Small Business Marketing Strategy feels heavier than it used to and if you’ve been wondering why your effort is up but your results feel… weirdly flat, you’re not imagining things.

In this episode of Engage Your Brand, I brought back marketing consultant + small business champion Taylor Cusick-Holllman, founder of Enji, to nerd out over the State of Small Biz 2025 survey and what it reveals about marketing right now. The headline: 245 small business owners across 40 states shared what’s working, what’s exhausting, and what they’re doing anyway, even when the economy feels like it’s actively working against them.

And if you’re a wedding pro or creative service provider, this conversation hits even harder because so many of us are selling higher-trust, higher-investment services. Which means marketing isn’t just “post and hope.” It’s visibility, clarity, nurturing, follow-up, positioning, and staying emotionally regulated enough to do it again next week.

Right after you finish reading, go listen to the episode, and then come back and steal the frameworks below for your own marketing plan. (And if you want a tool that helps you actually do the plan, Enji is built for exactly that: marketing plans, calendars, and a social media scheduler in one place.)

🎧Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts or play it directly below.

Why this episode matters: marketing didn’t get harder because you “got worse”

Taylor didn’t create this report to shame anyone or hand out generic advice. She created it because small business owners tend to assume their struggles are personal failures.

You know the spiral:

• “Everyone else seems booked.”
• “Maybe my content just isn’t good.”
• “If I were more consistent, this would work.”
• “I must be missing something.”

But when you see hundreds of business owners reporting the same challenges, it becomes harder to blame yourself, and easier to make smarter decisions.

Taylor surveyed 245 small businesses across 40 states and 13 industries to capture what marketing actually looked like in 2025 (and what we’re carrying into 2026).

And honestly? The most important part of that is this: you’re not alone.

Burnout isn’t just your story.
Neither is stagnation.
And that “why isn’t this converting?” confusion? You’re in very good company.

The theme of 2025: burnout + effort without payoff

When I asked Taylor what the one theme was, she didn’t hesitate: burnout.

Even though the survey went out in September (with a whole quarter of the year still ahead), 81% of respondents said they’d already experienced some form of burnout. And it wasn’t just “I’m tired.”

It was:

• working harder
• trying more
• experimenting more
• showing up more
  …and still not seeing the results match the effort.

That “effort is up, impact isn’t” gap is what makes marketing feel so demoralizing. Because if you’re posting, networking, emailing, blogging, updating your website, tweaking offers, what else is there?

This is where I want to say something that’s both frustrating and freeing:

Marketing results are not always a reflection of your work ethic. Sometimes they’re a reflection of:

• buyer hesitation
• longer decision cycles
• more competition
• more discovery channels
• higher trust requirements
• and audiences needing more touchpoints than ever

Which brings us to one of the most important shifts we talked about…

“More touchpoints” is not a trend. It’s the new baseline.

Taylor shared something I’ve been thinking about constantly: couples (and clients in general) have more ways than ever to discover you and more places to cross-check you before they ever inquire.

They might find you through:

• Google
• Instagram
• Pinterest
• TikTok
• a planner referral
• a venue list
• a podcast mention
• a styled shoot feature
• an AI search summary
• or a friend who forwarded your name

And here’s the problem:

More choice doesn’t make it easier to decide. It makes it harder.

It creates:

• decision fatigue
• analysis paralysis
• “I’ll come back later”
• comparison spirals
• and slower conversions

So if you’re sitting there thinking, “My reach is fine but my leads are weird,” this is one reason.

People are watching longer before they move.
They’re validating more before they commit.
They’re needing more reassurance before they spend.

Which means your Small Business Marketing Strategy can’t only focus on “top of funnel” visibility. You need a plan for the middle.

The missing middle: why your marketing feels loud but not persuasive

Taylor said something that I think every service provider needs to print out:

A lot of business owners either:

1. post inspirational content nonstop, or
2. jump straight into “buy my stuff” mode

But there’s a whole middle section of the funnel where trust is built.

That middle is where people decide:

• “Do I like them?”
• “Do they get what I need?”
• “Do they feel legit?”
• “Are they for people like me?”
• “Is the price going to be worth it?”
• “Can I imagine working with them?”
• “Do I feel safe spending money here?”

This is the part that turns attention into inquiries.

And it’s also the part that takes intention, not just consistency.

So if you want a Small Business Marketing Strategy that drives inquiries (without burnout), you need to map content and touchpoints to decision-making, not just engagement.

