Guide · 7 min read
A 90-day marketing plan for small businesses on a budget
By MarketPup ·
Most small businesses don't need a bigger marketing budget. They need the basics done in the right order and a way to tell what's working. Here's a plan you can follow in 90 days, a few hours a week.
Before you start: pick one goal and one number
Choose the one thing you want more of, such as bookings, sign-ups, calls or online orders, and write down how many you get now. Every step below should move that number, and you'll check it at day 30, 60 and 90.
Days 1 to 30: fix the foundation
- Your website explains itself. In five seconds, a visitor should know what you do, who it's for, where you are (if that matters) and what to do next.
- Search basics. A unique title and description on each page, one clear H1, and a working contact or booking path. Our guide to title tags and meta descriptions covers the first two.
- Measurement. Set up analytics, Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools so you can see visits and searches.
- Email sign-up. Add a simple way for visitors who aren't ready to buy to hear from you again.
Days 31 to 60: get listed and get reviewed
- Maps and directories. If you serve a local area, set up Google Business Profile, Apple Business Connect, Bing Places and Yelp with matching details. If you sell software, list it in the directories your buyers browse.
- Reviews. Ask every happy customer for an honest review with a direct link, and reply to each one. Never buy or fake reviews.
- Tracked links. Add UTM tags to every listing link so your analytics show where visitors came from.
Days 61 to 90: publish what people search for
- List your customers' questions. Write down the questions people ask before they buy. Each one can become a short, helpful page or guide.
- Publish one or two guides a month. Answer the question fully and plainly, link to the service it relates to, and add a clear next step.
- Share each guide once where your customers already are, such as your email list, a local group or a relevant community, following its rules.
Day 90: keep what works, drop what doesn't
Compare your number to day 1. Look at which listings, pages and posts brought visitors who took action. Do more of the top two and stop the rest. Marketing gets cheaper once you know where your customers come from.
What to skip on a small budget
- Paid ads before your site converts the visitors you already have.
- Posting on every social network. One or two that your customers use is plenty.
- Anyone who promises a guaranteed ranking or a number of followers.
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