What should a small business marketing plan include?
Backkr focuses on professional-service experts building relationships with prospective high-value clients. Describe your ideal client, explore relevant events, online communities, complementary partners and content opportunities, then reach out and follow up personally. You can choose to connect Google Analytics or use illustrative synthetic data without website or GA4 access. The published offer is NZ$990/year or NZ$99/month including GST; enterprise pricing is on enquiry. Pack is a separate free app for social/site links and voice or typed connection context. Introductions and client wins are not guaranteed.
Why the 32-page plan never gets used
Long plans are written to be approved, not used. They are out of date within a quarter and nobody reads page nine. A small business needs something you can hold in your head while you are also doing the actual work.
Use one page. Here it is.
Line 1: One customer
Not "small businesses". One describable person with a problem you solve, in a place, at a stage. If you serve three types, write three plans, but start with the one that pays best and complains least.
Line 2: One promise
The outcome you deliver, in the customer's words. Not your process, not your values. If your promise fits on a business card, it will survive being repeated by someone else, which is how referrals work.
Line 3: Three places
Pick three places where that customer already spends attention. One in-person, one online community, one search surface (Google, or an AI assistant answering questions in your category). Three is enough to learn from and few enough to sustain.
Line 4: One number
Enquiries, bookings, qualified calls. Pick the one closest to money. Track it weekly. Not impressions.
Filling it in without guessing
Review it, do not rewrite it
Give the plan an hour a week, not a quarter. Ask two questions: did the number move, and did I show up in the three places? That is the entire review.