Home / Small Business Marketing, Done for You
For independent shops
Small business marketing for shop owners who don't want to become marketers.
Most independent shops don't need a bigger marketing plan. They need the basics done every week: past customers contacted, quotes followed up, reviews asked for, a profile that's current and a phone that gets answered. That's the small business marketing we do for you, every month.
See how it works in about a minute and a half. Sound on.
What most shops are missing
- Past customers hear nothing from you between jobs.
- Quotes get one follow-up, then silence.
- Few customers are asked for a review.
- Your hours, photos and services online are out of date.
- Calls go unanswered while you're working.
What we do about it
- Bring customers back: reminders on your trade's rhythm, by email and text to customers who opted in.
- Follow up on quotes: check-ins at 3, 10 and 30 days.
- Ask for reviews: after jobs, with three choices: leave a review, refer a friend or send private feedback, and drafted replies you approve once your Google profile is connected.
- Keep your profile and website current: hours, services and photos.
- Answer calls you can't: details emailed to you right away.
What we don't do
- We don't promise leads, calls, jobs or rankings.
- We don't buy lists, invent reviews or post anything without your OK.
- We don't lock you in. You own your site, your list and your data.
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
What small business marketing really comes down to
Small business marketing gets made to sound complicated: funnels, content calendars, posting every day, a new platform every year. For an independent shop, most new and repeat work comes from a short list of places, and the job is to keep each one working every week.
- Being found. When someone nearby searches for what you do, your Google Business Profile and your website should show up with the right services, towns, hours and photos.
- Being trusted. People pick the shop with recent, real reviews and replies from the owner. A steady trickle of reviews matters more than a big pile from years ago.
- Being reachable. A call that goes to voicemail usually turns into a call to the next shop on the list. The same goes for a web form nobody answers until the weekend.
- Following up. Many quotes are lost to silence, not to price. A friendly check in keeps you in the running.
- Bringing people back. Past customers already know and trust you. A reminder when they are due is the cheapest new job you will ever book.
Get those five right and every other kind of marketing, from ads to postcards, works better, because the people it reaches find a shop that looks good, answers and follows through.
Small business marketing ideas that work for shops
These are practical ideas you can start this week, with or without us. None of them need a big budget.
- Ask for a review the same day. Send a short message with a direct link to your Google review page while the job is fresh. Ask every customer, not just the happy ones you remember.
- Reply to every review. Thank good reviews by name and answer bad ones calmly with how you will make it right. Future customers read the replies.
- Post real photos. Before and after shots, your team and your storefront or trucks on your Google profile and website beat stock photos every time.
- Give each service its own page. One page that says everything ranks for nothing. A page per service, written in plain words, helps Google match searches to you.
- Put your phone number at the top. On a phone, people want to tap and call. Make that the easiest thing on the page.
- Follow up on every quote. A check in at 3, 10 and 30 days is polite, and it wins work that would otherwise go quiet.
- Remind past customers on their schedule. Seasonal service, yearly checkups, the next visit. Send it before they start looking.
- Keep your hours current. Update holiday and seasonal hours on Google so nobody shows up to a locked door.
- Thank referrals. When a customer sends someone your way, say thanks. People repeat what gets noticed.
- Run ads only where you work. If you advertise, show ads to people in the towns you serve, with your own photos, and send replies to someone who answers fast.
A simple weekly marketing routine
Doing marketing yourself is possible if you keep it small and steady. Here is a routine that takes about an hour a week once it is set up:
- Monday: return any calls and forms from the weekend, and check that your Google hours are right for the week.
- After each job: send the review request and note the date the customer will be due again.
- Midweek: follow up on every open quote that hit 3, 10 or 30 days, and reply to new reviews.
- Friday: add two or three new job photos to your Google profile and send reminders to past customers who are due.
- Once a month: look at what came in, where it came from and what closed, then fix the biggest leak first.
The hard part is not knowing what to do. It is doing it every week while you run the shop. That routine is what we take off your plate.
What small business marketing costs
Marketing cost has two parts: the work and any paid reach. The work is the routine above, done every week by you, an employee, an agency or a service like ours. Paid reach is ad spend or postcards. When you compare quotes, add up the monthly fee, any setup or website build fee, ad spend and the contract length, and ask who answers the calls the marketing brings in.
With us the number is the price on the page:
- System, $279/mo. Website, Google profile kept current, calls answered day or night, every lead and quote followed up, review requests after every job, past customers brought back and a monthly report.
- System+, $697/mo. Everything in System, plus Facebook and Instagram ads run for you, with $200/mo in ad spend included and no separate ad bill.
- System++, $947/mo. Everything in System+, with $400/mo in ad spend included.
Billed monthly, or prepay yearly at signup. No setup fees, and you can cancel anytime. Restaurants can add online ordering into their Clover or Square for $99/mo, and premium targeted postcards are an add-on.
Do it yourself, hire an agency, or have it done for you
| Option | What you get | What is still on your plate |
|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself | Full control and no monthly fee | All of it, every week, after the work is done |
| Marketing agency | Strategy, campaigns and reports, often with a retainer and a contract | Answering the calls and following up on the leads |
| Freelancer | Usually one skill, like a website or social posts | Managing the pieces and filling the gaps |
| BuiltForShops | Website, Google profile, reviews, calls answered, quote and past customer follow-up and a monthly report, from $279/mo with no setup fees | Calling people back and doing the work |
Want more on one piece? See Google Business Profile management, how to get more Google reviews, advertising for small business and our marketing agency alternative.
Small business marketing questions, straight answers
What is the best marketing for a small business?
For most small businesses, the best marketing catches people who are already looking and brings past customers back. That means a complete Google Business Profile, steady new reviews, a clear website with a page for each service, every call and form answered fast, and reminders to past customers when it is time again. Ads and postcards add reach once those basics are working.
How do I do marketing for my small business?
Start with what you already have. Fill out your Google Business Profile completely, ask every happy customer for a review, make sure your website shows your services, towns, hours and phone number, and answer or return every call the same day. Then keep a list of past customers and contact them when they are due. Do those every week before spending on ads. If you would rather not do it yourself, that is exactly the work we do for you.
What are good small business marketing ideas?
The ideas that pay off most for shops are simple: ask for a review after every job, text or email past customers before their busy season, follow up on every quote at 3, 10 and 30 days, post real photos of your work on your Google profile, give each service its own page on your website, put your phone number at the top of every page, and run ads only in the towns you actually serve.
How much should a small business pay for marketing?
There is no single right number, because it depends on your margins, your season and how fast you want to grow. Many owners set aside a small share of revenue and adjust from there. Before spending more, make sure calls are answered and quotes are followed up, because paying for leads that go to voicemail wastes the budget. Our plans are flat: System is $279/mo, System+ is $697/mo with $200/mo in ad spend included, and System++ is $947/mo with $400/mo included.
Where can I market my business online?
Start with the places your customers already look: your Google Business Profile, your own website, and review sites like Google and Facebook. Next come email and text to past customers who opted in. Facebook and Instagram ads add reach in the towns you serve. You do not need to be everywhere. A few channels kept up every week beat many that go quiet.
Is this an agency?
No. It's a simple monthly service for independent shops, with real support and a plain monthly report.
Do I need to learn any software?
No. A short online setup, then a plain monthly email with a private link.
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.
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