The problem with small business marketing.

Marketing is one of the challenges I face as a small business owner with a minimal budget. Social media, SEO, FB Ads, and Google Ads, All within a local market. #this #that, video, picture, blog.

When I find something that works (gets the phone to ring), I stick with it; I do not need to sign yearly long contracts, hoping that in month 7, I get one phone call as my average ticket is about $300. Many small businesses are the same; we need momentum and quick hits that allow us to grow. The more that is coming in the more I can spend to continue to grow. But this is not the story I get from any marketing or SEO person who reaches out promising me the world and an early retirement. Well, it's going to take at least nine months because (X=Y multiply that by 7 and then take the 4 and divide that by 2, add it back onto X, and then you will end up with Z!)

Sure, the smoke looks good, and so do some of the lovely charts, but there is never any substance to what they are providing. It's not like we have an endless budget and have so much stuff coming in that a couple of grand a month will not bother us. What gets sold is a lovely story of what they can, may, and should do, but then nothing comes on the back end; I hear all the time well, we have the greatest system in the world, and we are experts, but we cannot guarantee you anything at all, hey after all its marketing right! Here is my thing: if you know what you are doing and what will get results, then why don't you get results? We clean windows; I let our customers know we will clean them, get the hard water off, and make them look amazing; how would it be if they looked the same and we said, well, hey, we tried, it's window cleaning right!

If you have a good story to tell, you are good at what you do, and have a system that is tried and tested, you should be able to come in, see what we have, apply your system, and boom, off we go to the races. Over the years, we have wasted so much money and, to some extent, continue to do so with a chart emailed weekly that has gotten to the stage where I despair. I get connection requests on Linked In and emails from Experts with Gmail addresses. I asked a guy the other day for three US-based reference accounts I could call as he was a master expert, not just an expert; he did not have those!!!! But he was, as he told me, amazing at what he did!!! He could not provide any references as that would go against client confidentiality; I said I could produce 20 references from customers of mine who would take a call and show you 500+ five-star reviews from real people, not my mom! Another one I got a call from I again asked how many other window cleaning companies do you do business with, and he said I have no idea off the top of my head, I said any way you could find out, and he said, I will ask my boss, he came back on the line and said oh 40 to 50! Now, you would think he would have known that, but just coming out and saying 40 to 50 to make it sound good is almost laughable. But again, they could not tell me because of client confidentiality (Window Cleaners!!!!) (We all have secret soap formulas we use that will help us with world dominance)

So many scams; it's a minefield, so who do you trust? Are there marketing companies that see the opportunity of working with smaller businesses, keeping in mind that they will grow with them as the revenue generated gets reinvested into marketing? Think about this for a minute: let's say we have $1,000 a month marketing budget. In month 2, we see an increase in traffic through the website, and the phone is ringing; well, guess what? Up goes the budget; I can see that it is working, so I put the money back in; now, let's look at that in month 12! How much am I spending now, and for how many years am I going to be spending that? Do you think this makes sense? I personally would rather have 50 companies growing their business with me monthly sticking with me for years than lock me into a year-long contract that does absolutely nothing and then tell me I did not spend enough to make it work!!!! (after you told me that is what it was going to take) or hey, it's marketing, right? Why not invest if you are so sure you have the marketing program that is really going to help stand behind that and work with small businesses to make it work for both of us?

I got on a call as I was writing this with a company that wanted me to sign a one-year contract, the most excellent system in the world, with 0 guarantees for $10,000 for the year! It's going to double or triple your business monthly, he said; now come on, if I have this system for one month and I double my business, you think I will keep using it? Do you think I will ever stop spending money with that company if I get results every month? If you are confident it will help me, why LOCK me into a year-long contract? Guess who will be guaranteed a win in this scenario? It's all one-sided. Again his pitch is that this is what it WILL do but no guarantees.

Local businesses need to be seen in the local market. For us, it's a 35-mile radius of our office.

We need local visibility on social platforms to a targeted audience

We need our SEO to be working for us, converting leads from our site, and getting the phone to ring

We need a partner willing to work with us and help us grow now and in the future.

Be able to use content in areas that make a difference to our bottom line.

Rather than just selling us on a dream, we want someone transparent and open about the strategies they will use to help our business succeed. We value honesty and results over flashy promises and empty guarantees. With limited budgets, we need a marketing partner who understands the importance of making every dollar count and constantly adjusting strategies to maximize ROI. It's not about signing long contracts or throwing money at a problem; it's about finding the right solution that fits our business and goals. We are looking for a partner who values our success as much as their own and is willing to work with us every step of the way to achieve it. So, if you are ready to roll up your sleeves and truly help us grow, we will take the first step together. Let's make a real impact in our local market and beyond. So, if you are ready for a true partnership built on trust, transparency, and mutual success, we would love to hear from you! Let's work together towards our shared goals and create something truly amazing.