Marketing Myths for Local Business Owners

Marketing Advice You Can Safely Ignore (If You're a Small Business Owner)

There is a lot of information floating around on the internet that sounds very authoritative and very important — and applies almost entirely to businesses that look nothing like yours.

So today I want to talk about three pieces of marketing advice I would ignore if I were a small business owner. These are things that have come up with clients, colleagues, and friends who've reached out asking: do I need this? The answer is almost always no.

1. Funnels

You do not need a funnel.

No complicated sales funnels, no in-depth landing pages, no tripwires, no downsells, no elaborate automations that zap from one platform to another. If someone is trying to sell you a funnel, you can skip it.

Most small business owners get their clients through referrals, Google searches, word of mouth, collaborations, and networking. That's it. A three-person business in the beauty industry does not need a funnel. A solopreneur service provider does not need a funnel. The complexity of a funnel is designed for a very different kind of business at a very different stage of growth.

What you do need: a good website and an email service provider. Those two things, done well, will take you further than any elaborate automation setup. If you're looking for an email platform, I usually point people toward Kit (formerly ConvertKit) if you want more depth in terms of analytics and segmentation, or Flodesk if you want something beautiful and easy to use. Start there.

2. Generic Social Media Advice

Post three times a day. Do the 30-day reel challenge. Use these hooks, not those hooks. Trending audio. Trending audio again.

I was on an accountability call recently with two women who were both feeling the pressure of generic social media advice. One had started an Instagram account because someone told her she needed one — and then someone else told her exactly what to do with it, none of which felt comfortable or natural to her. The other was considering signing up for a reel challenge she didn't actually want to do.

Here's what I told them both: what if you looked at your social media more like art than obligation? It doesn't have to be your face every time. It can be B-roll with a voiceover. Brand photos you already have. A caption that sounds like you. Something you actually want to make.

The pressure to perform on social media is real, and it's especially real if you built your expertise before Instagram existed. We didn't grow up with this. We had to bolt it on after the fact, which is a completely different experience than growing up with it. So if you're feeling like everyone else finds this easier than you do — you're probably right, and it's not a personal failing.

There are other ways to market your business. You don't have to do the thing that feels awful just because someone on the internet said you do.

3. Following the Trends

Remember when reels came out and it felt like the entire marketing world stopped to talk about reels? There were trainings and workshops and urgent advice about why you needed to be doing reels right now.

And now? Reels are old news.

There will always be a new platform, a new content format, a new algorithm update. And you are busy running an actual business. It is okay if you don't have time to keep up with all of it. More than okay.

The things that don't go out of style: clear messaging and genuine relationships. Those two things have always worked and will keep working regardless of what's trending on Instagram this week. You don't need to join every new platform. You don't need to participate in every viral format. You just need people to understand what you do and trust that you're the right person to do it.

What You Actually Need

Marketing your small business does not have to be complicated. In fact, the more complicated it gets, the more likely you are to abandon it entirely — and then nothing works.

The basics: clear messaging, a solid website, and a simple way for people to hear from you regularly. That's usually more than enough to start bringing in clients consistently.

🎧 Listen to the podcast

If you're a local, service-based business owner who's done great work but struggling to put it into words, Market This is the podcast that helps you fix that. 

Listen to the show here: 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1rfllDKDEW62DQBb7HMBHS 

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/market-this-local-business-marketing-content-marketing/id1719786195