Are you a small business in a town that stops when the Friday night lights come on? Or maybe you’ve seen a shift in recent years where more people are talking about their old high school alma mater – and the amazing year they are having in sports?

Local small businesses are increasingly turning to the familiar fields and courts of high school sports as a prime advertising venue. This strategic marketing move is driven by a powerful combination of direct community engagement, targeted marketing, and the potential for a significant return on investment. By aligning your small business with the passion and excitement of local athletics, you can forge strong connections with a valuable local audience.

In this episode, we talk about how aligning your small business with the passion and excitement of scholastic athletics, companies can forge strong connections with a valuable local audience.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How digital technologies are helping local sports become to the newest marketing opportunity for small businesses.
• How the “halo effect” can place your small business in the mind of new customers by creating a positive association with feelings customers already have developed.
• How to think outside the box locally, but use the strategies that big brands use on a national scale.

HAVE A SHOW IDEA?

Do you have an interesting idea for a show topic or a marketing problem that you’d like us to cover in a future episode of Mastering Local Marketing? Email matt@masteringlocalmarketing.com and we’ll add it to our future episodes.

Mastering Local Marketing is for small business owners—whether you run a restaurant, retail store, service-based business, or handle marketing on your own—who want proven strategies to grow their customer base, increase the number of customers, and market smarter.

Each episode delivers actionable tips on proven marketing strategies that build awareness through digital marketing, content development, engagement strategies, and networking opportunities like key partnerships – while not wasting your time or money on things that don’t work.

Fans of these marketing podcasts will find plenty to binge here: Savvy Marketing for Small Business by Samantha Shephard, Grow Your Local Business by Leslie Presnall, Local Marketing Trends by Gordon Borrell, Marketing Ink: Big Ideas for Local Businesses by Allie Bloyd, The Marketing Millennials by Daniel Murray, and The Goal Digger Podcast by Jenna Kutcher.

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Have you ever lost sleep over what a former employee might say, or even worse, what they might do to affect the reputation of your small business? You’re not alone. Maybe you’ve dealt with it already: someone leaves, and suddenly they’re stirring up rumors, posting online, or even opening a competing shop right down the street. As a small business owner, these situations cut deep because they don’t just threaten profits; they strike at your reputation and trust. The good news? There are ways to prepare, minimize the damage, and protect the business you’ve worked so hard to build.

In this episode, we’re breaking down five strategies every owner should know before an employee problem becomes a marketing crisis.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to control the narrative.
• What business assets are most vulnerable.
• How to not react the way most do and how to react appropriately.
• Expect problems and have a plan in place.

HAVE A SHOW IDEA?

Do you have an interesting idea for a show topic or a marketing problem that you’d like us to cover in a future episode of Mastering Local Marketing? Email matt@masteringlocalmarketing.com and we’ll add it to our future episodes.

Mastering Local Marketing is for small business owners—whether you run a restaurant, retail store, service-based business, or handle marketing on your own—who want proven strategies to grow their customer base, increase the number of customers, and market smarter.

Each episode delivers actionable tips on proven marketing strategies that build awareness through digital marketing, content development, engagement strategies, and networking opportunities like key partnerships – while not wasting your time or money on things that don’t work.

Fans of these marketing podcasts will find plenty to binge here: Savvy Marketing for Small Business by Samantha Shephard, Grow Your Local Business by Leslie Presnall, Local Marketing Trends by Gordon Borrell, Marketing Ink: Big Ideas for Local Businesses by Allie Bloyd, The Marketing Millennials by Daniel Murray, and The Goal Digger Podcast by Jenna Kutcher.

CONNECT WITH THE SHOW

Follow Mastering Local Marketing on:

• Instagram

Do you believe marketing your small business is ONLY about ads, promotions, and social media posts? The truth is your customer experience is your marketing. Every detail, from the way your storefront looks to the personal touches you share with your customers, shapes how people feel about your brand and whether they’ll come back.

In this two-part episode of Mastering Local Marketing, we uncover nine proven ways to turn everyday customer interactions and experiences into powerful marketing moments.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The secret message you’re sending to your customer that could be good or bad.
• How your products and services might be the one thing that confuses everyone.
• Why your employees need to be on the same page.
• How what we expect, and what we get are key to driving long-term sales and growth.

HAVE A SHOW IDEA?

Do you have an interesting idea for a show topic or a marketing problem that you’d like us to cover in a future episode of Mastering Local Marketing? Email matt@masteringlocalmarketing.com and we’ll add it to our future episodes.

Mastering Local Marketing is for small business owners—whether you run a restaurant, retail store, service-based business, or handle marketing on your own—who want proven strategies to grow their customer base, increase the number of customers, and market smarter.

Each episode delivers actionable tips on proven marketing strategies that build awareness through digital marketing, content development, engagement strategies, and networking opportunities like key partnerships – while not wasting your time or money on things that don’t work.

