Small Business Digital Marketing Tips That Actually Move the Needle

1. Fix Your Google Business Profile Before Anything Else

If you only do one thing on this list, do this.

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is free, and it’s the first thing potential customers see when they search for businesses like yours. According to Google, businesses with a complete profile are 70% more likely to attract visits. And BrightLocal’s 2024 research found that 80% of U.S. consumers search for local businesses online at least once a week.

That’s a lot of people finding (or not finding) you every week.

Here’s what a “complete” profile actually means:

• At least 10 high-quality photos (updated quarterly)
• Correct business hours, including holiday hours
• Every relevant business category selected (not just one)
• A filled-out products or services section
• Regular posts (at least twice per month)
• Responses to every review, positive and negative

Most businesses set up their GBP once and forget it. The ones that rank in the local map pack treat it like a second website. If you’re a Denver business competing for local SEO visibility, this is your starting line.

2. Build a Website That Converts, Not Just One That Exists

A good-looking website is worthless if it doesn’t generate leads. And most small business websites don’t.

According to HubSpot’s State of Marketing report, the average website has a 37% bounce rate. That means more than a third of visitors leave without doing anything. The average e-commerce conversion rate sits under 2%, according to Statista.

The problem usually isn’t design. It’s conversion architecture. Your site needs:

A clear call to action on every page. Not “learn more.” A specific action: call this number, fill out this form, book this appointment. If a visitor can’t figure out what to do next within 5 seconds, you’ve lost them.

Your phone number visible without scrolling. This is especially true for service businesses. If someone has to hunt for your contact info, they’ll call the competitor whose number was right there.

Fast load times on mobile. Google’s Core Web Vitals directly affect your search rankings. If your site takes more than 3 seconds to load on a phone, most visitors are gone. You can test yours free at PageSpeed Insights.

A reason to come back. A blog, a resource, a tool. Something that builds trust and gives Google a reason to keep crawling your site.

If you’re not sure where your site stands, run a quick website audit. And if your site looks fine but isn’t converting visitors into leads, the issue is almost always one of these four things.

3. Stop Ignoring SEO (It’s Simpler Than You Think)

SEO isn’t dead. But the way most small businesses approach it is.

Stuffing keywords into blog posts and hoping for the best stopped working years ago. What works now is creating content that answers real questions your customers are asking and making sure the technical foundation of your site is solid.

Translation: if you’re not on page one, you’re invisible.

The basics haven’t changed: write about topics your customers care about, use the words they actually type into Google, link your pages together logically, and make sure your site loads fast and works on phones.

What has changed is AI search. According to HubSpot’s 2026 State of Marketing report, half of all consumers now use AI-powered search tools, and about 40% of Google searches display an AI Overview. That means your content needs to answer questions directly and clearly enough that AI systems will pull from it.

If you want to go deeper on this, our guide to organic search optimization breaks down the specific tactics that work for small businesses.

4. Use Email Marketing (It Still Outperforms Everything)

Everyone chases social media followers. Meanwhile, email quietly delivers the best return of any marketing channel.

The numbers are hard to argue with: email marketing generates an average of $36 for every $1 spent, according to Litmus and HubSpot. No other channel comes close to that ROI. And HubSpot’s research shows that segmented email campaigns drive 30% more opens and 50% more clickthroughs than sending the same message to everyone.

You don’t need a huge list to see results. You need a relevant one.

Here’s a starting framework:

Build your list from real interactions. Every customer, every inquiry, every networking contact who gives you permission. Not purchased lists. Those get flagged as spam.

Segment from day one. Even basic segmentation works. Separate prospects from existing customers. Separate by service interest. The more specific the message, the higher the response.

Automate a welcome sequence. When someone signs up or inquires, don’t just add them to a list. Send 3-4 emails over two weeks that introduce your business, share something useful, and make a clear offer. Most email platforms (Mailchimp, Constant Contact, ActiveCampaign) make this simple, and they cost $20 to $100/month for a small list.

Send consistently. Once or twice a month is fine. What matters is that you show up regularly with something worth reading.

5. Get Strategic About Social Media (Quit Posting and Hoping)

Posting five times a week on Instagram with no plan behind it is a waste of your time.

Social media works for small businesses, but only when it’s tied to a goal. That goal might be driving traffic to your website, generating phone calls, or building familiarity so that when someone needs your service, you’re the first name they think of.

