A DIY Guide to Digital Marketing for Small Businesses in 2026

Having an online footprint is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Especially for small businesses, it’s a need of the hour. When today’s customers check the best shops nearby or read reviews on Google and other online channels before venturing out to shop, it’s essential to have an online presence through a website, an online store, a Google Business page, and social media pages or ads.

Small businesses such as retail stores, service businesses, mom-and-pop stores, small shops, boutiques, showrooms, hardware stores, bookstores, etc., that aspire to build a customer base in their local area often choose digital marketing. It is cost-effective and therefore preferred by those just starting their businesses. 

While small businesses need digital marketing, many may not know how to go about it. While there are professional digital marketing agencies out there to help, you can also do it yourself. There is a step-by-step process for attempting a DIY (Do-it-yourself) digital marketing for a small business.

In this guide, we explain how small business owners like you can do digital marketing themselves. 

DIY Digital Marketing for Small Businesses: Step-By-Step Process

For attempting DIY digital marketing for your small business (retail store, service business, or a boutique/showroom, etc.), you need to do two things:

a. Build Digital Assets

b. Do Regular Digital Marketing Activities. 

We have listed down the particulars of both in the table below. The rest of the guide provides a detailed process to do these two activities.

 

Part 1: Build Digital Assets

Step 1: Build a Great-Looking Website with High-Quality Content

The digital era we live in has made it necessary for businesses to have an online presence. It not only adds credibility to the brand but also helps to flourish globally. A great-looking website means an intuitive, innovative UI/UX, and high-quality content. 

#How to Build a Great Website? 

You need 3 things: 

• Domain (GoDaddy or Hostinger)
• Hosting (Hostinger preferred for small businesses) 
• Website Builder (WordPress preferred for small businesses)

First, buy a domain name from providers such as Hostinger or GoDaddy. Also, buy a hosting plan. Once you log in, you get free website builders (WordPress) and many free templates to build a website using plugins. 

To develop a WordPress website, you can also learn from videos, as it is a simple drag-and-drop process. Many YouTube tutorials are available for the hosting provider you have chosen. For instance, check out the video here on building a website with Hostinger. 

#Write Great Content for Website: 

Digital marketing efforts must focus on creating high-quality content for small businesses’ official websites. Writing must focus on products, services, USPs, target audiences, and related topics. 

The visitors’ short attention span can be extended by ‘publishing engaging content’ on the company’s website. An intuitive, well-designed website with high-quality content writing plays a key role in generating more leads when done correctly. 

Types of Webpages Required: 

• Website Home page
• Landing pages
• Category pages
• Service Pages
• Product description 
• Pricing pages
• Solutions
• About us page
• Resource Page
• Blog page
• Testimonials
• Customer success stories 

For the content part, you need website copywriting, slogans, titles, taglines, etc. To engage the audience regularly, nothing works better than serving them high-quality content with an inherent value proposition. Great content not only helps showcase an excellent brand story but also builds goodwill that lasts. And when your content game is on point, it takes your sales goal to reach its maximum potential. 

Every website copy should include valuable elements that establish you as the authority in your field. Starting with consistency and engagement, and moving to emotional kinship, curating content that converts takes patience and effort. 

For content, you can use tools such as ChatGPT. However, you will need a professional content writer to develop high-quality ranking content. 

Hire Industry-specific content writing services if you don’t know how to write SEO-friendly content.  Remember: ‘Website building’ and ‘Writing content’ contain certain highly technical aspects.  If you can spare time to read or watch YouTube videos on building a small business website, then DIY is suggested. However, content writing is a creative skill that will undoubtedly require some outside help. You can hire a freelance content writer or connect with a small business content writing agency that charges less than others. If you don’t know how to write content, hire a content writing agency or a freelancer. Search for Content Writing Services on Google and shortlist the top 5 ones. Connect with them, schedule a meeting, and discuss your requirements, costs, etc.

Step 2: Create Social Media Accounts

Social media is the best place to promote your products and services. When you start your business (open a retail store or launch a new product/service), social media can help you reach your target audience quickly and cost-effectively. 

• Create Social media accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. (Easy Video Tutorials are available to set up social media accounts, pages, and settings for businesses.) Use YouTube to find these videos. Search individually. For instance, search How to Create an Instagram for Business Account?’
• You will see plenty of Videos. Once you are done with it, search for how to create Instagram posts for business or how to run Instagram ads for business. All types of videos are available on YouTube.   
• Create engaging content for your business to post on social media and promote it. 
• Create social media reels, posts, and videos that can be boosted as social media ads (Instagram Ads, Facebook Ads, LinkedIn Ads, Twitter Ads, YouTube Ads, etc.).  

