What types of digital marketing should small businesses be using?

Short answer (we seem to say this a lot): It depends on your business.

But let’s be honest; “it depends” doesn’t help much when you’re staring at a shrinking budget and trying to figure out whether you should post more on LinkedIn, hire an SEO consultant, or finally run that Google Ads campaign.

The reality is that most small businesses don’t have the time, staff, or budget to do it all. The good news is you don’t have to. A handful of core tactics, layered in the right order, will get you further than trying to be everywhere at once.

Let’s walk through it in five simple steps.

Step one: Treat your website as a home base

Your website isn’t something you put up once and forget about. It’s your storefront, your conference booth, and your sales pitch all rolled into one.

Imagine you’re vetting a law firm, click on their site, and it looks like it hasn’t been updated since 2007. Broken links, fuzzy photos, Comic Sans, the works. Do you trust them with your case? Probably not. You hit that back button and check the next firm in the search results. Don’t believe this happens? One of our website development clients told me this was why they decided to invest in a new site—they were losing business and learned from multiple prospects that it was because their online presence was so outdated and unprofessional.

That’s how your potential clients feel too. If your site is slow, outdated, or confusing, potential clients won’t wait around to figure it out; they’ll bounce straight to a competitor. For professional services and service-based businesses, where trust is everything, your website is often your one shot at making a solid first impression.

Step two: Get serious about SEO

Yes, SEO can be a slow burn, but it is worth it for small businesses. Once it kicks in, it’s the gift that keeps on giving. You don’t pay per click, you don’t worry about your ad budget running out, and you show up at the exact moment someone is looking for what you do.

For B2B firms, this is huge. Nobody’s scrolling Instagram to find a tax consultant. They’re Googling “CPA near me” or “fractional CFO services for small business,” so you want to be there when they do.

Bonus: Creating a user-friendly, up-to-date website (step one) is already a huge step forward for effective SEO.

Step three: Build your email list

If your website is your home base, your email list is your insurance policy. Social platforms can change overnight. Facebook did it in 2018 when organic reach dropped like a stone; LinkedIn got caught inflating ad stats; X has had more algorithm changes than name changes. The point is: you don’t control those platforms.

Email marketing is different: it’s yours, and it works. Although email might not have the sizzle of a viral post, it’s direct, reliable, and scalable.

Your action steps:

1. Add an easy, valuable opt-in on your site
2. Give people a reason to join (such as an exclusive resource, a simple newsletter, or a quick guide)
3. Sign up for email software like ActiveCampaign
4. Send regular (monthly is great) emails that provide real value to your subscribers

Step four: Create content consistently

Here’s where a lot of small businesses stall. Content feels like a chore if you feel like you’re creating blog posts no one reads and videos that take forever to produce. But content compounds.

We saw this firsthand with our client Blueline Simulations. At first, blogging felt like tossing words into the void. But month after month, posts started climbing Google’s rankings. Their organic traffic grew, and suddenly, leads were coming in from posts written a year earlier. That’s the long game of content marketing.

You may also be interested in: How Brighter Messaging’s blogging strategy (eventually) boosted Blueline’s traffic

And you don’t have to do everything. If you hate writing but love talking, record short videos. If you’re comfortable on LinkedIn but not TikTok, stick to LinkedIn. Just keep showing up with useful, consistent content that speaks to your audience.

It pays to ask: where are my customers actually spending time? One of our clients poured effort into TikTok and got huge engagement… from people who were never going to buy. Their target audience simply wasn’t there.

Step five: Layer in paid media (strategically)

Ads are tempting because they’re fast: pay money, get eyeballs. But once you stop paying, the traffic stops too. That’s why we recommend using paid media like a sprinkling of fresh herbs atop a big bowl of your favorite pasta. Use it to boost a high-performing post, promote a time-sensitive offer, or get in front of a very specific audience (like placing a sponsored piece in an industry publication your customers actually read). Think of paid as fuel for moments when you need reach, but don’t build your whole engine around it.

So, what are the types of digital marketing small businesses should use?

Here’s our recommended stack:

1. Website
2. SEO
3. Email and lead magnets
4. Content (blogs, social media, video, etc.)
5. Paid ads (optional)

Digital marketing for small businesses is what we do

Our approach says you don’t need to be everywhere; you need to be where your audience will find you. We know that small business resources are limited, so it’s our goal to work with your budget to find the low-hanging fruit and recommend the types of digital marketing activities that will give you the best bang for your buck. Ask about our marketing roadmap if you need some help.

Pro tip: Use our Digital Marketing Strategy Questions to help you develop a strategic plan to reach and engage your audience online.