What “middle funnel” content actually looks like

Here are examples that work especially well for wedding pros and creative services:

• Process clarity
  • What happens after inquiry?
  • What does onboarding look like?
  • What do clients need to prepare?

• Specific proof
  • real project examples
  • before/after transformations
  • “why we did it this way” breakdowns

• Objection handling
  • “What if I don’t have a big budget?”
  • “What if I don’t know my style yet?”
  • “What if I’m planning from out of state?”

• Decision support
  • comparison guides (“full planning vs partial planning”)
  • timelines
  • budget education
  • vendor coordination expectations

• Values + point of view
  • what you believe about weddings/business/branding
  • what you won’t do
  • what you prioritize

• Client experience
  • how you communicate
  • what it feels like to work with you
  • boundaries and support systems

If your feed/website/email marketing is missing these pieces, people may like you, but still feel uncertain about taking the next step.

The stat that made me gasp: 75% don’t have a marketing plan

This one stopped us in our tracks.

Taylor shared that 75% of small business owners don’t have a marketing plan, even though having one makes your marketing three times more effective.

And I want to gently say this:

If you don’t have a plan, you’re not “behind.”
You’re just trying to build results on top of decisions you haven’t made yet.

Because a plan isn’t a giant, corporate spreadsheet. A plan is simply:

• what you’re doing
• where you’re showing up
• who you’re trying to reach
• what you’re saying
• and how often you can realistically do it

That’s it.

Marketing plan vs content plan (this matters)

Taylor explained something that clears up a LOT of overwhelm:

• Your marketing plan is the strategy-level “what + where + when.”
• Your content plan is the granular “what exactly are we posting on March 19th?”

Most people skip the marketing plan and jump straight into content. That’s why marketing feels frantic. Because every week becomes:

“What should I post?”
“Do I need a Reel?”
“Should I start TikTok?”
“Should I blog?”
“Should I run ads?”
“Should I do email marketing?”

A marketing plan makes those decisions once, so you can stop re-deciding every Monday.

A simple Small Business Marketing Strategy plan you can create in one sitting

If you want a no-drama starting point, here’s a plan structure you can fill in quickly:

1. Goal (choose one primary goal per quarter)

• More inquiries
• Higher-quality inquiries
• More repeat clients / referrals
• More waitlist demand
• More consistent leads
• More brand awareness in a specific market

2. Audience

• Who exactly are you trying to attract right now?
• What are they worried about?
• What do they need to believe to hire you?

3. Channels (pick 1–3, not 7)
Examples:

• Instagram + SEO blog
• Instagram + email marketing
• Networking + vendor partnerships + portfolio features
• Pinterest + blog + website optimization

4. Cadence

• How often will you show up on each channel in a way you can sustain?

5. Core message

• What do you do?
• Who is it for?
• What’s different about your approach?
• What result do they get?

This is the kind of plan Enji is designed to help you build and stick to—so you’re not reinventing the wheel every week.

Consistency without burnout: your plan has to match your capacity

This was one of my favorite parts of the episode, because it’s so practical.

Taylor said inconsistency is usually a symptom of one thing:
You planned more than your capacity can handle.

And honestly? That’s not a character flaw. It’s just math.

The time reality check: 1–5 hours vs 6–10 hours

In the survey:

• Most people spend 1–5 hours/week on marketing
• The people spending 6–10 hours/week were six times more likely to say their marketing was very or extremely effective

Before you panic: this doesn’t mean you need to spend 10 hours scheduling posts.

It means the people who got better results had enough time to:

• think
• plan
• create intentionally
• refine messaging
• follow up properly
• track what’s working
• and nurture leads instead of rushing content

Sometimes the difference isn’t “more content.”
It’s better decisions + better execution + less scrambling.

The “machete method” for simplifying your marketing

If you’re overwhelmed, borrow Taylor’s approach: take a machete to your plan.

Cut until your marketing routine feels:

• doable
• repeatable
• and emotionally sustainable

Here are smart cuts that don’t kill your results:

• Post less, but make each post more middle-funnel (decision-supporting)
• Pick one primary platform and one “supporting” platform
• Choose one content engine (podcast, blog, email, or weekly IG series) and let everything else pull from it
• Stop trying to “go viral” and focus on building trust with the right people
• Build a repeatable weekly workflow (even if it’s small)

The money stat that explains so much: most people spend almost nothing on marketing

Taylor shared the stat that made her want to shake people (lovingly):

• 8% spend $0/month on marketing
• 32% spend $99 or less
• 35% spend $499 or less

Meaning: a huge portion of small business owners are trying to get marketing results without a marketing budget.

