Guide
What marketing does your business need? Start with your goal.
The marketing your business needs depends on your goal, and every goal starts with the same first step: get clear on your brand, who you serve, and what you offer. Most businesses then need two things running at once: Instagram and Facebook to find new people, and email to stay in front of the people who already know you.
Start with your goal
- Basic social: Instagram and Facebook
- Web content, basic social, and ads that build your email list
- YouTube
Start with your goal
Be seen
- Start with
- Basic social: Instagram and Facebook
- First move
- Get clear on your brand: who you serve, what you offer, and which platforms those people use.
- Time to work
- Takes time. Plan on months of steady posting.
Get leads as a newer business
- Start with
- Web content, basic social, and ads that build your email list
- First move
- Set your brand foundation, then create a free offer that collects emails, study your competitors, and map how a lead becomes a sale.
- Time to work
- Takes time. Ads bring people in sooner, and your list grows from there.
Fill the pipeline from a big list
- Start with
- First move
- Learn your list: who is on it, how it's segmented, and what you've sent before.
- Time to work
- The fastest of these. Your list already knows you.
- Price
- From $1,500 a month for email marketing
Reach other businesses
- Start with
- First move
- Optimize your LinkedIn profile and get clear on your brand before you post.
- Time to work
- Takes time. It builds as you post and connect.
Earn from an audience
- Start with
- YouTube
- First move
- Optimize your channel, get clear on your brand, and study the channels already winning in your space.
- Time to work
- The slowest of these, and the videos keep working the longest.
Which platforms you need
Every platform has a job. Pick the ones that match your goal and the people you sell to, and leave the rest until you're ready.
If you're brand new, start with three: Instagram, Facebook, and a Google Business Profile.
01
Where people check that you're real before they buy, through your photos, reels, and messages. Almost every local business and personal brand needs it.
02
Reaches local buyers, especially older ones, through groups and reviews. You also need a Facebook Page to run ads on Instagram and Facebook.
03
TikTok
Reaches people who don't know you yet. It works best when you can show the work on video.
04
For selling to other businesses. Your personal profile usually does more than a company page, and you can run ads there too.
05
YouTube
People find your videos through search for years. Best for earning from an audience or explaining an offer that takes time to understand.
06
Google Business Profile
Puts you on Google Maps, where local buyers look first, and it's where your reviews live.
You can sometimes post the same thing to Instagram and Facebook, or to TikTok and Instagram. Whether that works depends on your industry and your buyer, because the people on each platform are different.
Pinterest, X, and Threads can work too, though only for some industries and some goals. Add them when you know your buyer is there.
Your first 30 days
01
Week 1: Get clear on your brand
Write down who you serve, what you offer, and what you want people to do next. Everything you post, send, or pay for comes from this.
02
Week 1: Pick your goal and your platforms
Choose one goal from the table above and the platforms that match it. If you're brand new, that's Instagram, Facebook, and a Google Business Profile.
03
Week 2: Study your competitors
Look at who already has your buyer's attention. Note what they post, what they give away for free, and what people say in their comments and reviews.
04
Week 2: Set up your profiles
Use the same name and photo everywhere, one clear line about what you do, and one link that goes somewhere useful.
05
Week 3: Map how a lead becomes a sale
Write out the steps from the first time someone sees you to the day they pay. If you want leads, add a free offer that collects emails so people have a reason to raise their hand.
06
Week 4: Start, and keep a cadence you can hold
Post on a cadence you can keep for months, and send your list something useful. Consistency is what makes any of this work.
Rules and traps
Brand first, then everything else
Nothing should go out until your brand foundation is set and your goal is clear. Ads, posts, and emails built on an unclear message cost money and don't tell you what's working.
Always run two channels
Social finds new people, and email keeps you in front of the people who already know you. Most businesses need both from the start, so you don't need to wait for a sign to add the second one.
Give ads somewhere to land
Before you pay for ads, have a page and a free offer that collects emails. Without them, you pay for clicks that leave and never come back.
Match the platform to the buyer
The right platform is wherever the people you sell to already spend time. One platform that fits your buyer will do more than five that don't.
Do it yourself or get help
On your own
You can do all of this yourself. Do the brand work in the first week, keep to two channels, and give it months before you judge it. The cost is your time, and the risk is posting for months with a message that isn't clear.
With help
Getting help makes sense when you know you should be marketing and you don't have the time or the clarity to do it well. Social media management starts from $2,500 a month, and ads run for you start from $2,500 a month plus ad spend.
An example
Rice & Rice Attorneys picked the one channel that fits their buyer and reached 3 million views in 90 days.
Rice & Rice is a 50-year elder law and estate planning firm in Indiana. We market them only on Facebook, because that's where their audience is. We rebuilt their social strategy around who they serve and sharpened the message before posting more, and in 90 days their Facebook views grew 379% and they gained 2,800 new followers.
The most common mistakes
Mistake 1
Jumping right in
People start posting, boosting, or buying ads before they know who they're talking to or what they want to happen next. Nothing should be executed until the brand foundation is set and the goal is clear.
Mistake 2
The same message on every channel
People use Instagram, LinkedIn, and email for different reasons, so shape what you say for each one. Cross-posting can work between similar platforms, like Instagram and Facebook. Your LinkedIn posts and your emails each need their own version.
Questions
What kind of marketing does my business need?
It depends on your goal. To be seen, start with Instagram and Facebook. To get leads as a newer business, add web content and ads that build your email list. If you have a big list and a thin pipeline, start with email. To reach other businesses, use LinkedIn. To earn from an audience, use YouTube.
What social media platforms does a new business need?
Start with three: Instagram, Facebook, and a Google Business Profile. Instagram and Facebook are where people check that you're real, and where you can run ads later. Google Business Profile puts you on Google Maps and holds your reviews. Add TikTok, LinkedIn, or YouTube when your goal and your buyer call for them.
What is the fastest way to get results from marketing?
If you already have a big list of past clients or contacts, email is the fastest, because those people already know you. Social media, ads, LinkedIn, and YouTube all take time to build, and YouTube is usually the slowest. Whatever you choose, set your brand foundation first so the message is clear.
Should I post on every platform?
Pick the platforms that match your goal and your buyer, and run those well. You can sometimes post the same content to Instagram and Facebook, or to TikTok and Instagram, depending on your industry. Pinterest, X, and Threads work for some industries and goals, so add them only when your buyer is there.
Do I need email marketing if I'm already on social media?
Yes. Social media finds new people, and email keeps you in front of the people who already know you. Most businesses need both running from the start. If you don't have a list yet, give people a free offer, like a guide or a checklist, in exchange for their email.
What if I want to build a personal brand?
A personal brand starts the same way, with clarity on who you serve and what you want to be known for. Because you are the brand, the platforms and content follow from you. Our Brand Clarity Session, from $750, works through that with you in one 90-minute call.
Your next step
Every goal starts with knowing your brand. The Offer Read is free: answer a few questions and you get a written read of what you sell and the one offer to lead with.