How to Market Your Small Business With Content - May Roundup

Patrick McFadden

Let's kick off the month of May focused on marketing with content.


You know what I say, “you need to create content that works on business objectives”


The secret to winning the content marketing game isn’t quantity but intention.


The best way to produce content that achieves business objectives is to have it focus on the problems and desires of prospects and customers. It’s all about delivering independent value with content before you attempt to make the sale.


Experience tells me that for some of you this is going to be a challenge because content must be created for every aspect of the customer life-cycle by matching different kinds of content with the customer life cycle.


The Internet has disrupted the traditional sales process, allowing the prospective customer or client to begin research on their own terms via search and social media. This means savvy business owners or marketing departments must adapt to the information-empowered prospect in a fashion that more resembles courting than it does selling.


These posts aim to help you, your team, and your marketing service providers better understand how to develop content that serves a strategic marketing and business objective in route to your ideal client.


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How to Market Your Small Business with Content Posts

4 Steps to Deliver a Complete Content Marketing Experience

I made the following statement in some social channels recently — “The future of content marketing is less about the impact of words and more about the experiences created for the buyer.” The comment stirred quite a reaction. Many people fervently agreed while others simply wanted to know more. So, here’s what I mean by that statement.


How to Create Content That Engages: Start With Your Customer’s Journey

Content that engages is the hardest job these days, but when you plan your content with your customer journey in mind it pays off more often than not. Effective marketing now requires that educational content is part of the strategy conversation in almost every business.


Maybe You're Thinking About Content All Wrong

The topic for today’s instagram post is drawn from a conversation I had about content with Laura, a government contractor.⠀ I was recently pursuing a marketing strategy engagement for another company they operate when Laura emailed me to express her concerns about the topic.⠀


Content Has Become a Strategic Element of Marketing

It not only touches all aspects of your marketing these days but of your business as well. It really powers every step in the customer journey and is one of the most essential ways to position your business and create a relationship out there.⠀


5 Types of Content Every B2B Business Must Employ

As content becomes more important in the marketing mix, it must play an core role in your marketing strategy and marketing planning. You must think about your content achieving a business goal or objective. Building an asset to serve your organization over time.


Educational Content Is the New Referral

In order to thrive in today’s digitally driven business environment, service based business owners and professionals need to think and act more like media companies. I suppose to some degree this has always been true, but it is painfully so now that prospects have access to mounds of content and information.


How to Create a Content Strategy That Increases Web Traffic and Generate More Sales

Learn how to drive more traffic to your website and generate more sales from the visits you’re getting. Every organization is now a media company, which means there’s a growing number of marketers that must commit to producing content just like a publisher. Today’s prospects expect to find and search for the answers to problems or challenges they encounter.


The Importance of Educational Content in Your Marketing

I’m often talking about producing educational content as way for potential prospects to become aware of you and trust you. Today, educational content is the price of admission into a prospects world. If you’re not consistently producing high quality, useful content that addresses the questions, concerns and needs of your prospects and customers there’s a really good chance you won’t get found, stand out and gain the kind of trust needed to make a sale = grow your business.


The New Rules of Content, Marketing and Service

The new rules of effective marketing now requires that content is part of the strategy conversation in almost every business. The word content itself has a lot of hoopla around it today, making it difficult for many small businesses and organizations to think and approach it with the clarity needed and discover the role it plays in the customer life cycle.


Insight Over Information: Content Marketing

One of the biggest problems today is prospects feeling buried under all the information they have access to today. This creates another set of problems for owners and CEOs of small businesses because the person they're selling to is either very smart about what you are selling or very confused about what you are selling. ⠀

How To Get Clients To Seek You Out Using Content

Let me ask you a question: What if you could turn the tables and instead get clients to seek you out? Today it's more about being found and less about going out and hunting. I like to think of it as reverse prospecting.


What’s the Difference Between Content and Content Marketing?

The difference between the two—content and content marketing— is significant. Content by itself is just a tool. Plenty of companies have been using content to market their business for a long time, this isn’t anything new—whether it’s a proposal, ad, brochure, rack card, marketing kit, email, stationary, blog post or newsletter. Most of this content is entirely promotional, focused on the company: their products, services, accolades, features and benefits—not the customer or the information that they are most interested in and find valuable.


The Difference Between Content Marketing and Content Selling (and Why It Matters)

Both the marketing and sales world has changed over the past decade with the introduction of content and information sharing technologies. In order to learn more about this change and what marketing and sales people can do, I have created this post to talk about how tried and true content marketing tactics translate into the new practice of content selling.