Fans of these marketing podcasts will find plenty to binge here: Savvy Marketing for Small Business by Samantha Shephard, Grow Your Local Business by Leslie Presnall, Local Marketing Trends by Gordon Borrell, Marketing Ink: Big Ideas for Local Businesses by Allie Bloyd, The Marketing Millennials by Daniel Murray, and The Goal Digger Podcast by Jenna Kutcher.

CONNECT WITH THE SHOW

Follow Mastering Local Marketing on:

• Instagram

Do you believe marketing your small business is ONLY about ads, promotions, and social media posts? The truth is your customer experience is your marketing. Every detail, from the way your storefront looks to the personal touches you share with your customers, shapes how people feel about your brand and whether they’ll come back.

In this two-part episode of Mastering Local Marketing, we uncover nine proven ways to turn everyday customer interactions and experiences into powerful marketing moments.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The secret message you’re sending to your customer that could be good or bad.
• How your products and services might be the one thing that confuses everyone.
• Why your employees need to be on the same page.
• How what we expect, and what we get are key to driving long-term sales and growth.

HAVE A SHOW IDEA?

Do you have an interesting idea for a show topic or a marketing problem that you’d like us to cover in a future episode of Mastering Local Marketing? Email matt@masteringlocalmarketing.com and we’ll add it to our future episodes.

Mastering Local Marketing is for small business owners—whether you run a restaurant, retail store, service-based business, or handle marketing on your own—who want proven strategies to grow their customer base, increase the number of customers, and market smarter.

Each episode delivers actionable tips on proven marketing strategies that build awareness through digital marketing, content development, engagement strategies, and networking opportunities like key partnerships – while not wasting your time or money on things that don’t work.

Fans of these marketing podcasts will find plenty to binge here: Savvy Marketing for Small Business by Samantha Shephard, Grow Your Local Business by Leslie Presnall, Local Marketing Trends by Gordon Borrell, Marketing Ink: Big Ideas for Local Businesses by Allie Bloyd, The Marketing Millennials by Daniel Murray, and The Goal Digger Podcast by Jenna Kutcher.

CONNECT WITH THE SHOW

Follow Mastering Local Marketing on:

• Instagram

Are you looking for inspiration for your own social media efforts? Are you feeling stuck and need a little bit of a push? Then this episode is for you!

The right social media campaign can do more than generate likes—it can inspire, start conversations, and move people to action. For small business marketers, these campaigns offer more than just marketing wins; they're blueprints for building awareness, connecting with communities, and making a real impact. Large brands may have the budget, but the strategies they use can be adapted into powerful, affordable campaigns for small businesses.

In this episode, we'll share some of the most influential social media campaigns of all time and break down the key elements that made them so effective. You'll see how to borrow the building blocks from big-brand strategies and evolve them into something uniquely your own—no million-dollar budget required.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• What made these campaigns resonate on a human level.
• How to adapt big ideas into small business-friendly formats.
• Ways to align your social media with your brand values while driving measurable results.

HAVE A SHOW IDEA?

Do you have an interesting idea for a show topic or a marketing problem that you’d like us to cover in a future episode of Mastering Local Marketing? Email matt@masteringlocalmarketing.com and we’ll add it to our future episodes.

Mastering Local Marketing is for small business owners—whether you run a restaurant, retail store, service-based business, or handle marketing on your own—who want proven strategies to grow their customer base, increase the number of customers, and market smarter.

Each episode delivers actionable tips on proven marketing strategies that build awareness through digital marketing, content development, engagement strategies, and networking opportunities like key partnerships – while not wasting your time or money on things that don’t work.

Fans of these marketing podcasts will find plenty to binge here: Savvy Marketing for Small Business by Samantha Shephard, Grow Your Local Business by Leslie Presnall, Local Marketing Trends by Gordon Borrell, Marketing Ink: Big Ideas for Local Businesses by Allie Bloyd, The Marketing Millennials by Daniel Murray, and The Goal Digger Podcast by Jenna Kutcher.

CONNECT WITH THE SHOW

Follow Mastering Local Marketing on:

• Instagram

Whether you’re currently running Facebook ads or you’ve tried them and have given up, this episode is for you. Facebook advertising creative should be powerful and an attention grabber — but if it blends into the feed, it’s quietly costing you clicks, traffic, and draining your marketing budget. Most small businesses throw together advertisements using random images, a few lines of text, and hope their marketing result work out in the end. But here’s the problem: without the right strategy, your ads disappear in a sea of scrolling thumbs, leaving your competitors to take the spotlight.

In this episode, we’ll reveal seven simple ways to create professional, scroll-stopping ad creative that Matt’s used to help small business clients dramatically improve their results. If you’re not applying these tactics, you could be paying for ads that never get noticed, let alone clicked.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to choose images that stop your ideal customer mid-scroll.
• Why your customer&rquo;s pain points are the answer to many of your marketing strategies.
• How you can use the future to provide the right message at the right time.
• Like most living things, movement is the key to get noticed and it doesn&rquo;t have to be a video.

