Home / Advertising for Small Business, Run for You
For independent shops
Advertising help for small businesses that don't have time to run ads.
Running ads takes setup, attention and fresh creative. If you'd rather work, we run them for you, built from your own photos and clips, with the ad spend included in the plan.
See how it works in about a minute and a half. Sound on.
What you get on System+
- Ads built from your own photos and clips.
- Shown to people near the towns you serve.
- Set up to get form fills, not cheap clicks.
- $200/mo in ad spend included. We pay for it directly, so there's no separate ad bill.
- A real person watches your ads and changes what isn't working.
- Ad results in your plain monthly report. You'll see every ad we run for you, and you can change or pause any of it anytime.
Want more reach?
- System++ is $947/mo with $400/mo in ad spend included.
What we don't promise
- We don't promise leads, calls or jobs.
- Ads aren't search ads. Pick System if you only want follow-up, reviews, a website and calls answered ($279/mo).
Also included
People sent to your site
A page for each service and the towns you work, plus your Google profile kept current.
Calls answered
Day or night, with the details emailed to you.
Reviews
Asked for after every job. Replies drafted for your OK.
Monthly report
A short email with a private link.
Three plans
- System · $279/mo. Website, Google profile, reviews, calls answered, every lead followed up and past customers brought back.
- System+ · $697/mo. Everything in System, plus ads run for you. $200/mo in ad spend included.
- System++ · $947/mo. $400/mo in ad spend included.
Billed monthly, or prepay yearly at signup. No setup fees. We're a newer platform, so the first 500 shops lock in founding pricing for life. Live within 1 to 3 days of paying. Postcards are an add-on. Compare plans
The best advertising for a small business depends on where your customers look
Advertising for small business is not one thing. It is a few channels that reach people at different moments. Some catch people who are already looking for what you do. Others put your name in front of people before they need you. Most shops do best with a mix that starts with the free channels and adds paid reach on top.
- Your Google Business Profile. Free, and often the first thing people see when they search for a shop like yours. Complete details, real photos and recent reviews do the selling.
- Reviews. Not an ad, but they decide which ad or listing gets the call. Ask after every job.
- Past customers. A reminder by email or text to people who already paid you once is the cheapest advertising there is.
- Facebook and Instagram ads. Paid reach you can aim at the towns you serve, built from your own photos and clips. This is what we run for you on System+ and System++.
- Premium targeted postcards. Large cards mailed to homes you choose, like streets near your best jobs. Available as an add-on. See postcards.
We don't run search ads. Our view is simple: make the free channels strong first, then pay for reach where your customers spend time.
What small business advertising costs, and what to watch for
Paid advertising has two costs that are easy to mix up. Ad spend is what the platform charges to show your ads. Management is what you pay someone to plan, build, watch and fix them. When you compare offers, add up both, plus any setup fee and the contract length.
- Ask what the ad spend is. Is it included, or billed separately on your card?
- Ask who owns the ads and the results. You should be able to see every ad and what it did.
- Ask how long the contract is. Many agencies ask for 6 or 12 months.
- Ask who answers the calls the ads bring in. Ads that ring a phone nobody answers are the most expensive kind.
- Be wary of guarantees. Nobody can honestly promise a set number of leads or jobs. We don't.
Our pricing is on the page: System+ is $697/mo with $200/mo in ad spend included, and System++ is $947/mo with $400/mo included. We pay the platform directly, so there is no separate ad bill. Both include everything in System: website, Google profile, calls answered, follow-up, review asks and a monthly report. No setup fees, and you can cancel anytime.
Advertising agency, doing it yourself, or System+
| Option | What you get | What is still on your plate |
|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself | Full control of the ads and the budget | Learning the ad tools, making the ads, watching them and answering every reply |
| Boosting posts | Quick reach for one post | Choosing what to boost and turning attention into calls |
| Advertising agency | Campaign planning and reporting, often with a management fee, ad spend billed on top and a contract | Answering the calls and following up on the leads |
| BuiltForShops System+ | Facebook and Instagram ads run for you with $200/mo in ad spend included, plus website, Google profile, calls answered, follow-up and reviews, $697/mo | Calling people back and doing the work |
Make every ad dollar count after someone responds
Most advertising money is lost after the ad works. Someone calls while you are busy, fills out a form late at night, or asks for a quote and hears nothing for a week. That is why our ads come with the rest of the system:
- Calls you miss are answered day or night, and the details are emailed to you right away.
- Form fills are followed up in your shop's name, by email, or by text for people who opted in.
- Quotes are followed up at 3, 10 and 30 days until the customer books or says no.
- Every finished job gets a review request, so the next person who sees your ad also sees fresh reviews.
Small business advertising questions, straight answers
What is the best advertising method for small business?
The best advertising for most small businesses starts free: a complete Google Business Profile, steady reviews and reminders to past customers. For paid reach, Facebook and Instagram ads work well for shops because you can show them only to people in the towns you serve, using your own photos. Premium targeted postcards are another strong option for reaching homes near your best customers. Whatever you pick, answer every call it brings in.
What is the average cost of advertising for a small business?
There is no reliable average, because cost depends on your area, your industry, how competitive it is and how many people you want to reach. Paid advertising has two parts: the ad spend that goes to the platform and the cost of someone running the ads. On System+ we cover both for $697/mo, with $200/mo in ad spend included. System++ is $947/mo with $400/mo included.
How much does it cost to advertise a small business on social media?
On Facebook and Instagram you choose the budget, and you can set it daily or for a whole campaign, so you can start small. What you get for that budget depends on the audience, the area and the ad itself. If someone else runs the ads, add their management fee on top of the ad spend. Our plans include both: $200/mo in ad spend on System+ and $400/mo on System++, with no separate ad bill.
How much does an advertising agency cost?
Agencies price very differently. Most charge a monthly management fee or retainer, some charge a setup fee, ad spend is usually billed on top, and many ask for a 6 or 12 month contract. Ask for the full monthly total in writing, including ad spend, before you sign. With us, the plan price includes the ad spend and management, there are no setup fees, and you can cancel anytime.
Can I promote my business for free?
Yes, and you should start there. Fill out your Google Business Profile completely and keep it current, ask every customer for a review, post real photos of your work, reply to every review, and contact past customers when they are due again. These cost time, not money. Paid ads work best on top of them, not instead of them.
Do you run search ads?
No. We run Facebook and Instagram ads, plus premium targeted postcards as an add-on. For search, we work on showing up in Google without ads: your Google Business Profile, reviews and a website with a page for each service and town, all included in every plan.
Do I need an ad account?
No. We handle setup. You get a short setup form, and you'll see every ad we run for you, and you can change or pause any of it anytime.
Can I cancel?
Yes. Plans are billed monthly. You own your site, your list and your data.
Is texting extra?
No. Texting is included in every plan. Carrier registration takes a week minimum, so texting turns on as soon as the carriers approve it, about 1 to 2 weeks after signup. Premium targeted postcards and the $99/mo ordering add-on, which sends phone and online orders straight into your Clover or Square, are the only add-ons, billed separately. We text only customers who opted in.
Updated
Social media advertising for small business: how Facebook and Instagram ads work
Facebook and Instagram ads let a small business show an ad to people by area and interest instead of to everyone. For a shop, that means you can reach people who live in the towns you serve and skip the ones you will never drive to. Here is how we run them for you:
For the full details, see Facebook ads for small business.