If you’ve ever tried to “do marketing” for your small business and ended up fighting against Canva with a migraine and 87 open tabs…solidarity, my friend.
There’s no shortage of gurus yelling at you to post every day on TikTok, run paid ads, grow your email list, start a podcast, write a weekly blog, and somehow…not go broke or burn out in the process.
This guide is here to help you shut all those tabs and show you how to create a marketing strategy that goes back to the basics. You know, all the stuff you need to get right before you can start playing around with every new AI marketing gizmo out there.
Whether you’re starting from scratch or trying to clean up messy marketing mistakes, here’s how to go from “where do I start?” to a plan you can stick to (and even like).
#1 A clear marketing strategy starts with clear goals
Before you even think about what to post or what ad to run, get stupid clear on your business objectives. What are you actually trying to achieve?
Maybe it’s:
- More booked calls
- More purchases on your site
- More newsletter subscribers
- Building a waitlist or a referral list
Your marketing objectives need to match your stage of business. If you’re brand new, your goal might be brand awareness or email list growth. If you’re more established, maybe it’s increasing customer value or boosting retention.
Pick 1–2 goals per quarter. If everything is a priority, nothing is. Once your goals are clear, you can reverse-engineer your marketing strategy outlines to actually hit them.
#2 Conduct market research so you know your audience (for real)
Next, define your target audience in human terms, not just demographics. Who are they? What do they need help with? What’s frustrating them? Where are they already spending time online?
Talk to your current clients or customers. Comb through testimonials and reviews. Use those insights to guide your market research and learn how they talk, what they search for, and what makes them tick.
Some handy questions to ask yourself:
- What platforms do they check daily?
- What types of content do they consume? (Videos? Blogs? Memes?)
- Who are they already buying from?
- What objections do they have before purchasing?
Understanding your target market is the secret to a strong marketing strategy. Because think about it: if you’re not speaking their language or showing up where they are, your marketing initiatives just won’t land.
#3 Pick 1–3 channels (not 10!)
Resist the urge to “be everywhere.” Instead, pick 1–3 marketing channels that make sense for your audience and your capacity.
This might look like:
- Instagram + email if your people love visuals and personal stories.
- SEO + blog content if they’re search-heavy researchers.
- LinkedIn + Google Ads if you’re targeting B2B or professionals.
Remember, you can use online and offline channels like a local event series or mailers paired with email funnels. Don’t sleep on what’s already working IRL.
#4 Come up with marketing tactics for each channel
Once you’ve picked your top channels, develop mini-strategies for each one.
Let’s say you’re concentrating mainly on Instagram and email. Your marketing strategy process might include:
- Weekly carousel posts with value-based tips
- Reels with behind-the-scenes or quick how-tos
- Stories with polls, Q&As, and links to offers
- A welcome sequence for new subscribers
- Monthly newsletters with blog recaps and client stories
- Flash promo emails with time-sensitive offers
Map out these marketing campaigns in a light marketing plan so you know what’s coming.
Psst…while you’re here, you may as well check out “How to Build an SEO Strategy (It’s Not as Scary as You Think)”.
#5 Set a budget you can happily stick to
No need to throw thousands at ads or agencies right away. Your marketing budget should feel sustainable for where you’re at (usually around 5–10% of your total profit).
Here’s what to think about:
- What are you spending time vs. money on?
- Can you outsource any repetitive tasks (like scheduling or graphic design)?
- Are you ready to test paid ads, or should you wait until you have better content and targeting?
- What’s the expected ROI for each expense?
Whether you’re investing in a VA, ads, scheduling tools, or freelancers, treat it like any other business investment. Prioritize the pieces that help you reach your marketing objectives faster.
Include paid AND unpaid efforts in your budget to get a real picture of your marketing costs.
#6 Review & tweak every month
Even the most comprehensive marketing strategy needs regular check-ins.
Build in a 30-minute review every month to ask:
- What’s performing best?
- What’s flopping?
- Are we hitting our goals or going off track?
- What do we need to change?
Use tools like Google Analytics or simple spreadsheets to track your key performance indicators (KPIs) – clicks, conversions, email signups, whatever matches your goals.
This is where your marketing mix (your combo of tactics and channels) gets smarter. Over time, you’ll drop what doesn’t work and double down on what does.
#7 Repurpose, automate & schedule your marketing efforts
The #1 mistake that tanks even the clearest marketing strategy? Trying to do everything from scratch, every time. Instead…
Use what you already have:
- Turn a blog post into 5 social posts
- Pull email content from client FAQs
- Reuse your best-performing ad copy with a new image
- Use user generated content as social posts
Then automate what you can:
- Schedule posts in advance with social media management tools
- Set up email automations
- Use templates for graphics and reports
This is how you create a marketing strategy that you can keep running without turning it into a second full-time job.
Marketing strategies aren’t just for big companies
If this felt doable, good. That’s the point! I hope you can see that you really don’t need big marketing teams to create an effective marketing strategy. Now go ahead and start putting that to-do list together.
Want help figuring out where to start (or what to drop)? Shoot me a message. We’ll audit what you’ve got, build what you need, and get your marketing to finally do its job.