The following resources will help: 

How to Create a Professional Instagram Account?

How to set up Facebook for Business?

Types of content covered:

• Social media Posts
• Social media Videos
• Reels and Stories
• Social media captions

Hire a Social media manager if you don’t have time to create social media posts/reels/stories.  For effective social media handling, you can outsource your social media management to any freelance social media manager. Find these professionals on LinkedIn and Instagram. These people help you create posts, reels, and stories, and they charge a small fee for it.

Step 3: Create Google My Business Page & Add Map Location

A Google My Business (GMB) page is essential for small businesses to appear in local search results and Google Maps. GMB profiles show accurate business information, location, and timely updates. 

Even businesses without a traditional storefront, such as local electricians who visit customers’ homes, can benefit from the platform. People searching for such services can find professionals on GMB; therefore, it is critical to create, maintain, and regularly update your Google My Business Profile. 

The profile displays essential information like: 

• Business Category
• Opening and closing hours
• Contact info
• Address
• Business Website link 
• Business Photos
• Reviews
• Products/Services
• Highlights and Attributes
• Q&A

Know how to set up Google My Business Profile. 

Digital marketing companies help manage online reviews and reputation by encouraging satisfied customers to leave genuine feedback on platforms like Google My Business, Yelp, Websites, and social media. 

Step 4: Creating Branding Assets and Marketing Materials

1. Create Essential Branding Assets

Branding is about your small business’s identity. It helps people recognize, remember, and trust your business. Before you create a website, start posting online, run ads, or send emails, you must first build strong branding assets, such as a logo, brand colors, typography, images, and graphics. 

• Logo (Professional & High-Resolution)
• Brand Color Palette (Choose 3–5 colors)
• Brand Typography (Fonts) Select fonts for title, heading, subheadings, website body, and more. 

DIY Tools to Create Branding Assets

• Canva (graphic design)
• Looka  (automated logo generators)

2. Create Essential Marketing Materials

For online marketing, you will also need promotional content. 

Must-Have Marketing Materials

• Flyers / Pamphlets
• Brochures & Catalogs
• Price Lists / Service Lists
• Product Catalog PDFs
• Posters / Banners
• Business Profile 
• Email Templates
• Presentations

Use Canva, PDF editors, and other tools to create these marketing materials. 

Step 5: Create Brand Slogans, Taglines, Banner & Ad

Brand Tagline / Slogan: A short, catchy phrase that represents your business or USP. Use Copywriting tools or take help from copywriters to create the brand slogans, taglines, display ads, banner ads, etc.

Copywriting is the art of putting words together to persuade consumers to buy a product. It has an instant call-to-action tone and is widely used by digital marketers. Copywriting works on the principle of less is more. Copywriting can grab people’s attention in 5 seconds or less. The choice of words, the message, and the humor they put into the content crack the deal. And so, when analytical and creative skills meet, you get an excellent sales copy for your business that converts. 

It can be a simple email subject line or a complex one, like a full-fledged website advertisement. The purpose of copywriting is to elicit more responses from its recipients. Statistics show that even a minor change in a sentence can generate more leads for businesses. 

It can be broadly classified into two categories: direct response copywriting and SEO copywriting. 

• Direct response copywriting type is used for flyers, email, fax, brochures, etc., where the company website plays a limited role, unlike SEO copywriting. 
• In SEO copywriting, phrases are arranged in website content to add value to the page and boost the website’s ranking in search engines.

Copywriting in any form is an integral part of a business’s content marketing strategy. So much so that most B2B companies either hire or outsource their copywriting needs. The best digital marketing strategies might fail if they lack a copy that effectively sells a product’s USP. 

Types of content covered:

• Infographics
• Website copies
• Product Taglines
• Social Media Captions
• Social Media Ads Copy
• Advertising Copies
• Publicity materials
• Headlines

Step 6: Create a Professional Email ID for Email Marketing

A professional email ID is essential for branding and trust. Many customers will not open emails from non-business domains or from email addresses such as yahoo.com, gmail.com, or outlook.com. You should send an email from your website’s domain.com. 

Let me explain. For example, our official email ID is info@eloritescontent.com. 

eloritescontent@gmail.com will not look so professional. 

How to get such emails? 

After purchasing your domain from Hostinger or GoDaddy, you can easily set up a business email. These services are available in their hosting plans. Also, you can buy Google Workspace for highly professional business document sharing. Google Workspace provides premium document-sharing, editing, and cloud storage tools. 

