Whether you’re a business owner doubling as your own marketing department or a marketing team buried under initiatives to finish the year strong, it’s easy to skip the basics because they feel too simple to matter. But it’s the small stuff that separates on-track marketing from outdated branding. Benjamin Franklin’s line about minding the pennies isn’t just financial advice — it works for your marketing investment, too.
Here are five quick wins (each takes anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour) you can knock out before the end of the month to tighten up your systems and set up your best marketing quarter.
Update Your Google Business Profile
This is the one everyone forgets exists until a customer mentions your hours are wrong. Pull it up and check: current hours, a recent photo, an accurate phone number, and at least one update or offer posted in the last 30 days. Twenty minutes optimizing this free resource can boost your SEO rankings and shape a client’s first impression.
Schedule Two Weeks of Content
You don’t need a month of content dreamed up in one sitting. Just give yourself a head start. Block 20 minutes, pick 4-6 posts, and schedule them out. Repurpose something that already worked. Write messy and get it out there. The businesses willing to show up with earnest marketing that’s a bit rough around the edges are usually more successful than those waiting for the “perfect” post.
Check In With Your Current Clients
New leads get all the glory, but your current clients are the easiest “yes” in your business. Send a few genuine check-in messages with an update on anything new that might interest them or someone they know. It’s not a sales pitch — it’s building an honest relationship and being a good neighbor. Do it right, and you’ll often surface a referral, a testimonial, or a project you weren’t expecting.
Ask for (or Round Up) Reviews
Pick a few happy clients and simply ask. A short, direct message works better than you’d think: “We loved working with you. Would you mind leaving a quick review? Here’s the link.” Reviews build trust fast, and most happy clients are glad to help.
Give Your Website a Once-Over
Not a redesign, just a gut check. Are your hours, services, and contact info current? Does your homepage reflect what you’re actually offering right now? Check that your links still work. Click through like a stranger would. Fix what’s outdated and feel secure that your website is a welcoming digital storefront for your clients.
None of these require more than an hour, and a couple take less than 20 minutes. What’s simple is often the biggest stumbling block I see in small business marketing time after time. Pick one today and knock out the rest over the next week. It requires nothing fancy. That’s why it works so well.
Need help turning small sales wins into a real marketing strategy? That’s what we do. Book a consult call, and let’s build something together to get you out of the day-to-day minutiae and back into the visionary work your organization needs.