7 Strategic Steps to Small Business Content Marketing Success

Here’s my take on strategic content marketing for small businesses and organizations. The need to produce content in marketing has grown as today is more about being found—earning attention—and less about going out and hunting. If you’re interested in marketing your business effectively (and who isn’t at this point), you can’t escape hearing about content marketing. It’s everywhere you look, or listen.


The Ultimate Content Marketing Strategy For Small Businesses

The greatest benefit to approaching marketing as a process is that you get to upgrade it systematically. I’ve been introducing this to our clients but today I want to give you an insider’s look at you how to make your content work for small business. Making your content a workhorse for your small business starts with establishing what I call “mini-wikipedia pages” on your website – which are focused on providing all the information a visitor could need or want on a single area of expertise or topic.


Educational Content Gets You Past The Gatekeepers

Certainly you've heard about using content in your marketing whether it's your website, graphics, videos, articles, documents, presentations, etc., if you're in business you can't escape it. But if not, let me give you a little more insight to get you working on your content strategy.


Content Changes How Your Ideal Clients View Your Solution and Business

Change how your ideal clients view your solution and business. In order to compete today, you must change the way in which you, your solution, and your business are seen by prospective clients.  To accomplish this, adopt the following one tip to be part of your marketing strategy.


Content Marketing Examples

Dental Practice Content Marketing Example

Handyman Company Content Marketing Example


Contact Your Marketing Consultant at Indispensable Marketing

If you’re a small service based business that needs help with content marketing for your business or your business’s online presence on Google and other search engines, at Indispensable Marketing we can help. We offer marketing strategy consulting, marketing audits, monthly marketing packages, consultations, exploratory calls or monthly local SEO services. Contact us for more information.

Big News: Google LSA Ads Update Opens New Opportunities for Remodeling Contractor Marketing

By Patrick McFadden • January 13, 2025
Discover how Google’s LSA update impacts kitchen & bathroom remodeling marketing. Learn SEO tips to attract leads and boost visibility in Richmond VA & beyond.