Once you have a professional email, start using it for:

• Customer Communication
• Sending Business Proposals
• Email Newsletters
• Sharing Offers & Promotions
• Sending Bills, Invoices, Receipts & Order Confirmations

 

Part 2: Regular Digital Marketing Activities

Activity 1: Write Informative and People-friendly Posts & Articles on the Blog Page

The blog is a short form of website log. It dates back to 1993, when it was treated like a personal journal written online. This has changed over the years, and blog writing has now extended to business blogs. 

Initially, blogging was a form of writing in which words expressed the writer’s opinion or experience. Later, it was used as a record of observations, and finally, today, it is the most engaging form of content marketing. 

It aims to generate business and is an effective medium for voicing opinions on matters that matter or for sharing personal experiences. Business blog posts can be found on companies’ website pages and include small- to medium-form and long-form articles related to the business’s niche. For example, a makeup brand will have blogs on, say, beauty tips. A well-structured blog post with lists and catchy headlines attracts more audience attention. Personal blogs attract loyal audiences who relate to the writer’s content. 

On the other hand, the business blog primarily focuses on increasing the visibility of its website in search results. It also serves as an effective lead-generation tool when the blogs are high-quality and cover topics related to its products. Businesses get quality leads after they start blogging regularly on their websites. 

Activity 2: Create regular SEO-friendly content and do SEO analysis

SEO (Search engine optimization) aims to improve a website’s visibility in search engines like Google and Yahoo. The most popular search engine, Google, gets around 16.4 billion searches every day and 189815 per second. Also, the number of websites registered on the internet is increasing each year. 

Search engines such as Google and Bing use algorithms specifically trained to rank the websites that match the words entered in their search bar. These words are called ‘Keywords’. Therefore, for the website to get noticed, it must have relevant information that matches the keywords. This information is the ‘content’, which has to be written after an in-depth keyword research session.

So now, if an e-commerce company selling online furniture wants to increase sales, it will optimize its content to get ranking for keywords such as ‘Office furniture’, ‘home furniture’, ‘chair’, ‘ergonomic chair’, etc. Therefore, they incorporate their websites with words that are easily recognized by the search engine’s algorithm. 

Similarly, if you are a retail store selling electric items, you will want to rank for searches such as ‘fan seller near me’, ‘lighting equipment near me’, ‘geyser sellers’, etc. If you make flex banners, your customers generally search for ‘flex banner makers near me’ on Google. If you rank for these keywords on the Google My Business page, then you have increased chances of customer footfalls and online inquiries. 

The type of content that can help you rank on Google for such keyword queries is called SEO content. Good content enables you to rank on Google and drive traffic to your website. 

Content-first digital marketing for small businesses helps you get these rankings faster by delivering you SEO-optimized content for your website and Google My Business pages. If you aim to make your articles rank on Google in the top list, then you might need some SEO expert help. An SEO content writer is an expert at creating content that ranks on Google and across the web. 

Where to hire SEO Experts? Content-focused digital marketing companies and full-fledged content writing companies employ SEO writers with extensive knowledge of search engine optimization and content marketing. They know each article’s keyword density and can include keywords in the write-ups more easily, so it doesn’t look stuffed or out of context.

Types of content covered:

• Blogs
• Articles
• Research Papers
• White Papers
• Press Release 
• Case Studies
• Business Guides
• Process Guides
• Buyer’s Guides
• Pricing Guides

Activity 3: Business Listing on Local Directories and Review Platforms

Local business listings are one of the most underrated yet influential digital marketing activities for small businesses. When your store or service business appears on trusted online directories, customers can easily discover your business.

Most customers search for local services on platforms such as Yellow Pages, Yelp, Justdial, and Foursquare.

Image Source: Google

Listing your business on these sites is free, and you must submit your business name, address, contact information, website link, social media links, photos, product/service descriptions, etc. Customers leave reviews on these sites. 

Activity 4: Regular Posting on Social Media Channels and Pages

Regular posting of reels, stories, status, and image-based posts builds brand identity and keeps followers engaged. You can post about your latest products, make short, entertaining employee reels, share customer stories or testimonials, and more. For instance, a salon can post hair look videos (before-and-after haircuts). A gym can post about the same (before-and-after gym body transformation videos). 

Pro Tip: You don’t have to post daily, but if you have a website, go for weekly blog posts. Also, regularly update social media posts, reels, stories, etc. (at least 2 per week), and try to get weekly customer reviews for your GMB page.

