A small business starts selling more online with three things: showing up on Google Maps, responding fast to every lead, and running small campaigns measured by sales, not likes. This 90-day plan takes you from zero to knowing which channel brings in customers: month one builds the foundation, month two tests, and month three measures and adjusts.
The problem? Most small businesses start backwards: they open five social accounts, post without a plan, and pay for ads that send people to a page where nobody follows up. Then they conclude digital marketing doesn't work for them.
Where should a small business start?
With what's free and brings customers fastest:
- Your Google Business Profile. Google confirms that creating one and listing your business is free. It's what people see when they search for what you sell nearby. We can help you set it up and keep it current: Google Business Profile.
- A fast response path. Calls, texts, and form leads should reach a person quickly; a slow reply wastes the lead you paid for.
- Your ideal customer, in writing. Who they are, where they search, what worries them, and what makes them decide. Without this, everything else is guesswork.
What is a customer-centric marketing strategy?
One that starts from what your customer needs and how they buy, not from what you want to say. In practice, every decision answers one question: does this make it easier for my customer to buy? If a post, an ad, or a page doesn't move someone closer to buying, cut it.
The 90-day plan
Days 1 to 30: the foundation
- Create and verify your Google Business Profile with hours, real photos, and your products or services.
- Have a home base: a simple website or landing page with your offer, contact options, and location. With linkable.id you can build a branded link page and track every click and every scan of your printed QR codes.
- Set up business email and a simple way to log every lead and where it came from.
- Write down your ideal customer and your three core messages.
Days 31 to 60: content and a first test
- Post two or three times a week on one or two channels where your customer already spends time.
- Launch one small campaign, on Google Search or Meta, aimed at your service area and tied to a single action (a call, a form, a booking).
- Follow up fast and record which campaign each lead came from.
- Ask happy customers for Google reviews.
Days 61 to 90: measure and adjust
- Check what each lead cost and how many became sales.
- Turn off what doesn't sell, and raise the budget only on what does.
- Decide whether you need a fuller website, more channels, or outside help.
Example budget for the first quarter
This is an example for a business just starting out, not a market rate. Adjust it to your goal and your capacity to follow up:
| Item | Example per month | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | $0 | Free, per Google |
| .com domain | About $1 (about $11 a year) | Based on Verisign's wholesale price |
| Business email | $7 per user | Google Workspace Business Starter, annual plan |
| Test ad budget | $300 to $500 | From month two only |
| Content and design | Your time, a freelancer, or an agency | See our pricing guides |
To see what it costs to hand off content or ads, read how much a digital marketing agency costs.
What should I measure every month?
| Number | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Leads | How many people reached out? |
| Cost per lead | What did you pay in ads for each one? |
| Closed sales | How many turned into customers? |
| Sales by channel | Which channel brought in each customer? |
A small, well-aimed budget can perform: for the launch of an international professional styling tool brand, $216 in digital ads helped capture more than 1,000 leads and drive L 500,000 in sales (roughly $18,500) over a two-day event. Strategy and content were billed separately. See the case.
One honest caveat: if nobody answers leads quickly, or you can't fulfill what you sell, ads just speed up the frustration. Fix follow-up first, then spend.
What does a B2B digital marketing agency do differently?
B2B buying takes longer and involves several people, so the plan changes:
- Content that answers buyer questions, because buyers research before they ever contact you.
- Search and LinkedIn over impulse channels.
- Lead nurturing by email, since few buyers are ready on the first visit.
- Tracking tied to the CRM and closed deals, not just form fills.
For a deeper plan, we also build full strategic plans: that's how we supported a national energy company on its 2025-2030 plan. See the case.
Want us to build your 90-day plan?
We'll review your business, your channels, and your capacity to follow up, and hand you a plan with goals measured in sales, not likes. Explore our digital strategy.
Sources
- Google, Business Profile (FAQ): https://business.google.com/us/business-profile/
- Google Workspace pricing: https://workspace.google.com/pricing
- Domain Name Wire, Verisign raising wholesale .com prices (April 2026): https://domainnamewire.com/2026/04/23/breaking-verisign-raising-wholesale-com-prices/