Marketing Plan for Small Business: How to Get Started

Search “marketing plan for small business”, and you’ll find countless 20-step templates or a handful of fluff. 

So let’s break it down. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, here’s how you can get started. 

A disclaimer before you read on: This post is a practical starting point. If you want help building a plan that’s actually tailored to your business, you should consider my FREE marketing and branding consultation for the full plan. 

TL;DR (Summary): All you need to get started with your small business marketing plan is this: Define your target audience, set one measurable marketing goal, decide how you’re going to reach your target audience, and think about your brand positioning against your competitors. By doing this, the rest of your marketing strategies become much easier.

Why Marketing Plans for Small Businesses Fail 

The top reasons why small businesses cannot follow through, or even start their marketing plan, are due to the following reasons: 

• Many small business owners are too busy doing the job to be bothered with marketing
• They get too overwhelmed following so many marketing ‘gurus’ 
• They decide it’s too hard to do, and give up
• They mistakenly think that marketing is too expensive 
• They don’t know who they are
• They don’t know who their customers are

The problem isn’t the marketing plan; it’s you as a business owner trying to do it all without help. I can, with utmost confidence, tell you that marketing plans work. 

You just need the right foundations from the start. 

Start Here: The 4 Questions Every Marketing Plan Should Answer

Skip the template for now. If you can answer these four questions clearly, you already have the bones of a working marketing plan for your small business.

Who Are You Talking To? Define Your Target Audience

Have 2 or 3 clear customer profiles, and write as much information about them as you can. Think about a real person who has already bought from you or enquired about your services. 

• How old are they, roughly? 
• What problem brought them to you? 
• What made them decide to trust you over someone else?
• How did they find you?

“Women in Perth aged 35–55 who own a service business and feel embarrassed by their outdated website” is a great example of a customer persona. 

“Anyone who needs marketing help” can be improved. 

The clearer you are here, the easier every other decision becomes (i.e. what to say, where to say it, and why someone should choose you). Do not try to target everyone, because that will be a waste of your resources. 

What Do You Want Them to Do? Set One Measurable Goal

Set out a measurable goal that you can realistically achieve. Examples of good goals are: calls booked, products sold, email list signups, and Google reviews. 

If getting people through the door or filling up your appointment books seems difficult, it’s because it probably is. How do you expect customers to buy from you if they don’t know you yet?

Start smaller. Maybe it could be building your email list or growing your Instagram following. Don’t try to do it all at once. Focus on one goal per quarter. 

How Will You Reach Them? Choose Your Marketing Channels for Small Business in Australia

You don’t need to be everywhere. You just need to be on one or two channels where your audience already spends most of their time. 

If you’re a local service business in Perth or a regional town, your customers probably search Google when they need someone. Local SEO and your Google Business Profile will matter more than Instagram reels. If you’re a coach or consultant targeting professionals, LinkedIn and email may carry more weight than Facebook.

Always match the channel to the audience. 

What Will You Say? Your Message and Small Business Branding in Australia

What problem do you solve? And why should someone trust you over the next person who does the same thing? In marketing, we call this your Unique Selling Proposition or USP. 

This is where your brand voice comes in. It’s also where a lot of small businesses get stuck, because they talk too much about themselves, instead of what their customers actually care about.

Read my post on how to develop a content marketing strategy for your small business for more insights into how to structure your messaging into content that actually works.

The One-Page Marketing Plan Template Small Businesses Actually Need

Here’s a simple marketing plan template you can fill out in a couple of hours and actually use. 

Section	What to fill in
My target customer	Who they are, what problem they have
Quarterly goal	One specific, measurable action (e.g. “10 new enquiries by 30 September”)
Primary channel	Where you’ll focus: Google, Instagram, email, referrals, etc.
Secondary channel	If any.
Key message	What problem you solve and why you’re the right person
Content themes	2–3 content you’ll create content around consistently every quarter
Monthly actions	What you’ll actually do each month. Be specific (i.e. post 8 times on Instagram)
Review date	The exact date you’ll sit down and check what’s working

That’s it. If you fill this in honestly, you’ll be further ahead than most small businesses in Australia that are spending money on marketing with no clear plan behind it.

How to Choose the Right Marketing Channels for Your Small Business in Australia

You should always choose marketing channels that are the easiest way to get customers to your business. In smaller local markets for example, Google Business Profile, local SEO, and word-of-mouth carry significantly more weight. A strong collection of five-star Google reviews can drive more enquiries for a local tradie than a well-produced TikTok ever will. 

Here is a table of which marketing channels should be prioritised based on your business type:

Business type	Worth prioritising	Usually lower priority
Local service (tradie, therapist, cleaner)	Google Business Profile, local SEO, referrals	LinkedIn
Retail / product-based	Instagram, Facebook Shops, email	LinkedIn
Professional services (consultant, coach, copywriter)	LinkedIn, email marketing, website SEO	TikTok, Facebook
Hospitality / food	Google Business, Instagram, local Facebook groups	LinkedIn

You don’t have to spend a lot to get customers. In fact, some marketing strategies can be zero to low-cost, as well as practical.

How Often Should You Review Your Marketing Strategy for a Small Business?

I recommend reviewing your plan every quarter. You can ask questions like: 

• What worked last quarter? 
• What didn’t? 
• What do I change or drop next quarter?

Small businesses that build this rhythm into their calendar make noticeably better marketing decisions over time. This is because you’re adjusting based on what’s actually happening, and not wasting money for months on something that clearly isn’t working.

Should You Get Help in Marketing Planning in Perth?

Honestly, this depends. If you have the time to sit down and plan your marketing, as well as identify your customer profile, then you could do it yourself. However, most small businesses genuinely don’t know who their best customer is, which channel is worth their time, or why people choose them over a competitor.

If you’ve been going in circles with your marketing, posting without knowing if it’s working, spending money without clear results, or not knowing where to start at all, getting an outside perspective can cut through that in a single session.

As a branding and digital marketing consultant, I’ve helped many small business owner understand their marketing in a free 30-minute consultation. Book it here.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should a marketing plan for a small business include?

A marketing plan should have a defined target audience, a clear goal, your chosen channels, your key message, and a simple activity schedule. Marketing plans don’t need to be long, but they do need to be something you can proactively follow. Focus on making it specific enough to act on.

How long does it take to write a small business marketing plan?

With the right framework, a working one-page plan takes a few hours. It’s important that you take your time to do this, because the right foundations that you have in your plan can make the rest of your marketing strategies easier. A marketing consultant for small businesses, like me, can often help you build one in a single session, which gets you a plan that’s actually grounded in your specific business.

Do I need a marketing plan if I’m a sole trader in Australia?

Yes. Even a simple one helps. Without a plan, marketing becomes reactive and inconsistent. You end up doing a flurry of posts when enquiries are quiet, then nothing for a month when you get busy. A one-page plan helps you focus your limited time on what’s most likely to work, so you’re not starting from scratch every time you need to find a new customer.

How much should a small business spend on marketing in Australia?

The common benchmark is 5–10% of revenue if you’re an established business, with businesses in active growth mode spending closer to 15%. The average Australian SME currently spends well below that, and it’s understandable – because there are so many marketers out there, so who do you trust? It’s important you work with someone you’re comfortable with.