2025 Marketing Tips for Small Businesses & Nonprofits

Simple, Low Budget Marketing Strategies That Work in 2025

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when marketing a business or organization – especially small businesses and nonprofits, which often don’t have access to large marketing budgets.

Small business owners often have a lot on their plate, and may feel like they have to do everything themselves. When you’re feeling burnt out and have limited resources, it’s easy to overcomplicate things when trying to find marketing strategies that work.

But the truth is, you don’t need a big-brand budget to make an impact on your target audience. We’ll dive into a few tactics you can use to get the results you want, without the big spend.

The Real 4Cs of Small Business Marketing (Consistency, Community, Clarity, Confidence)

Marketing doesn’t have to be fancy. The secret to success? Picking one simple strategy, and executing it well. You don’t need to be on every platform, or try to appeal to everyone. The key is to hone in.

You might have heard of the “4Cs of Marketing” – customer wants and needs, cost to fulfill those needs, convenience to the customer, and communication with your audience. But when it comes to marketing small businesses, we’ve found there are guidelines that work better.

Here are our 4Cs that actually work:

Consistency: Building Content Consistency Without Burnout

Showing up with content consistency is one of the most effective things you can do, but it has to work for you. If doing something like posting on social media 3x a week is unrealistic for you, try once a week. Can’t make it to every networking event? Set a goal of once a month. However it happens, people need to expect you’ll show up.

Community: The Power of Community Marketing and Collaboration

Collaborating and partnering with the people and other businesses in your community – local, within your industry, etc – is an amazing way to build trust and relationships. It’s also a great way to jump-start word-of-mouth marketing, which is basically gold to any small business. (And of course, showing up for the community also means doing things like volunteering, fundraising, etc. Sure, it helps your business, but more importantly, it helps the soul!)

Clarity: Making Your Message Clear and Searchable

 Be crystal clear: What do you do? What do you sell? You’d be surprised at how many small business owners can’t articulate their offer. One example of this at play: optimizing your Google My Business profile. Fill out all the necessary information with keywords clients would search. Add FAQs and photos. And most importantly, ask your clients for reviews – this boosts your search ranking, and reviews can be used for content on socials/your website. Want a deeper dive on clarity before you scale your plan? Read Essential Branding Tips for Small Businesses: Building Brand Clarity, and when you’re ready to get help executing consistently, see What a Virtual Assistant can do for your business

Confidence: Showing Up Authentically in Your Marketing

Clients aren’t just hiring your services – they’re hiring you. You are the secret sauce of your business. So, put yourself out there. Show your face on your website, socials, newsletters, and business cards. Speak at events. Let people really get to know you. Showing up as your authentic self in your marketing plan can be scary, but the secret is to not wait to feel confident. “Faking it ‘til you make it” is real, but it doesn’t mean you should do things that don’t feel genuine. So, no, you don’t have to do any TikTok dances if that’s not your thing – but you can build real trust by letting yourself be vulnerable.

Implementing these core tenets can help build the foundation of a marketing strategy that really works, all without sacrificing more resources than you have. But to really make an impact and boost your conversions, you need to follow through on a level that’s both personal and professional.

The Fortune Is in the Follow-Up: Lead Follow Up That Converts

If you’ve ever worked in sales, you know that following up with people is the biggest key to more conversions and higher revenue. However, lots of small business owners don’t feel comfortable engaging after hearing a “no”, and it’s easy to feel like you’re overstepping. 

But what a lot of people don't realize is that the most sales will happen after five or more touch points – interactions with2025-marketing-tips-for-small-businesses-nonprofits your potential customers/clients. People sometimes need to be reminded of what they want and need, even if it feels like it should be second nature. In fact, many of them will appreciate the follow-up, because you’re helping them stay on track to get the results they’re hoping you can provide.

So, let’s break down what following up should and shouldn’t look like.

• Don’t assume that “no” means “not ever” unless explicitly stated – it may just mean “not right now”.

• Do set up a CRM (customer relationship manager) system, even if it’s a simple one. Keep it updated, and create a system for following up with potential clients who didn’t previously pan out.

• Don’t count out past clients. They are often the warmest leads.

• Do stay visible on social media, via email, and in your community – where those leads live.

• Don’t be pushy or spammy in your communications, but be clear.

• Do provide something of value in any follow-ups, like a free consultation or downloadable.

Keeping these dos and don’ts in mind will help you reapproach your warm leads confidently. Consistency is where you can take this to the next level. 

How to Stay Consistent With Your Nonprofit Marketing

While it can be overwhelming and difficult to know where to start your marketing efforts, there are a few small steps that small business owners can take. The best part? They don’t come with a high price tag.

Get Involved in Your Community Marketing Network

Pick one or two networking, professional, or community events to show up at in the next 30 days. Check out your local chamber of commerce or community networks to find opportunities. Or, pick a day to go and volunteer for an organization doing good work in your community – and bring your team along to help out if possible! All of these things are part of a small commitment you can make to showing up where your leads can see you.

Optimize Your Digital Presence for Clarity and Trust

• Make sure your bios, branding, and other standard information are consistent across your platforms. Images should be high quality and sized properly for the platform.

• In addition to being updated with current offerings and schedules, your website should be clean and organized so that potential customers can easily navigate it – and ultimately make a booking or purchase. If you’re not sure if it’s making sense outside of your own brain, ask a trusted friend or peer to take a run through your website as if they were a customer. An additional perspective can be a big help!

• Set up your Google My Business page and ask your previous and current clients to leave reviews. Making sure your profile is optimized, accurate, and well-reviewed is a great way to boost your business’ visibility and reputation when people are searching for a specific product or service near them.

Get Posting! Commit to Content Consistency on Social Media

Commit to posting once or twice a week on one social media platform for the next 30 days. Content consistency is the cornerstone of creating an organic top funnel marketing strategy. If that sounds scary, don’t worry. There are some simple practices you can use to plan out your content ahead of time, so you don’t freeze up when it’s time to hit post:

First, use the 80/20 rule: 80% of your content should bring some intrinsic value to your target audience – education, entertainment, human connection, etc. Only the remaining 20% should directly promote your products or services. 

Second, know the best times and places to post for your audience and industry. Running a lifestyle brand? Try posting some eye-catching visuals on Instagram when people aren’t typically on the job. Working in B2B services? Posting on LinkedIn when your audiences are starting their work day or taking a lunch break might be a better option.

We’ve also got a handy resource to demystify the ins and outs of content creation. You can download it for free here!

Conclusion: Consistency and Community Build Confidence and Growth

Running a small business is hard enough, and marketing it is even harder. But the truth is, every small business owner can take small steps to ensure the greatest chances of success at the right pace. 

You don’t need to pour your limited budget into paid ads, or be active on every platform – you just need consistency, community, clarity, and confidence. So show up, follow up, stay visible, and trust the process! And if you need an extra helping hand, let’s talk. Moonwake Collaborative supports small businesses of all kinds in marketing and more, so you never have to go at it alone.