Solved: Local Shop Needs Marketing Plan Without Agency Cost

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out!

I understand the position you're in. Running a local shop is tough enough without having to become a marketing expert overnight, and agency fees can feel completely out of reach. It's totally normal to feel like you're just guessing and hoping for the best.

I'm happy to give you some initial thoughts and a bit of a framework. Tbh, most local businesses don't need a complicated, multi-channel marketing plan from day one. What you need is a structured way to find your most profitable customers, prove that a channel works, and then build from there. It's less about guessing and more about a deliberate, logical process.

Let's get into it.

We'll need to look at your customer, not your channels...

Right, this is the single biggest mistake I see small businesses make. They ask, "Should I be on Facebook? Or Instagram? What about Google?". That's the wrong way to start. It leads to spreading your tiny budget so thin that nothing works, and then you conclude "marketing doesn't work for me."

The only question that matters is: What problem does my customer have right before they need me?

Forget demographics like "women aged 25-45". That's useless for a local shop. You need to get into their mindset. Your Ideal Customer Profile isn't a person; it's a problem state. It's a nightmare.

• -> If you're a plumber, the nightmare is a burst pipe at 2 AM on a Sunday.
• -> If you're a locksmith, the nightmare is being locked out of your house in the rain.
• -> If you're a gift shop, the nightmare is realising it's your anniversary tomorrow and you've bought nothing.

These are urgent, high-intent moments. The person experiencing this isn't scrolling through Instagram hoping to stumble upon a solution. They are grabbing their phone and actively, desperately searching for someone to solve their problem right now. This is a fundamental difference in behaviour, and it's where you have to focus your energy first.

This is why, for 9 out of 10 local shops, your marketing plan should start and, for a while, end with Google.

I'd say you need to master one channel first, not guess at many...

So we've established you need to be where people are searching. That means Google Ads. For a local business, you've got two main options:

1. Google Search Ads: These are the classic text ads you see at the top of a search results page. You bid on keywords like "emergency electrician near me" or "best coffee shop in [Your Town]". You have a lot of control here, but it also means there's more to learn and more ways to get it wrong.

2. Google Local Service Ads (LSAs): These are the "Google Guaranteed" boxes that often appear right at the very top, even above the normal ads. They show your business name, review rating, and phone number. The brilliant thing here is you generally only pay when someone actually calls you or messages you through the ad – you pay per lead, not per click. This is often the best and safest place for a local service business to start.

The goal isn't to be everywhere. The goal is to make one channel profitable. Once you have a steady stream of leads coming from, say, LSAs, and you know that for every £1 you put in, you get £5 back in business, then you can think about what's next.

What sort of costs should you expect? Tbh, it varies wildly. We're running a campaign for an HVAC company in a really competitive city, and they're seeing costs around $60 per lead. That sounds high, but one boiler installation job makes it instantly profitable for them. On the other end of the spectrum, one of our best campaigns was for a home cleaning company where we got their cost down to £5 per lead. It all depends on your industry, location, and competition.

I usually recommend a starting ad spend of £1,000 to £1,500 per month. That's enough to get data and see if it's going to work, without betting the farm. Your budget should be based on how many leads you need and what you can afford to pay for one. Which brings us to the next point...

You probably should figure out what a customer is worth...

You can't know if a £30 lead is "expensive" or "cheap" unless you know what a customer is actually worth to you over time. This is your Customer Lifetime Value (LTV). Most small business owners don't calculate this, but it's the most important number in your marketing. It tells you how much you can afford to spend to get a new customer (your Customer Acquisition Cost, or CAC).

For a local shop, the calculation is a bit different from a SaaS company, but the principle is the same. Let's work it out.

Once you know you can afford to spend, say, £135 to get a customer, and you know from your sales process that you close 1 in 3 qualified leads, you can now work backwards. You can afford to pay up to £45 (£135 / 3) for a good lead. Now you have a target. Now you're not guessing anymore. You can run your Google Ads, look at your Cost Per Lead, and know instantly if the campaign is on track to be profitable.

You'll need to fix your 'shop window' before paying for visitors...

