Small Business Marketing

Iowa Website Redesign: When It's Worth It (and When Not)

Half the redesign quotes handed to Iowa small businesses are solving a problem the business doesn't have. Here's how to tell whether your website needs a rebuild, a tune-up, or nothing at all.

We Checked 57 Small-Town Iowa Business Websites. Here's What We Found.

We ran the websites of 57 real small businesses in towns like Winterset, Atlantic, Carroll, and Pella through the same 13-point check we use for clients. Not one site passed everything. Here's what's actually broken out there, and how to see where your own site stands in about a minute.

Small Business Marketing

Your Website Is the Hub, Not an Afterthought

Summer hits and suddenly everyone is busy. The patio is full, the phone is ringing, and somewhere in the back of your mind you know you should be posting more on Facebook. So you do. You throw up a few photos, maybe a promotion, and hope something sticks.

Small Business Marketing

Small Business SEO in Iowa: What Actually Works

I spent ten years buying marketing I couldn't verify. Here's the honest version of what search visibility means for a small Iowa business, what it should cost, and what you can do yourself before you pay anyone.

Web Accessibility

The ADA Website Rule Made Headlines. Here Is What It Actually Means for Your Small Business.

You might have seen the headline a while back: the federal government finalized a rule requiring websites to meet accessibility standards. If you run a small business in Iowa, there is a decent chance you read "state and local governments" and mentally filed it under not my problem.

Small Business Marketing

Your Google Business Profile Is Free, Powerful, and Probably Half-Finished

Summer is peak search season for local services, and there is a good chance the tool most likely to send customers your way is sitting mostly empty. The Marketing Wheel Has a Hub and Some Very Overlooked Spokes We talk about something called the Marketing Wheel with almost every client we work with.

Small Business Marketing

The New ADA Website Rule: What Iowa's Small Towns and Businesses Actually Need to Know

There is a lot of noise circulating right now about "the new ADA website law," and most of it is inaccurate enough to send small business owners in the wrong direction. Here is what the rule actually says, who it actually covers, and what you should actually do about it.

Small Business

The Hidden Cost of Iowa Nice: Is Politeness Stalling Your Business?

In many local communities, being nice is a fundamental value. It reflects a spirit of friendliness and mutual support that makes doing business locally a positive experience. However, there is a point where this trait, often called Iowa Nice, can actually hinder a small business owner .

Marketing

Stop Marketing to Everyone: The Path to Small Business Growth

One of the most common reasons marketing feels like an uphill battle for small businesses is a simple but fundamental mistake: trying to reach everyone . While it may seem logical to cast the widest net possible, a message designed to speak to everyone usually ends up connecting with no one.

Small Business

Lessons from the Court: Why Being "Short" is a Small Business Superpower

Did you catch the recent clip of Caitlin Clark making her TV analyst debut? She made headlines not just for her insights, but for a self-deprecating joke about her height, suggesting she might need to “wear stilts next time” to keep up with her colleagues.

Small Business

Stop the Price Wars: Why Local Businesses Must Change Strategy

Local business owners often find themselves in a “race to the bottom,” trying to match the prices of larger competitors. However, attempting to compete primarily on price is one of the fastest ways for a local business to experience burnout.

Marketing

The Secret to Staying Visible Without the Daily Grind

One of the most significant hurdles for small business owners in the digital age is the pressure to be everywhere at once. Many entrepreneurs find that the primary reason they stop posting altogether is simply because the process is “freaking exhausting” .

Small Business

Unlocking Your Small-Town Advantage: Why Heart Beats Big-Box Budgets

While big-box retailers may possess massive marketing budgets, they lack a critical element that local businesses have in spades: the small-town advantage . As a local entrepreneur, your strength lies not in your price point, but in the deep roots you have planted within your community.

Marketing

Your 2026 Marketing Strategy Starts Now.

Too many businesses make the mistake of waiting until January 1st to get serious about their marketing efforts. If you want to succeed in 2026, the best strategy is to prepare now , while your competitors are still focused on holiday mode.

Marketing

Snowed Out? 7 Smart Ways to Recover After a Lost Small Business Saturday

Small Business Saturday is supposed to be the slam-dunk weekend. The day where foot traffic surges, cash registers stay busy, and small towns come alive. But this year? Iowa and most of the Midwest got slammed with a snowstorm that knocked the wind right out of those plans. Events were canceled.

Marketing

The Counterintuitive Holiday Marketing Secret: Stop Selling to Sell More

We all know December is a critical month for sales, leading many businesses to frantically push sales offers, flyers, and aggressive promotions daily. But what if the secret to maximizing your holiday revenue wasn’t about selling more , but about selling less ?

Small Business

You Are Your Brand: Why Small Business Owners Need to Show Their Face

If you are the owner of a business in a small town, the relationship between you and your customers goes deeper than a simple transaction. When people purchase something, they are not just buying your product; they are buying you —your values, your personality, and your story.

Small Business

Low-Stress Holiday Sales: Winning with Gift Cards and Simple Bundles

Are you looking for a low-stress way to boost holiday sales this season? The sources suggest that focusing on two key elements—gift cards and simple bundles—can make a significant difference. The guiding principle is that what is “simple and ready to go wins every time”.

Marketing

The 3-Photo Sprint: A Strategy for Simple Weekly Content Visibility

If you find content creation challenging, the “3-Photo Sprint” offers a straightforward method for ensuring simple, consistent visibility. This strategy requires taking just three real and recent photos on your phone.

Marketing

Building Your Own Awesome: What Lego Camp Taught Me About Small Business Marketing

The Lesson from Lego Camp I recently took a quick break to swing by Lego camp for parent day. It was an awesome experience seeing what my kiddo had been working on all week.

Marketing

Facebook Audience Strategy: Quality Over Quantity

If you own a business page on Facebook, you have likely seen (or perhaps even used) the popular post format asking for support: “Go to the three dots hit invite all and boom you support our business”. This request is often very well-meaning, aiming to quickly grow a page’s follower count.

Marketing

The 5-Day Review Challenge for Businesses: Boost Your Local Search Ranking

In today’s digital landscape, local trust is paramount. For businesses operating in a small town, people inherently trust neighbors more than advertisements. The goal of modern marketing , therefore, is to convert that neighborly trust into demonstrable online reviews.

Marketing

Stuart, Iowa & Beyond: Harvest Season Isn't Just for Farmers – It's PRIME Marketing Time for Your Small Business!

Like many small business owners, you’re probably trying to do all the things but just don’t have all the time . You wear a lot of hats, and when harvest season rolls around here in rural Iowa, life gets even busier! But guess what?

Small Business

Why Showing Up Still Wins: Community Visibility and Small Business Marketing in Iowa

As we settle into the rhythms of fall and kids head back to school, there’s something else kicking off here in rural Iowa that deserves just as much attention, bowling league night!

Social Media

Why Inviting Everyone to Like Your Facebook Page Isn’t the Move

In the world of small-town business, support is everything. So it makes sense when business owners post something like, “Go to my page, click the three dots, and invite everyone you know to like it!” It feels like a quick and easy win, right? Unfortunately, it’s not always that simple.