Almost Half of Small Business Owners Do Not Have a Formal Marketing Plan

Patrick McFadden

A recent Manta poll found that almost half of small business owners do not have a formal marketing plan. Yet, careful attention to marketing can be critical to your small business’ success.

According to a Manta poll of 1,115 small business owners, less than half (49 percent) have devised a formal marketing plan — a detailed strategy that can reveal target customers, key marketing channels and local reach. Lack of budget (51 percent), knowledge (18 percent) and time to dedicate to marketing (15 percent) are among small business owners’ top barriers to crafting a marketing strategy.

The plan is nothing, planning is everything. ~Dwight D. Eisenhower

If you’re awake and breathing, it’s obvious we’re living in an unprecedented time of innovation and distributive power. Depending on the type of business or marketing you run, good planning may be smarter than making a plan.

The marketing planning process itself will force you to ask yourself tough questions, questions you may not have an answer to, questions you should be asking but never think about. Whether you’re launching a new startup company or looking for quick ways to revamp your organization marketing efforts, a solid marketing plan and/or planning process can make the difference between treading water and achieving exponential growth.

A successful and effective marketing plan incorporates two essential elements :

  1. Knowing the market inside and out, including what customers believe, the story they tell themselves, and what they expect
  2. Knowing the way to satisfy customers by knowing competitors, barriers to entry, costs, outside influences, budgets, knowledge, etc.

Knowing Your Business + Knowing The Market

Armed with this knowledge, you can develop the necessary marketing strategies that will allow you to attract, obtain, and keep customers.

Is your marketing plan working? Find out with a free Marketing Audit on us. 

Forget “Perfect Workspaces.” Customers Want Perfect Installation Days — Here’s What Happened When One Furniture Installation Company Got That Right

By Patrick McFadden • March 31, 2025
1. The Challenge: VMI was like many service providers — positioning their value around what they thought clients wanted : “Office furniture installation and assembly — let us handle creating your perfect workspace.” But the actual buyers — facility managers, project managers, furniture reps — weren’t looking for “perfect workspaces.” They were trying to avoid installation nightmares . Their real priority? ✅ Great installation days. ✅ No chaos. ✅ No missed deadlines. ✅ No angry phone calls from clients. 2. The Insight: After conducting stakeholder interviews under our marketing strategy consulting engagement , the Indispensable Marketing team uncovered critical feedback: “We need installers who maintain a professional site and follow instructions.” “We lose relationships when installations go badly.” “I need quotes back quickly or I can’t sell the job.” This wasn’t just about services , it was about trust, problem-solving , and professional reliability . So we reframed their differentiators not by what they did, but how they showed up : Same-day project quotes Problem-solving on-site Update protocol with clients Professionalism guarantee Lasting Impression Insurance 3. The Shift: We shifted the positioning from vague benefits to real-world, emotional triggers : Instead of: “Let us create your perfect workspace.” Now: “Get the perfect installation day, every time.” That subtle shift aligns with who’s actually buying (and who feels the pain when things go wrong). The end-user may care about the workspace. But the buyer cares about the install . 4. The Lesson for Others: If you’re selling a service, don’t describe what you do. Describe what the client wants to avoid or achieve — and who the real buyer is. Then, systematize what you’re already doing well and give it a name. Just like our team did with: “Same Day Quotes” “Lasting Impression Insurance” “Reliable Presence Protocol” 5. The Outcome Within weeks of updating their messaging and positioning: The company reported more qualified leads asking the right questions Furniture reps began referring them because they were “easy to work with and made them look good” They were shortlisted for larger, multi-phase projects due to increased confidence in their process But most importantly, they stopped competing on price — because they weren’t selling perfect workspaces anymore. They were selling peace of mind on installation day.

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By Patrick McFadden • March 8, 2025
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