3 Key Tips for Small Business Marketing and Lead Generation Success

For us who work in marketing, it is a world of creativity, strategy, and constant evolution. To those who are not, it can be incredibly overwhelming, and understandably so, as the landscape changes rapidly with new trends, technologies, and platforms emerging all the time. What often happens is that many small business owners, frustrated by a lack of growth and bombarded with conflicting advice, tend to latch onto one or two marketing techniques in hopes of quick results. I see this time and time again—businesses stick to what feels familiar, but they miss out on the bigger picture.

When businesses focus too narrowly on just a couple of tactics, they inadvertently limit their own potential. Instead of building a comprehensive marketing strategy that can evolve and adapt, they end up in a cycle of frustration, waiting for a breakthrough that never comes. That's why I emphasize a more comprehensive, well-rounded approach.

I often share three key statistics with clients that can transform their marketing efforts:

1. 86% of struggling small businesses rely on just one or two marketing techniques. This narrow focus stifles growth and makes it difficult to break through the noise, leaving them stuck in a cycle of disappointment. However, this also means there's a huge potential for growth if they can diversify their strategies.
2. 90% of million-dollar small businesses use 10 or more marketing techniques. The real question becomes: What are these techniques, how do they work together, and what specific benefits do they bring? Diversification not only helps attract a broader audience but ensures resilience—when one technique isn't performing well, others can compensate. It also allows for adaptability as trends shift and new opportunities arise.
3. 70% of the sales process is completed before customers even speak to your business. Today's buyer's research products read reviews, and compare options long before they make direct contact. If your business isn't present and engaging at each of these touchpoints, you're losing potential customers before they even realize you're an option.

So, what exactly do these statistics teach us? Well, there are three essential marketing foundations for every small business:

1. Can they find you?

Visibility is the cornerstone of any successful marketing strategy. If potential customers can't find you, they can't buy from you—it's as simple as that. Today's consumers are everywhere, from Google search results to Instagram feeds and even in local community groups or online forums. A business relying solely on one or two channels may miss out on significant opportunities. To maximize visibility, businesses need a presence across multiple platforms that reflect where their audience spends time. This means building a strong SEO strategy, actively participating in social media, and utilizing local SEO tactics to capture those in your area. The goal is to be easily discoverable whenever and wherever a potential customer is ready to engage.

Visibility isn't just about being present; it's about being present in the right places at the right times.

2. The importance of follow-up

Lead generation without follow-up is like planting seeds and never watering them—those leads simply won't grow into customers. The key here is to create meaningful, timely touchpoints that guide potential customers through the buying process.

Automated email sequences, personalized messages, and even a well-timed phone call can make all the difference in turning an initial inquiry into a sale. Follow-up should feel like a natural extension of your brand's customer service, showing that you're attentive, helpful, and invested in your customer's journey. In fact, research shows that businesses that follow up on leads within an hour are seven times more likely to qualify those leads than those that wait even just an extra hour. This demonstrates the need for speed and personalization in your follow-up process, ensuring your business stays top-of-mind without being overly intrusive.

3. Lead generation

Lead generation is often seen as the ultimate goal for many small businesses, but there's a common trap that many fall into: trying to scale too early without first getting the fundamentals in place.

Before you dive headfirst into aggressive lead generation tactics, such as paid advertising or influencer marketing, it's crucial to ensure that your business can handle the influx of new leads. This requires an organized, well-oiled process for managing leads, nurturing relationships, and converting prospects into paying customers. If your foundation is weak—poor visibility, inconsistent follow-up, or inefficient internal processes—scaling will only magnify those issues. This is where my favorite saying "you can't scale a mess" comes into play. Businesses need to make sure they've built a solid structure before increasing their marketing efforts, or they risk wasting both time and resources.

Lead generation should be viewed as the final step in a strategic plan, not the starting point. By focusing on visibility and follow-up first, you'll ensure that when you do scale your efforts, you're able to handle growth smoothly and efficiently.

This framework gives business owners clarity and helps them see how taking a holistic, strategic approach to their marketing efforts can unlock real, sustainable growth.

And here's the key: making this work for small businesses doesn't have to be high-risk or high-cost. By using proven techniques that are adaptable and scalable, it's possible to see a much higher return with lower investment. Over the years, we've developed and refined more than 30 marketing techniques that work for any business, regardless of size or industry. When combined with a clear strategy and an organized approach, these techniques can lead to substantial growth without the guesswork.