What marketing should a small business do first?

When budgets are tight, the temptation is to do a little of everything. It rarely works. Get the order right and you'll go further than you ever would spread thin across five channels.

First, fix the foundation

Before you spend money getting people to your website, make sure the website earns the visit. If it's slow, confusing or makes enquiring hard work, part of every pound you spend on traffic is wasted. Foundation first.

Then, capture existing demand

The quickest enquiries come from people already searching for what you offer. Google Ads and local search catch that demand. It comes second for a simple reason: it turns interest that already exists into contact.

Then, build for the long term

Once the foundation converts and you're capturing demand, SEO and content start to compound. It's slower work. It's also where you cut your reliance on paid clicks and build visibility that lasts.

Finally, create new demand

Channels like Meta Ads don't wait for someone to search. They create demand, which is powerful, but it takes creative and testing. It pays off best once the earlier steps are working. That's why it comes last.

The principle underneath it all

• Make the thing you send people to work before you send them
• Capture the demand that exists before creating new demand
• Measure enquiries. Ignore vanity metrics.
• Add a channel only when the last one is earning its place