We believe every single small business owner should have the opportunity to work for their community. We’ve worked with quite a few over the years, and here are some of their reviews:
“Services are reasonable and above expectation. Always a great experience. Communication is great, very understanding and punctual.”
– Kara
“Professional in all aspects!”
– Chris
“Service was exactly as described. Super communicative! Delivered content on time and followed up before hand. Highly recommend!”
– Beth
Your Customers Are Online. Your Business Should Be, Too.
You don’t have to love social media or become a marketing expert. But if you run a local business, you do need to understand one thing:
Your customers are looking for you online.
When someone needs a plumber, roofer, electrician, mechanic, landscaper, farrier, contractor, food truck, or other local service, there’s a good chance their search starts with a phone.
They Google it, they look at the map. Then, they check the reviews. They visit the website and look at Facebook or Instagram.
After all that, they decide who to call. You might be the best person for the job, but if a potential customer doesn’t see your business in search results, they might not even know your business exists. That’s why your online presence matters.
1. Make Sure People Can Find You
The first job of online marketing is simple:
Help people find your business.
If someone searches:
“Electrician near me”
or
“best roofer in Albuquerque”
or
“horse farrier near me”
you want your business to have a chance of appearing.
That starts with the basics:
- Claiming and maintaining your Google Business Profile
- Having accurate business information everywhere online
- Making sure your services are clearly listed
- Keeping your website up to date
- Using the words your customers actually search for
- Building reviews
- Making sure you’re listed in relevant local directories
You don’t need to rank #1 for every possible search.
You need to be visible when it matters.
What you can do today
Search for your own business on Google.
Then search for the service you provide plus your city.
What do you see?
Is your business there?
Is the information correct?
Are your competitors showing up instead?
That’s your starting point.
2. Look Trustworthy Before You Ever Talk to Someone
Getting found is only half the battle.
Once someone finds you, they’re going to make a judgment.
And they’re making it quickly.
They’ll look at your reviews, your photos, and your website.
They’ll see whether your Facebook page looks abandoned.
They’ll look for examples of your work.
And they’ll ask themselves:
“Do I trust this person to do the job?”
That’s why your online presence is essentially your digital storefront.
You wouldn’t put a dirty, broken sign in front of your business and expect people to walk in.
Your online presence deserves the same attention.
A good online presence should answer five questions:
Who are you?
What do you do?
Where do you work?
Can I trust you?
How do I contact you?
If a potential customer can’t answer those questions within a minute or two, you may be making it harder for them to choose you.
3. Let Your Customers Sell You
There’s a reason reviews matter so much.
People trust other people.
A customer saying:
“They did a great job replacing our water heater.”
can be much more convincing than you saying:
“We’re the best plumber in town.”
That’s why reviews should be part of your marketing strategy.
Don’t be afraid to ask happy customers for them.
Make it easy.
And when someone takes the time to leave you a review, respond.
You don’t need a complicated system.
You need to consistently give satisfied customers an opportunity to tell other people about their experience.
Try this
After completing a job and hearing something like:
“Thanks so much. You guys did a great job.”
say:
“I’m glad we could help. If you have a minute, we’d really appreciate a Google review. It helps people find us when they’re looking for someone.”
Simple.
4. Show People What You Actually Do
You don’t need to become an influencer.
You just need to document your work.
Finished a beautiful remodel?
Take a picture.
Fixed something that looked impossible?
Take a picture.
Installed a new roof?
Take a picture.
Restored an old truck?
Take a picture.
Finished a big landscaping project?
Take a picture.
Got a great customer story?
Tell it.
Your everyday work is content.
You don’t need to manufacture something interesting.
You already do interesting work.
People like seeing how things are made, fixed, improved, restored, and maintained.
And showing your work gives potential customers something concrete to look at when they’re deciding whether to hire you.
5. Don’t Just Advertise. Become Known.
This is where public relations comes in.
Marketing asks:
“How do we get people to see your business?”
Public relations asks:
“How do we give people a reason to talk about your business?”
Maybe your company is sponsoring a youth sports team.
Maybe you’ve been in business for 25 years.
Maybe you hired your first employee.
Maybe you’re donating services to a local nonprofit.
Maybe you’re participating in a community event.
Maybe you won an award.
Maybe you’re doing something unusual or valuable in your community.
Those are stories.
And local stories can create visibility that an advertisement can’t.
A local business shouldn’t just be another company people see in their search results.
You want people to think:
“Oh yeah, I know those guys.”
That’s what being known in your community can do.
6. Your Reputation Doesn’t Stop at the Jobsite
You can do incredible work and still lose customers because your online presence doesn’t reflect it.
Maybe you have 20 years of experience but only three Google reviews.
Maybe you do beautiful work but have no photos online.
Maybe customers recommend you constantly but your website hasn’t been updated in five years.
Maybe you’re active in your community but nobody knows about it.
Your reputation exists whether you’re managing it or not.
Online marketing and PR simply give you a way to make sure the reputation people see matches the business you’ve actually built.
7. Start With the Basics
You don’t need to do everything at once.
Start here.
Your Small Business Online Checklist
- Claim your Google Business Profile
- Make sure your name, phone number, hours, and service area are correct
- Add current photos of your work
- List your most important services
- Ask your best customers for reviews
- Respond to your reviews
- Make sure your website works well on a phone
- Make sure your website clearly explains what you do and where you work
- Put a clear way to contact you on every important page
- Create a Facebook or Instagram presence if your customers use those platforms
- Post examples of your work regularly
- Look for opportunities to participate in local events and organizations
- Share the things your business does for the community
- Search for your own business and see what a potential customer sees
You don’t have to check every box this week.
Just start checking boxes.
The Goal Isn’t to “Do Marketing.”
The goal is to build a business that people can find, trust, remember, and recommend.
Your online presence should make it easier for a potential customer to go from:
“I need someone who can do this.”
to:
“I found them.”
to:
“They look like they know what they’re doing.”
to:
“People seem to trust them.”
to:
“I’ll give them a call.”
That’s what good online marketing should accomplish.
And good public relations takes it one step further:
It helps make sure your community knows who you are before they ever need you.
You don’t need to become an internet personality.
You don’t need to dance on TikTok.
You don’t need to spend hours every day posting.
You just need to make sure the quality of your work isn’t invisible online.
That’s where we come in.You keep doing the work. We’ll help people find it.
We Want to Help You Succeed.
We have a heart for small business. When you need to get visible to your target clientele, we’ve got you covered.
SANDO CREATIVE 