According to HubSpot’s 2025 data, short-form video delivers the highest ROI of any content format, with 21% of marketers ranking it #1. And BrightLocal’s 2025 survey shows that while 83% of consumers still use Google for local business reviews, 31% now check Instagram too.

That means your social presence matters. But it doesn’t mean you need to be everywhere.

Pick one or two platforms. If you’re a B2B company, focus on LinkedIn. If you’re a restaurant, retail store, or local service, Instagram and Facebook are your best bets. Go where your customers already spend time.

Repurpose everything. One blog post becomes 3-4 social posts, a short video, and an email. You don’t need to create original content for every platform. You need to adapt what you already have.

Track leads, not likes. Followers and engagement are nice. Revenue is better. Use UTM parameters on your links to see which social posts actually drive website visits and conversions. If your social media marketing isn’t tied to measurable outcomes, it’s a hobby.

And if you’re not doing video marketing yet, start with your phone. Authenticity beats production quality every time.

6. Track What Matters (and Ignore Vanity Metrics)

Here’s where most small businesses fall apart. They check their follower count, glance at website traffic, and assume things are either “good” or “bad” without knowing what actually drives revenue.

According to DemandSage, only 20% of businesses measure marketing success by the number of leads generated. That means 80% are measuring something else, or nothing at all.

Meanwhile, Gartner research shows that 72% of marketing budgets now go to digital channels. That’s a lot of money to spend without knowing what’s working.

Here’s the minimum you should track:

Phone calls. Use call tracking (CallRail, WhatConverts, or even Google’s free call tracking in Ads) to know which marketing channels generate actual phone calls.

Form submissions. Set up Google Analytics 4 event tracking on every contact form, quote request, and scheduling widget on your site.

Cost per lead. Total marketing spend divided by total leads. If you’re spending $2,000/month on marketing and getting 20 leads, your cost per lead is $100. You need to know this number.

Revenue per channel. Which channels produce customers, not just clicks? Connect your marketing data to your sales data, even if it’s just a simple spreadsheet.

The average local business allocates 5-10% of revenue to digital marketing, according to WordStream. If you’re in that range, you should be able to tell exactly what you’re getting for that investment.

Data-driven marketing isn’t a buzzword. It’s the difference between guessing and knowing.

7. Know When to Get Help (and How to Pick the Right Partner)

There’s no shame in doing digital marketing yourself. Plenty of small businesses get solid results with DIY effort.

But there’s a point where the opportunity cost of doing it yourself outweighs the cost of hiring someone. That point usually comes when you’re spending 10+ hours a week on marketing tasks, when your growth has plateaued, or when you know what you should be doing but can’t get to it.

According to Moz research cited by BrightLocal, 40% of small businesses already outsource some or all of their SEO work. The ones that see results pick partners based on a few specific things.

They show you their process. Any agency that can’t explain exactly how they plan to help you isn’t worth your money.

They report on outcomes, not activity. You don’t need to know how many blog posts they wrote. You need to know how many leads those posts generated.

They don’t lock you into long contracts. If an agency requires a 12-month commitment before they’ve proven anything, that’s a red flag.

They’ve actually done this before. Not theories. Results. Case studies. References.

If you’re looking for guidance on evaluating options, we wrote a full guide on how to choose the right agency.

Creative Options Marketing has been helping Denver businesses grow online since 2009. If you want to talk about what’s working (and what’s not) in your marketing, contact us here for a free consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much should a small business spend on digital marketing?

Most small businesses allocate 5-10% of revenue to marketing. For a business earning $500K per year, that’s $25,000 to $50,000 annually, or roughly $2,000 to $4,000 per month. The right budget depends on your growth goals, your competition, and which channels you’re investing in. WordStream’s research breaks this down by industry.

What is the best digital marketing channel for small businesses?

It depends on your business type. For B2C companies, email marketing consistently delivers the highest ROI. For local service businesses, Google Business Profile and local SEO produce the fastest results. HubSpot’s 2025 State of Marketing report found that for B2B companies, websites and SEO outperformed every other channel.

How long does SEO take to show results?

Most businesses see measurable improvement within 3 to 6 months of consistent effort. Competitive keywords in crowded markets may take 6 to 12 months. Quick wins like Google Business Profile optimization, fixing technical errors, and updating existing content can produce results in weeks.

Is social media marketing worth it for small businesses?

Yes, but only with a strategy. Pick 1-2 platforms where your customers spend time. Track leads and revenue, not followers and likes. Short-form video currently delivers the strongest ROI according to HubSpot’s data. The businesses that waste money on social media are the ones posting without a plan.