A behind-the-scenes look at my own unfiltered shenanigans from the marketing trenches. A real-life, no BS view of what it's really like to market a small business and ideas to make it all feel a whole lot easier!

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Welp, we’ve officially entered "Peak Marketing Season..." that magical-but-also-kinda-feral window of time where every business on the planet is barreling toward December 31st like the Energizer Bunny.

Everywhere you look ads are yelling it’s “Black Friday!” “Cyber Monday!” “Shop Small!” “Buy This Thing You Didn’t Know Existed But Suddenly Can’t Live Without!”

It’s a lot. Like… a lot a lot.

And if you’re a small business owner (oh hey 👋), this season can make you feel like you’re somehow already behind even though you’re absolutely sprinting.

But here’s where I’m going to swoop in and remind you of one important truth:

Marketing is a long game.

Is it possible for someone to see your ad and immediately buy?

Sure. Those impulse purchases exist (I mean, I bought a sweatshirt just last week on impulse 👇)

But for the vast majority of purchases — big or small — we buy after trust is built.

You shop with a business because you’ve seen them. Day after day. Week after week. Their storefront. Their posts. Their vibe.

And then suddenly 💥 they post The Thing. The exact thing that feels meant for you.

But the reason you purchase isn’t just because “oooo cute thing”…It’s because of the trust you’ve built without even realizing it...PLUS the cute thing.

That's the long game at work.

The long game is consistency. Not perfection. Not posting constantly. Not spending thousands.

Just…consistency.

Consistency can look like a lot of different things:

• $50/month Google Search ads
• One email newsletter a month
• Two Instagram posts a week
• Showing up at community events
• Keeping your signage clean and your lights on
• Saying the same message over and over until you’re sick of it (because that’s when your audience is finally starting to hear it)

Marketing isn’t about doing everything or spending a fortune. It’s about doing the right things for you (your brand, your energy, your budget), consistently.

Now… want to hear the part no one talks about?

We think the buying journey looks like this:

Ad → Click → Website → Buy Now → The End

But in reality? It’s more like:

Ad → “Oh interesting” → Closes browser → Makes dinner → Sees someone mention the same thing → Forgets your name → Googles again → Compares options → Isn’t ready → Two months pass → Bumps into you at a networking event → Grabs your business card → Calls you two weeks later → Buys

Which part of that journey “worked”?

Honestly, who knows. And that’s the point.

Your job isn’t to perfectly track every touchpoint. Your job is to be there through every touchpoint. Same tone. Same brand. Same presence. Same reliability.

That’s marketing. Not the flashy stuff (hello holiday advertising overload 🎄🎁🎅). The consistent stuff.

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Cool, but I don't even know where to start

If you're thinking, "cool McKenzie, but I don't know how to be 'consistent' because I honestly don't even know where to start," I've got you!

Download the 4 Stages of Marketing pdf

This quick guide will help you:

• Identify where you fall in the 4 stages of marketing
• Know what a “quick win” looks like in your current stage
• And see a realistic next step (not a giant leap - a step) into the next stage

A little clarity goes a long way, especially this time of year.

So quit comparing yourself to the big businesses yelling their holiday deals in your face and just do you...consistently. 💛

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