Growth
Website, CRM or ads: where to start on a small budget
Spending on ads before the basics are in place wastes money. Here's a simple order that makes every dollar work harder.
When budget is tight, the order you do things matters more than how much you spend. Follow these steps and each one makes the next cheaper.
Step 1: Be easy to find and easy to contact
Set up your Google Business Profile with correct hours, photos and services. Make sure your website loads fast on a phone, says clearly what you do, and has one obvious next step: call, book or enquire.
Step 2: Track what's working
Set up Google Analytics and track the actions that matter, such as form submissions, bookings and calls. Without this, you can't tell good spending from bad.
Step 3: Capture every lead in one place
Send enquiries into a simple CRM, even a free one. Follow up quickly and consistently. Most small businesses lose more sales from slow follow-up than from a lack of leads.
Step 4: Then test ads, small
Start with a modest test budget on one channel, aimed at people searching for what you sell. Measure cost per enquiry, not clicks. Keep what works, cut what doesn't, and grow slowly.
The quick version
- Profile and website
- Tracking
- CRM and follow-up
- Ads
Do them in this order and your ad spend lands on a site that converts, with data that tells you exactly what you got for it.
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