Activity 5: Regular Digital Interaction with Customers and Followers

Digital interaction is the backbone of online relationship-building. When customers comment on your posts, leave reviews, send DMs, or ask questions on your Google Business Page, make it a priority to respond promptly. Also, thank them for their engagement, praise, or appreciation. Your regular digital interactions with followers and customers are a form of digital marketing activity. Customers feel valued when business owners respond personally. 

Activity 6: Ask for Reviews (Increase Reviews)

Reviews are the new word-of-mouth. Whether customers find your business on Google, Facebook, or local directories, the first thing they check is your rating and what people say about you. Genuine, positive reviews significantly increase trust and drive more customers to your store or website.

After every sale or service, politely request customers to leave a review. Most people won’t review a business unless they are exhilarated by exceptional service or are facing an issue. But review prompts are a great way to increase reviews, as most would not deny such requests after getting good products/services. You can send them a direct Google review link, add a QR code at your counter, or ask them through WhatsApp.

More reviews also help your local SEO. When Google notices frequent positive reviews, it ranks your business higher in “near me” searches. However, don’t buy fake reviews. Go to genuine customers who have used your services and prompt them to leave a review.  

Activity 7: Paid Ads (Google Ads, Insta Ads, Facebook Ads, etc.)

Paid advertising is one of the fastest ways to reach your target audience. While organic marketing takes time, paid ads on Google, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube can immediately increase visibility, website traffic, and customer inquiries. 

For example, if you run a salon, you can show ads only to people within 3–5 km of your store. Google Ads help you appear instantly when people search “best electrician near me,” or “mobile shop in Fairbanks,” or ‘printing services in San Diego. While social media ads help promote offers, new launches, or festivals.

Paid ads are flexible. You can start with a small budget. 

Video tutorials are available to help you run these ads. For instance, this is the video on how to run an Instagram ad. 

Total Costs Involved in DIY Digital Marketing  Even for DIY attempts, you will need to spend around $ 1,000-$ 3,000 initially on a domain and hosting, marketing materials, a logo, etc. And then monthly expenses will be around $200-$500 for all digital marketing activities, including content, social media ads, PPCs, etc.

Content-First Digital Marketing For Small Businesses

People are consuming content all the time, surrounded by tons of information on the web.  They may not notice your website, social media pages, or Google Ads, unless you deliver something exceptional, something innovative, and something that they have not seen before. Generic content may no longer work, and generic digital marketing will yield only impressions, not qualified leads. 

Therefore, due to intense competition for audience attention in the online world, small businesses need content-first, content-focused digital marketing. Keep updating, improvising, and developing new strategies and ideas for creating content. 

Content-first Digital marketing can help small businesses get everything they need to improve their online presence, including a great-looking website, Google rankings, a Google My Business page with impartial reviews, and social media ads that reach the target audience and drive direct sales. 

Importance of ‘High Quality Content’ for Small Businesses

Content writing is a way to get your business ranked on SERPs. If you can connect with your target audience, you are halfway to impressing the public with the services you provide. 

If you deliver good content without grammatical errors, typos, and punctuation errors, then you are all set to rank your business online through content writing. It’s said that your content reflects your business, and Content is King! 

#1 Get High Rankings on Google and Google Business Page

Quality content with subtle descriptions of your products and services, informative content about your retail category, and engaging social media content help you rank faster on local keywords. If you are executing practical ways of optimizing your content and following almost all the content writing methods, your SEO rankings can gradually improve. However, it comes with a lot of hard work and perseverance, but it isn’t unachievable for sure. Once you consistently post high-quality blog posts, videos, or social media posts, you might start getting backlinks.  

#2 Reach the Local Customers with Quality Content

There is no way anyone can connect with your brand if you don’t speak directly to them. For your audience to understand your products and services inside and out, you must provide ample information before they choose you over your competitors. Publishing content on your small business’s website or social media pages about your products and services helps potential customers become familiar with them, which eventually entices them to buy or avail themselves of them. 

#3 Great Content Improves Your Small Business’s Brand Image

Every piece of content you publish shapes public perception of your brand. Consistent, professional, and valuable content positions your small business as an industry leader, regardless of your company’s size. Regular updates about your products, services, and company news keep your audience engaged while reinforcing your brand’s core values and personality. Whether through comprehensive guides, entertaining social media posts, or informative videos, each piece of content should reflect your brand’s unique voice and expertise.

#4 Customers Share Well-structured and Creative Content

The more relevant your post or blog is, the more people tend to consume and share it. You get more leads when someone refers to your content. For instance, your social media ad about a dress is shared by one user, which increases your sales. Compelling content naturally encourages sharing, extending your reach far beyond your existing customer base. When followers share your blog posts, infographics, or social media content with their networks, they provide free advertising and personal endorsements of your business.

