Your Guide to Small Business Marketing

Marketing for small businesses isn’t what it used to be. Billboards, phonebook ads, and word-of-mouth used to be enough. Today, you’re competing against bigger budgets, louder voices, and nonstop digital noise.

And here’s the kicker: most small businesses end up wasting money on marketing that doesn’t work — because the message isn’t clear, the customer isn’t defined, or the system isn’t built to convert.

At Tellwell, we believe small business marketing should be simple, clear, and effective. Our approach starts with knowing your customer, building a story that resonates, and creating marketing systems that actually generate leads — not just likes.

Define Your Customer

The #1 mistake we see? Businesses trying to market to everyone.

If your message is for everyone, it’s for no one.

That’s why we start by helping you define your customer persona — who they are, what keeps them up at night, what they’ve tried before, and what “success” looks like in their eyes.

Examples:

Renee the Realtor – needs quick HVAC fixes before showings.
Mike the New Homeowner – just found out his AC is 15 years old.
Lisa the Property Manager – wants reliable service across multiple properties.

📌 Want to go deeper? Check out our guides:

[7 Steps to Create a Marketing Persona That Gets Customers to Buy]
[What Are Marketing Personas and Why They Matter]

Set Clear Goals & ROI

Marketing without metrics is just guessing.

Instead of chasing vanity numbers (views, likes), we focus on ROI-driven metrics:

Leads generated
Conversion rates
Cost per lead

When you know these numbers, you know if your marketing is working — or wasting money.

📌 More on this:

[Marketing ROI Explained]
[Budget Benchmarks for Small Business Marketing]

Channels & Tactics

Once your customer and message are clear, then you pick the right channels:

Local SEO: Make sure you show up when people search “plumber near me.”
Content Marketing: Blogs, short videos, social posts that educate and build trust.
Paid Ads: Facebook + Google Ads targeted at your customer persona.
Email / Nurture: Turn leads into customers with follow-ups.
Website / Funnel Optimization: Turn clicks into calls with a system that works.