HAVE A SHOW IDEA?

Do you have an interesting idea for a show topic or a marketing problem that you’d like us to cover in a future episode of Mastering Local Marketing? Email matt@masteringlocalmarketing.com and we’ll add it to our future episodes.

Mastering Local Marketing is for small business owners—whether you run a restaurant, retail store, service-based business, or handle marketing on your own—who want proven strategies to grow their customer base, increase the number of customers, and market smarter.

Each episode delivers actionable tips on proven marketing strategies that build awareness through digital marketing, content development, engagement strategies, and networking opportunities like key partnerships – while not wasting your time or money on things that don’t work.

Fans of these marketing podcasts will find plenty to binge here: Savvy Marketing for Small Business by Samantha Shephard, Grow Your Local Business by Leslie Presnall, Local Marketing Trends by Gordon Borrell, Marketing Ink: Big Ideas for Local Businesses by Allie Bloyd, The Marketing Millennials by Daniel Murray, and The Goal Digger Podcast by Jenna Kutcher.

CONNECT WITH THE SHOW

Follow Mastering Local Marketing on:

• Instagram

Is your website working to help you build trust and credibility? Your website should be your biggest marketing tool—but if you’ve overlooked a few critical steps, it could be quietly costing you plenty. Many small businesses launch their websites using prebuilt WordPress templates, add a bit of content, and hit publish. But here’s the problem: skipping these three simple tips may make you look less credible than your competitors.

In this episode, I’ll reveal three costly website mistakes I’ve seen other small business clients made just this week.

Welcome to Mastering Local Marketing, a show that makes sure you don’t let another year go by with the same marketing struggles – learn the strategies that will finally take your small business marketing to the next level.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How a simple video sets the tone and customer’s minds at ease.
• Build trust through something you are probably already collecting.
• One simple requirement for Google to let traffic come to you.

HAVE A SHOW IDEA?

Do you have an interesting idea for a show topic or a marketing problem that you’d like us to cover in a future episode of Mastering Local Marketing? Email matt@masteringlocalmarketing.com and we’ll add it to our future episodes.

Mastering Local Marketing is for small business owners—whether you run a restaurant, retail store, service-based business, or handle marketing on your own—who want proven strategies to grow their customer base, increase the number of customers, and market smarter.

Each episode delivers actionable tips on proven marketing strategies that build awareness through digital marketing, content development, engagement strategies, and networking opportunities like key partnerships – while not wasting your time or money on things that don’t work.

Fans of these marketing podcasts will find plenty to binge here: Savvy Marketing for Small Business by Samantha Shephard, Grow Your Local Business by Leslie Presnall, Local Marketing Trends by Gordon Borrell, Marketing Ink: Big Ideas for Local Businesses by Allie Bloyd, The Marketing Millennials by Daniel Murray, and The Goal Digger Podcast by Jenna Kutcher.

CONNECT WITH THE SHOW

Follow Mastering Local Marketing on:

• Instagram

What if your business could create an event that customers look forward to every year? Today explore how small businesses and local brands can invent their own unique events to boost engagement, sales, and community loyalty. We dive into real examples like Three Floyds Brewing’s legendary Dark Lord Day—a cult-favorite event that draws thousands and creates massive buzz. Learn how to develop your own local event, attract crowds, and turn a simple idea into an annual celebration that puts your business on the map.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The benefits of creating a local marketing event for your business.
• What the steps are to developing a day that grows into something that thousands come from miles around to attend.
• Learn the marketing strategies used to promote your new event.
• We cover specific examples that have grown in recent years and have become a staple in their communities.

HAVE A SHOW IDEA?

Do you have an interesting idea for a show topic or a marketing problem that you’d like us to cover in a future episode of Mastering Local Marketing? Email matt@masteringlocalmarketing.com and we’ll add it to our future episodes.

Mastering Local Marketing is for small business owners—whether you run a restaurant, retail store, service-based business, or handle marketing on your own—who want proven strategies to grow their customer base, increase the number of customers, and market smarter.

Each episode delivers actionable tips on proven marketing strategies that build awareness through digital marketing, content development, engagement strategies, and networking opportunities like key partnerships – while not wasting your time or money on things that don’t work.

Fans of these marketing podcasts will find plenty to binge here: Savvy Marketing for Small Business by Samantha Shephard, Grow Your Local Business by Leslie Presnall, Local Marketing Trends by Gordon Borrell, Marketing Ink: Big Ideas for Local Businesses by Allie Bloyd, The Marketing Millennials by Daniel Murray, and The Goal Digger Podcast by Jenna Kutcher.

CONNECT WITH THE SHOW

Follow Mastering Local Marketing on:

• Instagram