This is probably the hardest bit of advice to hear, but it's the most important. Your website is probably not ready for paid ads. Sending paid traffic to a weak website is like pouring water into a bucket full of holes. It's an expensive way to learn your bucket is broken.

Think about your website as your digital shop window and front door. When someone clicks your ad, they are taking a risk. They don't know you. You have about 5 seconds to convince them they've come to the right place and that you are a trustworthy, professional business.

Here's a quick checklist of things that are non-negotiable:

• A Clear, Obvious Phone Number: It should be at the top of every single page. Make it 'tap-to-call' on mobile. Many people in an urgent situation just want to call someone. Don't make them hunt for it.
• A Simple Contact Form: For those who don't want to call, have a simple form. Ask for the minimum information you need: Name, Phone, Email, and a box for their message. That's it.
• Social Proof (Reviews!): You need reviews from real, local customers. Embed your Google Business Profile reviews directly on your site. Have testimonials with names and photos if possible. This is the single biggest trust-builder.
• Photos of Your Work (and You!): Show pictures of your actual work. Before and after shots are brilliant. A photo of you and your team makes your business human and approachable. Stock photos scream "we're not a real local business".
• A Clear Statement of What You Do and Where: The first thing a visitor should see is something like "Your Trusted Plumber in North London since 2005". They need to know instantly that you serve their area and can solve their problem.
• It MUST Be Fast and Look Good on a Mobile Phone: Most of your searchers will be on their mobile. Open your website on your phone right now. Is it easy to read? Can you click the phone number easily? If not, you have to fix this first.

Your offer isn't just "plumbing services". Your real offer is "a fast, reliable solution to your stressful plumbing emergency". Your website needs to communicate that promise of relief. Before you spend a single pound on ads, spend some time and maybe a little money making sure your website is up to scratch. It'll make every pound you do spend work ten times harder.

Let's get practical: ads and keywords...

Alright, assuming your website is sorted and you know your numbers, what do you actually do in Google Ads? You start with a simple campaign structure. You'll focus on keywords that show clear buying intent.

You want to target people who are problem-aware and solution-aware. You don't want people searching "how to fix a leaky tap". That person is trying to DIY it. You want the person searching "emergency plumber costs hackney". That person has given up and is ready to pay.

For your ad copy, you need to speak directly to their "nightmare" and offer the solution. Use the Problem-Agitate-Solve framework:

Problem: Burst Pipe? Leaky Radiator?
Agitate: Don't Let Water Damage Ruin Your Home. Fast Response Is Crucial.
Solve: Call [Your Business Name]. 24/7 Emergency Plumber in [Your Town]. Google Guaranteed & 5-Star Rated. Get a Quote Now.

This copy works because it mirrors their panicked thoughts and immediately offers a trustworthy solution. Notice it mentions trust signals ("Google Guaranteed", "5-Star Rated") right in the ad.

Finally, you need to track everything. This isn't optional. You must set up conversion tracking in Google Ads to measure phone calls from your ads and your website, and form submissions. Without this data, you are flying blind. You won't know which keywords are driving actual leads and which are just wasting your money. If you do one technical thing, make it this.

This is the main advice I have for you:

Getting this right isn't about being a marketing genius. It's about being methodical. Here is the exact plan I would follow if I were in your shoes, starting from scratch.

I know this is a lot to take in, and some of the technical parts, like setting up conversion tracking properly, can be fiddly. It's a structured approach that removes the guesswork, but it still requires time and effort to execute correctly.

This is where getting some expert help can actually save you money. An experienced eye can get this foundation set up correctly in a fraction of the time it would take to learn from scratch, avoiding the costly mistakes most people make when they first start with paid ads. You don't necessarily need an expensive monthly retainer; sometimes just getting an expert to build the initial campaigns and tracking for you is enough to set you on the right path.

If you'd like to chat through your specific situation, we offer a free initial consultation where we can look at your business and give you some tailored advice. There's no obligation at all, of course.

Hope this helps give you a bit more structure and confidence!

Regards,

Team @ Lukas Holschuh