People tell us we need digital marketing — what is it, and where should a small business start?

Forget agencies right now. First thing you should do is take your smartphone and shoot detailed photos and videos of the 10 best pieces sitting in the workshop. Then upload them to your map profiles. When buying furniture, people don't care about polished corporate ad copy—they want to see the sawdust and the craftsmanship.

We have a metal fabrication workshop in Podolsk. We allocated a monthly budget of 35.000 RUB strictly to boosting our map profile and direct search ads. We didn't spend a single cent on social media. Last month, out of 14 people who called the shop directly, we quoted 4 and closed 2 major orders. Don't scatter a small budget, focus it on a single channel.

Here’s a realistic roadmap for you: 1) Complete your free map listings and gather at least 10 genuine customer reviews. 2) Set up a simple one-page website showcasing your work and price range. 3) Use the remaining 30.000 RUB to run search ads targeting high-intent keywords.

What agencies call a "conversion funnel" is really just a funnel siphoning money from your pocket into theirs. If someone tries to sell a brand positioning strategy to a 6-person carpentry shop, just show them the door.

I made the exact same mistake early on and paid a student to post on social media... In three months, not a single person ordered a cabinet through there... When people need a kitchen made they don’t browse social media; they search online to find the nearest trustworthy manufacturer.

Is your target audience luxury homes and villas, or budget-friendly solutions for standard apartments? That audience dictates where your budget goes; high-end clients look at an architect's portfolio, while middle-income customers focus directly on pricing and turnaround times on search engines.

if your budget is tight whatever you do dont waste money on agencies. get your shop on maps, upload nice photos, run a small search ad campaign and you're done. dont let them confuse you with complicated buzzwords.

Let me speak from the other side; I'm on the supplier side. Processes without records never improve, because you don't know what to fix.

Mistakes made on the what is digital marketing side are usually reversible but expensive. Good luck with that.

We got stuck at the same point for a while. Hasty decisions become decisions you have to fix six months later.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

The cheap-looking path usually ends up costing more later. Finding a new customer is more expensive than keeping an existing one.

Good luck with that.

could you elabortae on that? btw measure first then divide then when the order is right, the debate ends.

i'm also curious if anyoe does it differently.

I'm writing this so you don't make the same mistake. Calculate this based on total annual cost, not the monthly bill.

I have no experience with what is digital marketing, so I'm asking. Hasty decisions become decisions you have to fix six months later.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

I agree.

My questions are cleared up, thanks. When making decisions, write down the worst-case scenario too, not just the best.

Good luck with that.

the answer above hits the nail on the head but finding a new customeer is more expensive than keeping an existing one.

im also curious if anyone does it differently.

Following. Just because everyone does it doesn't mean it's right.

There is something to watch out for. People defend habits, not processes. Resistance comes from there.

If it's your first time, start small; scaling comes later. Just leaving this note, it might be useful.