25 Local Business Marketing Ideas That Cost Little or Nothing

These 25 local business marketing ideas are for any service business that works in one town or one region: roofers and plumbers, cleaners and landscapers, accountants and lawyers. None of them need an ad budget. Most cost a text message, a photo or a cup of coffee.

They are grouped into five kinds of work. You don't need all 25. Pick two or three from the first group, add one from each of the others, and keep doing them. For the bigger picture of how these fit together, read how to grow a service business without paying for ads.

How do you get more word of mouth for a local business? (ideas 1-5)

You get more word of mouth by asking for it, making it easy and saying thank you. Happy clients would gladly recommend you. They just forget, or don't know you want them to.

1. Ask every happy client, the day they say they're happy. "This looks great" or "you made this so easy" is your cue. One sentence is enough: "If a friend ever needs the same help, I'd be glad to look after them." Our guide on how to ask for referrals without feeling pushy has more words for it.
2. Give them a link they can text. "Look us up" gets lost. A link with your name, what you do and their own words about you is easy to forward to a friend.
3. Thank every referral the same day. Name the person they sent and tell them how it went. People who hear their friend was happy tend to send another.
4. Ask every new client "How did you hear about us?" Write down the person's name, not just "a friend". In a few months you will know exactly who sends you work.
5. Look after your top fans. A few clients will send you two or three people each. Call them, thank them properly and keep them close. They are worth more than any flyer.

Which local businesses should you partner with? (ideas 6-9)

Partner with businesses that serve your clients just before or just after you. They get asked for recommendations all the time, and a name from them carries their trust.

6. Make a list of ten. Write down every business your clients deal with around the time they need you. The table below has a few to start.
7. Send them work first. The fastest way to get referrals from another business is to send them a client. It shows you mean it.
8. Give each partner something to share. A page with your details and a QR code they can show on their phone beats a stack of business cards in a drawer.
9. Meet one new partner a month. Coffee, twenty minutes, no pitch. Ask what a good client looks like for them, and tell them yours.

A handful of partners who each send you a client or two a year adds up fast. Setting this up properly is covered in how to build a crew that sends you clients.

How can clients help market your business? (ideas 10-15)

Clients market your business when you collect their words and show their results. A stranger trusts a real client's sentence more than anything you write about yourself.

10. Ask for a testimonial with photos. Send a link the client can answer from their phone in two minutes, right after the job. Make it easy: "What was the problem, and how do you feel now?"
11. Turn each testimonial into a post. One client's words over a photo of the work makes a simple post for your social pages, your window or your email.
12. Keep a "What our clients say" page. Put every testimonial on one page you can link from your website, your quotes and your email signature.
13. Take before and after photos on every job. Same spot, same angle, before you start and when you finish. Offices can do the same in words: where the client started, and where they are now.
14. Send similar past jobs with every quote. Two or three projects like theirs, with the result and the client's words, answer "have you done this before?" without a sales pitch.
15. Write one short client story a month. The problem, what you did, how it turned out. Five short paragraphs is plenty.

More on getting clients to answer, even the quiet ones, is in how to get testimonials from clients.

How do you get known in your local community? (ideas 16-21)

You get known locally by being useful and being seen doing good work. People choose the name they have heard of, so the goal is to be that name.

16. Keep your Google Business Profile fresh. Add photos of real jobs, answer every question, and keep your hours right. It is free and it is often the first thing a neighbor sees.
17. Make your work visible. A clean, clearly marked vehicle and a tidy job site are an introduction to every neighbor who walks past. For offices, a clear sign and a welcoming front desk do the same.
18. Leave a polite note for the neighbors. Before a noisy job, a short note saying who you are and how long you'll be there turns a disturbance into a first impression.
19. Teach something for free. A short talk at the library, a local business group or a school event. A plumber on "what to do when a pipe bursts", an accountant on "keeping records for a small shop".
20. Help in local online groups. Answer questions in neighborhood groups with real advice and no pitch. People remember who helped.
21. Give your time to a local cause. Help a school, a food bank or a sports club with what you do best. It builds goodwill and connects you to people who live nearby.

Why does follow-up matter so much for local businesses? (ideas 22-25)

Follow-up matters because most local clients don't say no, they just get busy. A short, friendly message at the right time is often the difference between a lost quote and a booked job.

22. Follow up on every quote. Two days later, then a week later. Keep it short and helpful. Our quote follow-up email templates have the words.
23. Check in after the job. "How is everything holding up?" a few weeks later keeps you on their mind and catches small problems early.
24. Send a seasonal note. A personal text before their busy season: before winter for a heating company, before spring for a landscaper, before the year-end rush for an accountant.
25. Keep one weekly growth hour. Same day, same time. Ask, thank, follow up, post. It is the habit that makes the other 24 ideas happen.

Where should you start this week?

Start with the ideas that bring clients fastest and cost nothing: asking, thanking and following up. Everything else builds on them.

Then add one new idea a month. In half a year you will be doing most of this list without thinking about it, and you will know from "How did you hear about us?" which ideas bring the clients.

Frequently asked questions