Generic marketing advice is everywhere: post on TikTok, start a blog, run Facebook ads. But advice that works brilliantly for a clothing brand can be a total waste of time for an accountant, and vice versa.
The secret is that your industry label matters less than you think. What really decides which marketing works is how your customers make the decision to buy. Get that right and the right channels become obvious.
Know how your customers buy
Almost every small business fits mainly into one of four buying patterns. Most have a bit of two, but one usually dominates.
Customers do thisSearch, compare a few options quickly, and pick whoever looks trustworthy and available.
So focus onGoogle Business Profile, reviews, search ads, a phone number front and centre.
Customers do thisResearch for weeks, ask for recommendations and look for expertise.
So focus onReferrals, helpful content, LinkedIn, case studies and email nurturing.
Customers do thisDiscover things while scrolling, often without planning to buy.
So focus onInstagram, TikTok, Pinterest, great visuals and social ads.
Customers do thisBuy regularly from somewhere they like and trust.
So focus onLoyalty, rebooking, email or text reminders and local community.
Get your playbook
Pick the type closest to your business. You'll see what usually works, what to skip, three first moves and the one number to watch.
Learn from examples
Here's how the right approach plays out for three very different businesses. These are illustrative scenarios built from common patterns we see, not named clients — but you'll probably recognise yourself in one of them.
Posting on Instagram twice a week for a year, getting likes from friends, but hardly any jobs from it.
Stopped forcing Instagram. Completed the Google Business Profile, added job photos weekly, and texted every customer a review link after each job. Put "Same-day call-outs" and a tap-to-call number at the top of the website.
Plumbing customers don't browse — they search when something breaks. Being visible, well-reviewed and easy to call is what wins the job.
Busy weekends, dead Tuesday afternoons, and a lot of one-off visitors who never came back.
Launched a simple loyalty card, posted the daily bake on Instagram Stories each morning, and teamed up with a local book club to host a quiet-day meet-up.
Cafés live on regulars. Reasons to return, daily reminders and local community beat chasing new customers from miles away.
Tried Facebook ads, got cheap clicks and enquiries that were all price-shoppers.
Paused the ads. Started a monthly email answering clients' most common tax questions, posted short tips on LinkedIn, and asked happy clients for introductions at year end.
Choosing an accountant is a trust decision. Helpful, consistent expertise and personal referrals bring in the right clients — ones who stay for years.
Want to share your own story? Get in touch — we'd love to feature real examples from readers.
Study what already works for others
The best case studies are often hiding in plain sight. Look at successful businesses like yours — especially ones in other towns, so you're not copying a direct competitor.
Find three thriving businesses like yours in other cities. Write down the three things they all do. That's your shortlist of tactics to test.
Test before you commit
Even a perfect playbook is a starting point, not a guarantee. Your customers, location and offer are unique. Pick the top two moves from your playbook, run them consistently for 90 days, and track the number that matters. Keep what works, drop what doesn't, then test the next idea.
Don't ask "what marketing works?" Ask "how do my customers decide to buy?" The answer tells you where to show up.
Your next steps
- Decide which buying pattern fits your customers best
- Open your playbook above and copy the three first moves
- Study three successful businesses like yours elsewhere
- Run your top two moves for 90 days
- Track the one number your playbook recommends
The bottom line: there's no one-size-fits-all marketing. Work out whether your customers need you now, think it over, see it and want it, or come back again — then put your effort where that decision happens. Borrow what works for similar businesses, test it properly and keep what pays.