Does this sound familiar? Your company has asked you to “shop around” for marketing agencies, but you’re not the decision-maker — or you have only $500 for the year. Quickly, you realize this marketing budget won’t stretch far.
We hear you. Specifically, Dawn Ferencak, a Zoe Marketing & Communications senior marketing strategist, hears you. She speaks to dozens of businesses in this situation every month.
“It’s also common that people have no idea what the budget is,” Ferencak says. “Industry trends shift, or it could be a change in staffing. There can be a lot of back and forth, and you’re losing valuable time that could be spent on marketing.”
It’s a hard truth that marketing isn’t truly free, but with some time and effort, you can still make meaningful progress. Here are six actionable tips to get started.
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1. Start with your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is often the first impression people have of your business. Claiming and optimizing it is essential. “It’s important to create a good first impression,” Ferencak says.
- Fill out your profile completely, including hours, address and services.
- Post updates, photos and content regularly to keep it engaging.
- Encourage happy customers to leave reviews and respond to all feedback to show you care.
2. Make sure your GA4 is set up properly
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) tracks activity on your website — and what’s working.
“I work with many small businesses, and often, someone else built their website — and they don’t know how to use GA4,” Ferencak shares. To get started:
- Sign up for an account, create a “property” for your site and follow the prompts for setup.
- Add your unique GA4 tracking code to your site using a web developer or Google Tag Manager.
- Set up “events” to track actions like form submissions or button clicks (GA4 will automatically track page views, scrolls and downloads).
3. Optimize your website for user experience
A user-friendly website builds trust and encourages visitors to stick around — and helps build trust, too.
“When people visit your site, they expect these basic things,” Ferencak says.
4. Engage on social media
Focus on one or two platforms where your audience is active. Building trust is more effective than hard selling.
- Start with Facebook and Instagram; they’re linked through Meta for easy posting.
- Share behind-the-scenes glimpses, how-tos or industry tips.
- Regularly interact with your followers and respond. It helps create community.
- Track your posts — in a simple spreadsheet, at least — to monitor engagement.
- Aim to post at least once a week and check your accounts at least twice a week.
5. Implement basic SEO practices
Search engine optimization (SEO) helps your business appear in relevant searches.
- Use free tools like Google Keyword Planner to find relevant keywords and incorporate them into your content.
- Create blog posts or FAQs that answer common customer questions.
- Use proper header tags (H1, H2, H3) to structure your content for search engines.
6. Gradually create a marketing budget
As you grow, work toward setting aside a percentage of your revenue for marketing.
- Start small, aiming for 2-5% of revenue, and increase as you see results.
- Prioritize efforts that have shown the most promise or return on investment.
- Reevaluate your budget and priorities quarterly to adjust based on what’s working.
Next steps for creating your marketing strategy
Marketing with no money is a challenge, but these steps show you can still make progress.
“I always bring businesses back to the basics: What are your goals? And who is your target audience?” Ferencak says. “Knowing what you want is the place to start.”
Ready to take the next step? Talk to us. Zoe Marketing & Communications can help you build a marketing budget tailored to your goals.
Still a ways off from that sort of investment? These next steps can help:
Kim Kovelle
As Zoe Marketing & Communications’ content manager, Kim Kovelle brings over 20 years of writing and editing experience in metro Detroit. She has strong roots in community journalism and a knack for making complicated topics make more sense.
