Small Business
Digital marketing for small businesses: what to do first
By Alex Lawrence · 8 September 2026 · 2 min read
When budget is tight, the order you do things in matters more than the things themselves. Here is the order I use.
1. Fix the page people already land on
You almost certainly have traffic you are wasting. Before you chase more of it, make sure your homepage says what you do, who it is for and what to do next, above the fold, in plain words.
Read it out loud. If it sounds like a press release, rewrite it.
2. Make one clear call to action
Not four. One primary action per page: book a call, start a trial, request a quote. Everything else is secondary.
3. Claim the free visibility
- Google Business Profile, filled in properly, with real photos
- Consistent name, address and phone number everywhere
- The two or three directories your industry actually uses
This is unglamorous and it works.
4. Get email going before social
Email is the only channel you own. Start with three things: a welcome sequence, a simple monthly update, and one abandoned or follow-up flow if you sell online.
Social media rents you an audience. Email means you keep it.
5. Write for the questions you already answer
Every business has five questions it answers on every sales call. Each one is a page. Write them the way you would explain it to a customer, not the way you would write for Google.
6. Pick two social channels, do them properly
Two channels posted consistently will beat five channels posted sporadically. Choose based on where your customers already are, not where the trends are.
7. Measure a small number of things
Sessions and follower counts are comfortable numbers. Track these instead:
- Enquiries or trials started
- Where they came from
- What it cost you to get them
The realistic timeline
Give this three months of consistent effort before you judge it. Most small businesses I work with see movement in month two, and something worth celebrating by month four.
If you would rather not do it alone, an audit is a good first step. I will tell you which of the seven above is your weak link.