The Future of Marketing and Selling May Not Be To Humans But AI Agents

By Patrick McFadden • January 9, 2025
For years, the focus of marketing and sales has been to appeal directly to human customers—to connect emotionally, build trust, and ultimately close the deal. But the rules are changing, and small businesses need to be aware of a massive shift on the horizon: the rise of AI agents as decision-makers. At first, this may sound like science fiction. After all, aren’t people the ones making purchases? But the reality is that artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly becoming the gatekeeper for consumer and business decisions. Understanding this shift is critical for small businesses, as it offers both challenges and opportunities. Let’s dive into what’s happening, why it’s happening, and how your small business can prepare. What Are AI Agents? AI agents are advanced technologies designed to handle complex tasks for consumers. They don’t just provide recommendations—they make decisions. Think of an AI agent as a virtual assistant that interprets your needs, evaluates options, and executes the best solution on your behalf. Here’s a simple example: You might tell your AI assistant, “Find me a hotel near Central Park for two nights within a $1,000 budget.” In response, your AI: Searches available hotels. Compares prices, reviews, and amenities. Books the best option without you needing to lift a finger. For the consumer, it’s all about convenience. For businesses, however, it changes the game: your target audience is no longer just the human buyer—it’s the AI agent. Why Is This Happening? Convenience for Consumers Consumers want faster, easier, and more reliable decision-making. With so much information available, the process of comparing options can be overwhelming. AI agents streamline this process by narrowing down choices and delivering results that align with the consumer's preferences. AI’s Superior Decision-Making AI can process far more data than a human ever could. It evaluates everything from price and reviews to proximity and availability, all in seconds. This allows it to make decisions that are more informed and objective. Consumer Trust in AI As AI becomes more sophisticated, people are increasingly comfortable delegating decisions to their virtual assistants. Trust is shifting from brands directly to the AI agents that curate and recommend those brands. Simple Examples of AI in Action Small businesses are already seeing AI at work in various industries. Here are a few scenarios to illustrate what’s happening: Travel and Hospitality A traveler asks their AI assistant to book a flight and hotel for a weekend getaway. The AI evaluates options, finds the best deals, and books everything. The business that optimizes its data for AI discovery wins the booking. Retail A customer needs a pair of running shoes. Their AI searches for shoes with great reviews, the right size, and quick delivery. It bypasses generic search results and goes straight to businesses with clear, accessible product data. Healthcare A health app uses AI to evaluate symptoms and recommend over-the-counter solutions. Pharmacies with optimized digital listings and relevant information are prioritized by the AI. Home Services A homeowner asks their AI, “Find me a plumber near me with 5-star reviews who can come today.” The AI scans local listings and books the business with the most reliable and visible online presence. What This Means for Small Businesses The shift to AI-driven decision-making has huge implications for small businesses. Here’s what you need to know: 1. Your Audience is Changing You’re no longer marketing solely to human buyers—you’re marketing to the AI agents making decisions on their behalf. These agents prioritize structured data, transparent pricing, and measurable value over emotional branding. 2. Local SEO Becomes More Critical AI agents rely heavily on local search data. If your business isn’t optimized for local SEO —clear location details, accurate business hours, and positive reviews—you’ll be invisible to AI. Need help with your local SEO? Get in Touch. 3. Quality Data Wins AI thrives on structured, high-quality data. If your service descriptions, product descriptions, pricing, and availability aren’t clear and accessible, AI will skip over your business in favor of competitors who have optimized their data. Check out this article so AI doesn't skip over your business. "5 Must Have Elements of Service Area Pages" 4. Proximity Matters For many services, AI prioritizes businesses that are physically closer to the consumer. This is especially true for industries like home services, healthcare, and retail. Small businesses can capitalize on this by focusing on hyper-local SEO strategies. 4a. For Service Area Businesses, Precision is Key For service area businesses (SABs)—those that don't operate from a fixed location but serve customers within specific geographic regions—AI's prioritization mechanisms work differently compared to location-based businesses like retail stores or offices. Instead of prioritizing physical proximity alone, AI evaluates the clarity and accuracy of your defined service area. This is especially critical for industries like commercial cleaning, plumbing, pest control, HVAC, or mobile health services. Learn more about - 5 Steps: Local SEO for Service Area Businesses AI agents rely on several key factors, including: Accurate and detailed information about your service area. Keywords that highlight your services and locations. Social proof, such as reviews, ratings, and testimonials. Content that directly connects to your service area, like localized blog posts or FAQs. The accuracy and consistency of your listings on platforms like Google Business Profile. Quick response times to inquiries. A well-optimized website with clear navigation and mobile responsiveness. Integration of AI-friendly tools like chatbots to provide instant information to users and demonstrate efficiency. An active presence on local social media channels to further enhance visibility and engagement within your service area. By optimizing these elements, service area businesses can enhance their visibility and ensure AI agents prioritize them for local searches. 5. The Playing Field is Leveling While it may seem daunting, this shift levels the playing field for small businesses. Unlike traditional advertising, where big budgets dominated, AI prioritizes data quality and relevance—areas where small businesses can shine. How to Prepare Your Service Based Business for an AI-Driven World Here’s how you can start positioning your business to succeed in an AI-driven world: 1. Optimize for Local Search This step is even more critical for service-based businesses, especially those operating in specific geographic areas (like commercial cleaning, plumbers, HVAC companies, and remodel services). Focus on hyper-local SEO by including business districts, neighborhoods, zip codes, and cities you serve in your website content and Google Business Profile. Add a "service areas" page to your website to clarify where you operate. Encourage reviews that mention specific services and locations to boost credibility in local searches. Use geo-targeted keywords like “emergency cleaning services in Dallas” or “24-hour plumbing in Brooklyn.” 2. Provide High-Quality Data For service-based businesses, this means being very clear about what you offer and where : Use structured data to outline services , pricing estimates, and FAQs. Include service-specific keywords in descriptions, such as "drain cleaning" or "roof repair." Add before-and-after photos , case studies, or examples of completed projects to help AI and potential customers understand your expertise. Create mobile-friendly booking forms for easy service requests. 3. Focus on Trust and Transparency Service-based businesses rely heavily on customer trust because most services are provided on-site or involve direct customer interaction. Highlight safety measures , certifications, and background-checked employees to build confidence. Share detailed testimonials or video case studies that walk through successful projects. Be transparent about response times , pricing structures, and warranties for services. Add "Meet the Team" pages to introduce key staff or technicians, humanizing your business and building rapport. 4. Target AI-Specific Needs AI-driven search is increasingly intent-based , meaning it focuses on what customers are looking to achieve (e.g., “find a reliable roofer near me”). Service-based businesses can target this effectively by: Optimizing for voice search (e.g., "Who fixes water heaters in Austin?"). Using conversational language and FAQs that match natural language queries. Structuring content to answer specific questions like "How much does roof repair cost?" or "How long does an AC repair take?" 5. Embrace AI Tools Service-based businesses can benefit greatly from AI to improve operational efficiency: Use AI-powered scheduling tools to let customers book appointments automatically. Implement chatbots to handle inquiries about availability, pricing, and service areas. Leverage AI analytics to predict seasonal demand spike s (e.g., higher calls for HVAC repairs in summer). Adopt AI-enabled CRMs to track customer preferences and improve follow-up communication. The Opportunity Ahead While the rise of AI agents might seem like a challenge, it’s also a massive opportunity for small businesses. By optimizing your digital presence, focusing on transparency, and understanding how AI evaluates options, you can position your business to thrive in this new era. Remember: AI agents aren’t just replacing human decision-making—they’re enhancing it. By meeting AI on its terms, you’re not just staying relevant—you’re setting yourself up to win in the future of business. So, take a look at your business today. Is your data accessible? Is your local SEO in place? Are you ready to meet the needs of AI agents? The future is coming fast, and the time to prepare is now. Need Help? My marketing firm, Indispensable Marketing, provides a step-by-step strategy and implementation process tailored for service-based businesses with revenues between $750,000 and $7 million. We help optimize local SEO, craft trust-building content, and create scalable marketing processes that deliver measurable results . From foundational setup to growth-focused tactics and amplification strategies, our approach ensures clarity, confidence, and long-term success in your marketing efforts. Get in Touch

