Let me guess. Marketing sits at the bottom of your to-do list week after week. You’d rather update your inventory, review contracts—maybe even tackle accounting—before dealing with social media posts or email campaigns.
I get it. As someone who works with small businesses every day, I’ve seen that look of dread.
But what if marketing could be the part of your day you look forward to? What if marketing could be fun?
I’m not talking about some magical transformation where, suddenly, spreadsheets make you giddy. I’m talking about a practical shift in how you approach marketing your small business.
Why We Resist Marketing
Most small business owners didn’t start their companies because they were passionate about marketing. You launched your business because you love creating, serving, or solving a problem. Marketing, on the other hand, often feels like a necessary evil that pulls you away from what you actually enjoy.
Add to that the intimidation factor. Big companies have entire teams and massive budgets for marketing. Meanwhile, you're already wearing twenty different hats—how are you supposed to compete?
Here’s how: by making it fun.
The Power of Play in Marketing
Remember when you were a kid and learning happened through play? You weren’t memorizing multiplication tables just to pass a test—you were playing store, making change, and having fun without realizing you were learning.
The same principle works for marketing.
When you approach marketing as play rather than obligation, something changes. You become more creative. More authentic. More consistent. And these are precisely the qualities that make small business marketing effective.
Your customers want to connect with real people, not faceless corporations. They crave authenticity. And nobody does authentic better than small business owners who are passionate about their work.
Find Your Marketing Playground
Not every marketing channel will feel like play to you—and that’s okay. The key is discovering which ones energize you rather than drain you.
Are you a natural storyteller? Blog posts or Instagram captions might be your playground.
Love connecting with people? Maybe networking events or live videos feel more fun than work.
Enjoy tinkering with data? Tracking trends and tweaking your Google Business Profile could be your thing.
Simple Can Be Powerful
You don’t need complex strategies to market effectively. In fact, simplicity often works better, especially for small businesses.
Take your Google Business Profile. Many small business owners ignore this free tool, chasing the latest social media trends instead. However, updating your profile with fresh photos, responding to reviews, and posting short updates can dramatically increase your local visibility.
Best part? It takes minutes, not hours.
A restaurant owner I work with spends 30 seconds snapping a photo of their daily special and posting it. This tiny habit has brought in countless new customers who saw the dish while searching for local restaurants.
Simple. Effective. And because it’s quick and shows immediate results, it feels more like play than work.
Make Marketing a Team Effort
Marketing doesn’t have to be a solo endeavor. Some of the most successful small businesses turn it into a team sport.
A local boutique transformed their weekly social media planning into a pizza lunch where staff members share ideas and take photos together. What was once a dreaded task became a fun, team-building activity.
A coffee shop partnered with the bakery next door to cross-promote each other’s businesses, doubling their reach with minimal extra effort.
A massage therapist teamed up with a local yoga studio to share each other’s content and refer clients.
Marketing doesn’t have to feel like an uphill battle when you invite others to join in.
Experiment Without Fear
Play involves experimentation—and so does effective marketing. Give yourself permission to try new approaches without the pressure of perfection.
Big companies spend months planning campaigns. Your advantage as a small business is agility. You can test a new idea tomorrow and adjust based on what works.
A landscaper I work with was hesitant to try video marketing until we reframed it as “plant show and tell”—something he already did with clients in person. Now, his 30-second plant spotlights are his most engaging content, bringing in leads who appreciate his expertise.
The best part? He shoots them in one take on his phone while on job sites. No editing. No script. Just authentic knowledge-sharing.
Set Playful Constraints
Ironically, creating some boundaries around marketing can make it more enjoyable. Instead of feeling like you have to market everywhere, all the time, set clear, manageable goals:
Post three times this week.
Spend 20 minutes on Mondays updating your Google Business Profile.
Write two case studies this month.
Clear boundaries prevent marketing from becoming overwhelming. They give you a sense of completion, which fuels motivation to keep going.
Track Results in a Way That Feels Good
Nothing kills marketing joy faster than feeling like you’re shouting into the void. Track your efforts in a way that’s meaningful to you—not based on what some marketing guru says.
A therapist asks new clients how they found her. This two-second habit helped her see which marketing efforts were bringing in business.
A boutique owner tracks which social media posts lead to in-store visits—not just likes or follows.
A fitness coach pays attention to which email topics get the most replies instead of obsessing over open rates.
Find a system that works for you, and use it to do more of what works—and less of what doesn’t.
Your Business, Your Rules
Here’s the best part about small business marketing: you get to make the rules.
You don’t have to follow a corporate playbook or mimic what your competitors are doing. The most effective marketing for your business will align with your personality, strengths, and what feels enjoyable.
You'll do it more consistently when marketing feels like play rather than obligation. Consistency—not perfection—is what builds successful small business marketing.
So, take that dreaded marketing task and ask yourself:
How could this feel more like play?
The answer might transform how you feel about marketing and the results you see from it. Because when you’re having fun, your customers can feel it. And they’ll want to be part of whatever you’re creating.
Final Thoughts on Making Marketing Fun
Marketing doesn’t have to be the chore that drags down your week. It can be light, creative, and even enjoyable.
What’s one small tweak you can make today to bring more joy into your marketing?
Heather McElrath founded Sandbox Communications, where she combines decades of experience in journalism, PR, and marketing to help small businesses thrive. Passionate about SEO, Google Business Profiles, and digital strategies, Heather believes in making digital marketing approachable and effective for every business. When she's not optimizing online strategies, she explores new ideas, embraces creativity, and enjoys life’s playful moments.
Last updated: March 3, 2025
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