Why Your Small Business Needs More Than a Canva Template

Your minimum viable foundation

Before tactics, make these three things solid.

1) Brand basics

• One line promise people remember
• Three audience segments with real problems you solve
• A shortlist of proof, reviews or results, that a stranger will believe

2) Website that converts

• Fast, mobile first, clear headline above the fold
• One primary action per page: call, book, buy, join
• Obvious pricing or request a quote, not hide and seek
• A contact page with phone, email, hours, map, and quick form

3) Data you can trust

• A single analytics source you actually read
• Platform pixels installed correctly
• Simple CRM or a spreadsheet that tracks leads, customers, and revenue

The three growth lanes

Most small brands win with a tight mix of search, social, and owned channels. Start simple.

1) Search: show up when they look

Intent beats interruption. If someone is already searching, be the result they click.

• Claim and tune Google Business Profile
• Collect real reviews on a steady cadence
• Publish helpful, local content that answers the questions people ask

Deeper reads: [Local SEO Without Tears], [Cookiepocalypse Survival Kit for Small Brands].

2) Social: earn attention, then make it shoppable

Short video travels farther than flyers. Use it to explain, demonstrate, and prove.

• Post clear, repeatable formats you can keep up with
• Add native shopping or link paths that take people to the right page
• Treat DMs like a sales channel, not a suggestion box

Deeper reads: [Short Video, Real Sales], [DM to Checkout Playbook].

3) Owned channels: email and SMS that pay rent

Followers come and go. Your list is yours.

• Offer a real value exchange for email and SMS
• Send a welcome that sets expectations and provides a quick win
• Keep cadence predictable and content useful

Deeper reads: [Cookiepocalypse Survival Kit], [AI That Pays Rent].

Money and time: what to expect

You do not need Super Bowl money. You do need focus.

Starter budget bands per month

• Lean DIY, 500 to 1,500 dollars, founder time heavy
• Hybrid, 2,000 to 6,000 dollars, a small agency helps on strategy and production
• Full service, 7,500 to 20,000 dollars, bigger scope, faster timelines

Time reality

• 2 to 4 hours per week for a tidy presence
• 5 to 8 hours per week if you want momentum
• Anything above that means you should outsource parts of the work

Simple KPIs that actually matter

Track fewer things and care about them more.

• Traffic to lead or subscriber rate. Healthy start is 1 to 5 percent
• Lead to sale conversion. Depends on price and friction, aim for steady improvement
• Customer acquisition cost. All marketing spend divided by new customers
• Revenue per subscriber. Owned channel north star, should climb month over month
• Repeat purchase rate. Your brand is working when this rises without discounts

Common traps to avoid

• Buying tools before you have a plan
• Posting pretty content with no offer and no path to buy
• Chasing every platform trend at once
• Measuring everything, learning nothing
• Outsourcing your voice to someone who has never talked to your customers

What to publish, the evergreen starter set

A tidy library compounds. Make these and keep them fresh.

• Your origin story in 150 words that sounds human
• Three product or service explainer pages with photos that look like your real world
• A buyer guide that compares your options clearly
• A pricing page or calculator so people can self qualify
• Five FAQs with honest answers and short videos to match
• One social proof page, reviews, case studies, or before and afters

Channel playbook at a glance

Search

• Keep Google Business Profile clean, complete, and active
• Write for questions, not keywords stuffed into paragraphs

Social

• Pick one platform your customers actually use
• Batch shoot simple videos monthly and post on a schedule you can keep

Email and SMS

• Ask for consent, store it, respect it
• Send fewer, better messages with a clear point of view

Paid media

• Boost what is already working, do not pay to push what is not
• Start with small daily budgets, scale on proven creative and clean conversions

Glossary you will actually use

• SEO search engine optimization, the work that helps you show up in search
• GBP Google Business Profile, your free listing on Google
• CTR click through rate, the percent who click after seeing something
• CVR conversion rate, the percent who take the action you want
• LTV lifetime value, the revenue you expect from a customer over time
• UGC user generated content, creator or customer content you can repurpose

Your 90 day outline

Not a rigid plan, a smart rhythm you can keep.

• Month 1 set your foundation, tighten website, set up analytics, publish your evergreen set
• Month 2 pick one social format and one search topic cluster, start a simple email cadence
• Month 3 run a small paid test on your best creative, collect reviews, ship one case study