The Missing Ingredient for Small Business Marketing in 2025: Leadership, Not Tactics

By Patrick McFadden • January 9, 2025
As we approach 2025, the changes in the business landscape are going to be significant, and many companies are already feeling the pinch. If you’re one of those business owners who’s noticing a decline in leads or a drop in website traffic, you’re not alone. Something is happening in the market, and businesses are beginning to see the winners and losers emerge.  But here's the critical thing : the reason many businesses fall behind is not because they lack tactics—it’s because they lack marketing leadership. Why Marketing Leadership Matters I’ve worked with many small businesses over the years, and one thing is crystal clear: most marketing failures stem from a lack of leadership. It’s easy to get caught up in the latest marketing tactics or rush into hiring a marketing agency, but without a clear leadership strategy guiding your efforts, you’re just throwing darts at the wall. Your marketing activities might be disconnected, ineffective, and lack the cohesion that makes them truly impactful. Marketing leadership is the key to taking a business from spinning its wheels to driving real, measurable growth. Whether you have internal marketing hires, work with an agency, or manage things yourself, someone needs to own the strategy and ensure marketing activities aligns with the company’s overall growth goals. This is what I call the missing ingredient in many businesses—marketing leadership. The Three Pillars of Marketing Leadership Strategy Thinking First: It’s not just about tactics; it’s about understanding where you’re going and how you’re going to get there. This means developing a clear marketing strategy that aligns with your brand’s core identity, including who you are promising to help (ideal customers) , what problems you are promising solve for them, and how your images, metaphors, colors, words, look and feel, dress, attitude, networks, consistency represents its promises. Once the strategy is defined, you’ll know exactly where to invest your resources and which marketing channels will move the needle. Fixing the Foundations: Before you get fancy with campaigns, you need to fix the fundamentals. This means ensuring your website is a trust-building workhorse , your messaging is aligned with your ideal customer’s needs , and your content is educational and building credibility . When you have a strong foundation, every marketing effort you put forth will be more effective. Building a Repeatable Process: A solid marketing process isn’t just about running ads or posting on social media; it’s about creating a machine that works long term. This process needs to generate consistent leads, build your brand, and retain customers. A marketing leader will help you build this process, ensuring it’s repeatable, scalable, and aligned with your business’s growth objectives. Marketing Leadership as a Service: The Future of Small Business Marketing What I’m seeing—and what I believe is the future—is that agencies need to step up and offer something beyond just execution. Instead of acting as subcontractors who only perform tasks, they need to take on the role of general contractors overseeing and managing the entire marketing process. Marketing leadership as a service is about providing that strategic oversight and ensuring everything aligns with the business’s long-term goals. Think of it this way: AI may be taking over certain tactical tasks, but it’s not going to provide leadership. That human touch—the ability to analyze, strategize, and lead—is what will differentiate the winners from the losers in the coming years. Businesses will need marketing support who can step in, assess the situation, create a roadmap, and then help execute that vision. The First Step: Are You Ready? In 2025, marketing leadership will be the key to success for small businesses. It’s not about doing more; it’s about doing the right things in the right order. If you haven’t embraced marketing leadership yet, now’s the time to make that shift and set your business up for long-term success. Final Thoughts It’s easy to get distracted by the shiny new marketing tactic of the week, but without a clear strategy and leadership in place, it’s hard to see real, lasting results. This year, make it a priority to focus on marketing leadership as the core of your growth strategy. The businesses that do this will be the ones that rise above the competition in 2025 and beyond.
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