Marketing 101: The State of Marketing in 2025 for Small Businesses

If you’re reading this page, it’s probably because you’re thinking: Maybe I need to improve my marketing.

The following is a bit of a long read but trust me, it's worth your time. Whatever path you choose, you'll have a better idea of what's possible with marketing today.

You’re may not really be into marketing—which is completely fine. That’s what this page is for: to give you a plain-English overview of what’s possible with today’s tools and tech, and to show you how marketing is the fuel that helps your business grow.

Every big, successful company you can think of invests in marketing in one way or another. The good news? With all the advances in automation and AI, even small businesses on a modest budget can use the same strategies—without needing a huge team or a massive budget.

What we offer is a combination of a powerful, all-in-one digital marketing platform (think: online Swiss Army knife) and the hands-on setup to make it work for you.

Once it’s running, it just works—and you can mostly sit back and reap the rewards. We focus on measuring what’s working, improve what’s not, and make month-to-month adjustments to help you grow.

1. Do I Need Marketing?

You can have the best product or service in the world—but if no one knows about it, it doesn’t matter.

Marketing is about helping people to find you. When done smartly it builds trust and keeps you top-of-mind when someone’s ready to take action.

And here’s the truth: in many cases, great marketing wins over a great product. People choose what they see and remember. If your competition is showing up and you’re not… well, you can guess what happens.

2. Know Your Customer

To attract the right people, you need to know who they are.

Ask yourself:

• Who is my product/service really for?

• What problem are they facing?

• How does my product or service make their life easier?

If you’re new to this, it might take a few tries to find the message that connects—and that’s okay. We help you test, learn, and adjust.

You can use forms, downloads, free guides, or short recorded video workshops to both serve your ideal customer and attract more of them.

3. Branding Basics

it's crucial to understand that people buy based on feeling—and your brand is all about how people feel when they interact with your business. They buy products and services that they believe will make them feel good/smart/successful/name your positive attribute here.

It’s not just your logo or colors—it’s your story, your tone, your values. It’s the “why” behind what you do.

When your message is clear and consistent, people know what you stand for. And in a noisy online world, authenticity is what truly stands out. Find an authentic brand that people relate to and you have a winning business in pretty much any market you can imagine.

4. Your Online Presence

In 2025, your website is your storefront.

Whether you’re booking calls, selling products, or offering services, you need a strong homepage that makes it easy to get started.

We also use landing pages—single-purpose pages—to highlight offers, promote events, or collect leads.

And most importantly we know how to run tests to figure out what headlines and creative works the best for your business.

5. The Marketing Funnel Explained

Most people don’t buy right away. There’s a journey: Awareness → Interest → Desire → Action

Your job (and ours) is to guide them through it.

With the Expanding Light Marketing Platform, we set up automated emails, texts, and follow-ups to move people from “just looking” to “ready to buy.” Part of that is nurturing leads, giving them valuable information, to gently nudge them in the right direction with information to make the purchase.

And we review what’s working so we can fine-tune and improve over time.

6. The Role of AI and Virtual Assistants

Here’s where things get fun. In 2025, small businesses can use AI to do the work of a full team—without the cost. You can have:

• A 24/7 chat assistant on your website

• Smart auto-replies to emails and texts

• Virtual agents that follow up or book calls

• Systems that track behavior and send personalized responses

These tools don’t get tired. They don’t forget. And they make sure no lead ever slips through the cracks.

Whether it’s answering questions, booking appointments, or sending the right message at the right time—we’ve got your back.

7. Social Media Strategy

You don’t have to be everywhere—just where your people are.

We help you show up consistently with posts that educate, engage, and promote. Behind-the-scenes, testimonials, helpful tips… real, human content.

And with scheduling tools, we can batch it all ahead of time so you don’t have to think about it every day.

8. Email Marketing Essentials

Email is still one of the best ways to build trust.

Offer something valuable (like a guide or a freebie), then follow up with a short, friendly email sequence.

We help you write subject lines that get opened and use automation to deliver a warm, personalized experience to every new lead.

9. Text Messaging (SMS)

People read texts—fast.

Use SMS for appointment reminders, quick updates, and lead follow-ups. It’s powerful, and it works… as long as it’s respectful.

We handle opt-ins, consent, and make sure everything is compliant.

10. Local Search and Google Maps

Don't make the mistake of underestimating the value of a strong Google presence. If people are searching for businesses like yours nearby, you want to show up. And you need to show up with a solid quantity and quality of reviews.

We optimize your Google Business Profile with updated hours, services, directions, and more. We’ll help you get reviews and respond to them—because those matter.

And yes, we can even handle the tricky approval process for you.

11. Paid Ads: Facebook, Google, etc.

Want to speed up your growth? Ads can put your offer in front of the right people fast.

We start small, test what works, and scale what performs.

You’ll see how much each lead costs, what they do after they click, and what’s worth continuing. No guessing.

12. Booking and Sales Systems

Make it easy for people to take the next step.

Online booking (for free or paid appointments), automated confirmations, and reminders mean fewer no-shows and more closed deals.

We can even set up event registration, whether it’s in-person or online.

And all of it connects seamlessly to your calendar.

13. Analytics and Optimization

We track everything—and we know what to look for.

What headlines are working? Which email got the most replies? What offer gets the most clicks?

This isn’t about flooding you with reports. It’s about taking smart, simple actions based on real data—so your marketing keeps improving every month.

This All Sounds Like A Lot, Right? … So Let’s Make It Simple

Yep, it’s a lot. But you don’t have to figure it all out yourself.

That’s exactly why people hire us.

We’ll sit down with you, figure out what matters most, and build a plan focused on the biggest wins for your business. Then we’ll get everything set up—fast.

We can usually get your system up and running in less than 30 days. After that, we maintain and optimize based on what your business needs.

It’s all built on the Expanding Light Marketing Platform, and it costs far less than you probably think. You get the tools, automation, and strategy—without the stress or the big-agency price tag.

A Day in the Life on the Expanding Light Marketing Platform

Here’s an example of how your business could run once everything is in place:

• A new lead clicks on your Facebook ad

• They land on a clean, clear landing page

• They enter their info and get an email + text instantly

• They book an appointment (for a quote or service, can even pay up-front)

• The system sends reminders automatically

• You have the meeting / appointment

• The system sends a follow-up and a request for a review

• A referral offers has them sharing your business with others

• You keep growing—without chasing leads manually

Ready to See What’s Possible for Your Business?

Let’s chat. We’ll take a look at where you are, where you want to go, and what it’ll take to get there—without the overwhelm.