These guides exist because a lot of what helps a small business locally doesn't need an agency at all. A careful owner with a free afternoon can fix the most common problems, and should. When you do need help, the guides also make you a sharper buyer. Each one is written for independent Burlington businesses and uses worked examples you can check against your own numbers.
-
The Google Business Profile checklist for a Burlington small business
Your Google Business Profile is often the first thing a nearby customer sees. Work through this checklist once, carefully, then spend fifteen minutes a week keeping it current.
-
How to hire a marketing agency without regretting it
Before you sign with any agency, including us, get four things in writing: what will be done each month, how success will be measured, who owns every account, and how you can leave.
-
How to set a marketing budget for a Burlington small business
Don't pick a round number or copy a percentage from the internet. Work out what a new customer is worth to you, how much you can pay to win one, and how many you need, then build the budget from there.
The Google Business Profile checklist
What it teaches: how to set up and maintain your Google Business Profile properly, step by step, in the order that matters most.
This is the guide to start with if your listing has never had a careful review, or if you've moved, changed hours or rebranded recently. It covers ownership, the business name, address and phone, categories, hours (including the holidays that catch owners out), descriptions, services and products, photos, reviews and a fifteen-minute weekly routine. It also lists the mistakes we see most often in Burlington, like plaza pins dropped on the wrong side of the parking lot.
Read the Google Business Profile checklist for a Burlington small business.
Setting a marketing budget
What it teaches: how to work out what you can afford to spend on marketing from your own numbers, rather than guessing or copying a percentage.
The guide walks you through customer value over a year, gross margin, close rate and a ceiling cost per enquiry. Then it shows how to turn that into a monthly budget, how to rank channels from cheapest to most expensive, and how to run a 90-day test that tells you what's working. Every step has a worked example with numbers you can swap for your own.
Read how to set a marketing budget for a Burlington small business.
Hiring a marketing agency
What it teaches: how to choose an agency, what to ask, what to watch out for, and how to judge the first 90 days.
Many owners we talk to have been let down by an agency before. This guide is designed to stop that happening again, whoever you hire. It includes ten questions to ask, a list of red flags, a table for comparing proposals and a month-by-month picture of what good progress looks like. It applies to us as much as to anyone else.
How to use these guides
A sensible order for most Burlington owners:
- Start with the profile checklist and work through it over a week or two.
- Then do the budget maths, so you know what a new customer is worth and how much you can spend to win one.
- Only then think about hiring help, using the agency guide to compare options.
Many businesses find that steps one and two are enough for a while. That's a good outcome. Marketing that you don't need to buy is marketing that doesn't eat into your margin.
What the guides don't cover
The guides are about marketing. They aren't legal, tax or accounting advice. Where a topic touches those areas, such as consent rules for messaging customers, we link to the official source and suggest checking with a qualified professional.
They also don't cover every channel. We've focused on the ones that matter most for independent local businesses: your Google listing, your website, reviews and, when the numbers support it, paid search. Our services hub explains each of those in more depth.
When you'd like a second opinion
If you've worked through a guide and something still isn't adding up, or you'd simply like someone to look over your profile or your numbers, call, text or email us. You can also check plans and prices first. We'll give you a straight answer, even if it's "you're doing fine on your own".
Frequently asked questions
Are the guides really free?
Yes. There's nothing to sign up for. Read them, use them and come back to them whenever you need to.
Which guide should I read first?
If your Google listing hasn't had a careful review this year, start with the profile checklist. If you're about to spend money on marketing, read the budget guide first.
Can I share the guides with my staff?
Of course. The profile checklist in particular works well as a shared task list for whoever looks after your listing.