#5 Exceptional Content is Liked More by Online Users and Customers 

From online media to traditional papers, from listening to podcasts to watching videos, everything begins with creating quality content. When you tailor necessary information and churn it into meaningful content for your target audience, so that they can reap benefits directly, they look forward to reading more from you. When customers find genuine value in your content, whether through how-to guides or entertaining stories, they develop a connection to your brand that goes beyond transactions. This relationship encourages repeat business. 

How Can Content-focused Digital Marketing Agencies Help Small Businesses?

While there are thousands of digital marketing agencies, small businesses must focus on shortlisting a content-first digital marketing agency for their online marketing and branding needs. The reasons are apparent. Only content wins in the end. Quality content will always supersede any quantity measures that lack quality. 

As a budding business venture, you will have to be vigilant with what sort of digital marketing services you would want to avail yourself of from the market. Before you go ahead and hire a digital marketing agency, it’s encouraged to do thorough research first. Connect with Elorites Content if you are looking for high-quality content and subtle digital marketing for your small business. 

And all of this and more can be achieved with the power of exceptional digital marketing services as your partner that has a strong content team. 

Quality supersedes quantity, always! 

FAQs

1. What are the benefits of hiring a content-focused digital marketing agency if I can do DIY?

While DIY can be done, professional help is professional help. Companies that work day and night in the digital marketing stream will always do it in a better, faster, and efficient way. 

The results are also guaranteed in terms of ROI, as digital marketing agencies assure you of immediate and long-term benefits in quantifiable terms (Increased web traffic, social media followers, impressions, Google reviews, etc.). 

Also, for busy small business owners, it is difficult to consistently focus on digital marketing efforts without their core business suffering. Consistent efforts are required to achieve the digital marketing objectives. 

2. How much will digital marketing agencies charge me?

Digital marketing agencies for small businesses charge differently as per their expertise, location, experience, and portfolio. These charges can range based on your requirements. If you agree to a basic website, small-scale lead generation via social media ads, and the basic setup of the Google My Business page, your charges will be lower. 

• Expect monthly digital marketing costs of $500 to $ 2,000 for ongoing digital marketing activities.
• There will be initial costs of about $5,000 to $ 8,000 to create digital assets. 

However, you can spend more if you want high-scale digital marketing. Most spending will go for paid ads and content development for blogs, guest posts, and link building. 

3. How long does it take for digital marketing to show results?

Social media promotions and Google Ads can deliver quick leads (within a week of starting), organic SEO, blogs, and website content take 2–6 months to show ranking improvements. However, if you are starting from scratch (which means you currently don’t have a website or even a Google My Business Page), you’ll need 3-9 months to get everything set up. Research is necessary, and don’t fall for the marketing gimmicks of low-quality digital marketing agencies promising overnight results. 

4. Do small businesses really need SEO if they only want local customers?

Yes, absolutely. Local SEO is essential for small businesses because most customers search online with “near me” keywords. Whether you run a boutique, a mobile repair shop, a salon, a grocery store, or a hardware shop, local SEO ensures that your business appears in local search results and Google Maps. 

5. Do I need a website if I already have a Google Business Page and social media pages?

Yes. A Google Business Page and social media pages are instrumental, and retail stores, fashion boutiques, salons, and other mom-and-pop stores can do without a website. For instance, you can showcase your products on Instagram and then let your customers place orders through WhatsApp or a direct call. In this case, a website or e-store will not be required. However, service businesses and sometimes retail stores need a website for more credibility. Even Plumbing companies are building their websites. It gives you more space to create details like pricing, services, products, reviews, about us pages, features, USPs, etc. The website also helps with organic leads. 

6. Can digital marketing help small businesses increase footfall in physical stores?

Yes, if you follow all the DIY steps outlined in this article, it will boost your Local SEO and increase foot traffic to your physical stores. More people will find you through Google listing, Google Maps, local directories, and online web searches, or through local social media pages. 

7. How do I choose the right content-focused digital marketing agency for my small business?

Before choosing an agency, check its:  

• Portfolio
• Writing quality
• Case studies
• Industry experience
• Pricing

Pro Tip: Make sure they are always available for calls/messages, or not. It should not happen that once they take the money, they stop replying or answering calls. Get into a written agreement for better, guaranteed results. 

8. Can content-focused digital marketing help me compete with bigger brands?

Yes. Content narrows the gap between small businesses and large brands. When your content is explicit, useful, engaging, and well-optimized, your business can outrank bigger competitors for local searches. Digital marketing companies can create personalized content at the regional level and help outsmart larger competitors.