And yes, content marketing can be “free,” but it’s not actually free. You pay with:

• time
• energy
• creative output
• and consistency

Budget buys time.
Time replaces budget.
And when you’re low on both, focus becomes non-negotiable.

What “spending on marketing” can look like without running ads

When we say “marketing budget,” people assume ads. But most service providers can get major traction by investing in support systems, like:

• a scheduling tool (to stay consistent)
• a CRM or inquiry workflow (to convert faster)
• a blog/SEO strategy (to increase inbound leads)
• better brand photography (to build trust)
• copywriting support (to clarify messaging)
• a marketing tool that helps you plan and track (this is where Enji fits)
• education or coaching (so you stop guessing)

This is also where I’m going to be direct:

If you’re spending $0 on marketing, but you’re also unhappy with your leads, it’s time to look at your numbers and ask:

• Where is my money going right now?
• What’s not creating ROI?
• What could I reallocate, even modestly, to support growth?

Because marketing isn’t optional if you want consistent inquiries. It’s a business pillar.

Why your message might be the real issue (even if your marketing “looks” good)

Toward the end of the conversation, Taylor shared how the report impacted Enji’s own strategy.

They can’t control the economy.
They can’t control buyer hesitation.

But they can control one powerful lever:
positioning + messaging.

If leads are hesitating, you may need to tighten:

• the words you use to describe what you do
• the clarity of who it’s for
• the value you’re actually selling (not just the deliverables)

The clarity test

Try finishing these sentences without rambling:

• I help ________ (specific audience)
• who are struggling with ________ (specific problem)
• by providing ________ (your method)
• so they can ________ (outcome)

If you can’t say it simply, your audience has to work too hard to understand you.
And when money feels tight, people don’t work harder. They scroll away.

A modern Small Business Marketing Strategy for 2026: what I want you to do next

If you want to take this entire episode and turn it into a practical plan, here’s your step-by-step roadmap.

Step 1: Choose your “main channel” and your “support channel”

Examples:

• Main: Instagram | Support: blog
• Main: networking | Support: email marketing
• Main: SEO blog | Support: Pinterest
• Main: podcast | Support: Instagram

Commit for 90 days. Not forever. Just long enough to get data.

Step 2: Build a marketing plan you can actually keep

Use the simple framework from earlier:

• goal
• audience
• channels
• cadence
• core message

If you want help organizing that into a system, Enji is literally built for marketing plans + calendars + staying consistent.

Step 3: Fill the middle of your funnel

Make sure you’re not only posting:

• pretty
• inspirational
• or promotional

Add content that:

• answers real questions
• removes hesitation
• shows your process
• proves your value
• and supports decisions

Step 4: Give your marketing enough time (or enough support)

If you’re stuck at 1–5 hours/week, don’t shame yourself.
Just build a plan that fits that reality.

But if you’re consistently not getting results, ask:

• Can I increase time slightly?
• Can I outsource a piece?
• Can I use tools to reduce friction?

Step 5: Track what matters

Even though we didn’t go deep into metrics in this episode, I want to leave you with a simple rule:

Track metrics that connect to business outcomes, not just dopamine.

Examples:

• inquiries per month
• inquiry quality (aligned vs not)
• website clicks from IG
• email list growth
• consult-to-book rate
• how often referrals mention a specific touchpoint (“I found you from your blog,” “I listened to your podcast,” “your FAQs convinced me”)

If you’re ready to get clearer on what to track and why, Taylor offers coaching calls inside Enji to help you make sense of your marketing and metrics.

Final thoughts

This episode is your reminder that you’re not failing, you’re operating in a market where trust takes longer, decisions take longer, and marketing requires more intentional structure than it did a few years ago.

Your next level isn’t “do more.”
It’s:

• choose fewer channels
• show up with more clarity
• nurture the middle
• build a simple plan
• and support yourself with systems that make consistency possible

If you’re ready to strengthen your Small Business Marketing Strategy with a brand and website that build trust faster (so your marketing converts instead of just “performs”), you can inquire to work with Emily Foster Creative. And if you want help turning your plan into action, without overwhelm, download the State of Small Biz 2025 report and start a free trial of Enji, where you can build your marketing plan, map it on a calendar, schedule content, and join the coaching calls for extra support.