on Social Media. (Hit hot buttons for your customers: "Sick of Your Outdated Kitchen?", "Get your Backyard Escape", "The Next 5 Kitchens from the 90’s Get a $500 Coupon."
Run awareness campaigns.
Do SEO or get it done with Ryan Spelts Marketing.

Those are my suggestions. Let me know if you have a different type of business you would like me to give a quick plan for, just drop it in the comments. If you want help with your Google Business Profile, Ryan Spelts Marketing has an awesome A.I. Tool called Optibot. We will optimize your profile, help you drive reviews, and move your profile up on the Google Maps rankings. We can give you a free heat map scan if you want, just click here. OPTIBOT