The State of Small Business Marketing in 2025: What You Need to Know to Stay Competitive
The world of small business marketing has fundamentally changed. What worked even two years ago may be costing you opportunities today. If you’re feeling like marketing has become more complex, more expensive, and less predictable, you’re not alone. The data confirms what many small business owners are experiencing firsthand. Let me walk you through what’s […]
What I Learned Analyzing 15 Auto Repair Websites in Flathead County
Last month, I spent several hours doing something that probably sounds incredibly boring to most people: I systematically analyzed every auto repair shop website I could find in Flathead County. Why would I do this? Two reasons. First, I’m always researching local marketing trends to better serve the businesses we work with at Hill Media […]
Black Friday Operators Online: Marketing Breakout Session Recap
Deep-dive strategies from the tactical breakout sessions at the Marketing Operators Conference Following the main stage presentations at Black Friday Operators Online, the Marketing Breakout Session delivered granular, actionable tactics from brands executing at the highest level. Led by Connor Rowland and featuring insights from teams at Hexclad, Jones Road Beauty, and other leading e-commerce […]
Black Friday Operators Online Conference Recap: 15 Game-Changing Strategies from E-commerce’s Top Minds
Complete insights from the Marketing Operators Digital Marketing Conference on Black Friday Cyber Monday Success The Black Friday Operators Online conference (9ops.co/black-friday) brought together some of e-commerce’s sharpest minds for a rapid-fire masterclass in holiday marketing. With no slides and just five minutes each, 15 industry leaders shared their most powerful tactics for winning the […]
The Service Business Owner’s Guide to Winning the Holiday Season: 10 Strategies to Cut Through the Noise
How Local Service Businesses Can Leverage Black Friday Through New Year’s to Build Momentum That Lasts I just finished attending the Marketing Operators Digital Marketing Conference, where some of e-commerce’s sharpest minds, including leaders from ILIA Beauty, Tushy, Portland Leather, Grüns, Ministry of Supply, Obvi, birddogs, SET ACTIVE, and Hexclad, shared their battle-tested strategies for […]
Why Your Marketing Tools Are Working Against Each Other (And What to Do About It)
Last week, I had a conversation with a local restaurant owner that perfectly illustrates a problem I see with almost every small business I work with. Sarah runs a successful café here in Montana, and when I asked her about her marketing setup, here’s what she told me: “Well, we use Square for payments, MailChimp […]
Why Your Website Traffic Is Declining (And What to Do About It)
If you’ve noticed your website getting fewer clicks lately, you’re not imagining things. Recent research reveals a dramatic shift in how people interact with search results, and it’s fundamentally changing the digital marketing landscape for small businesses. The Numbers Don’t Lie Multiple large-scale studies from 2025 paint a clear picture of what’s happening: Why This […]
Will AI Replace Digital Marketing Services? My Real-World Experiment
A question I get constantly from business owners is whether AI will eventually replace the services they provide. As someone who helps small businesses with digital marketing, I wonder the same thing about my own work. With tools like Claude Artifacts making it possible to build functional tools in minutes, I decided to put AI […]
5 Ways Local Service Businesses Can Use AI to Win More Customers (And Keep Them Coming Back)
After attending Search Marketing Expo Advanced earlier this month, I’ve been flooded with questions my clients about one topic: artificial intelligence. The feedback from my recap insights has been incredible, but the most common question I’m hearing is this: “How can my local business actually use AI without breaking the bank or becoming too technical?” […]
3 Website Changes That Actually Drive More Customers
Your website is often the first impression potential customers have of your business. In today’s mobile-first world, that first impression happens on a smartphone screen while someone is scrolling through search results, looking for a solution to their problem. Whether you’re a service-based business owner trying to attract local customers, an online retailer competing for […]