✉ shawna@thebuyerinsider.com | ☎ 651-470-0066 | 💬 Text Shawna
📅 MEETING PLANNER RESOURCES

HARD TRUTHS AND EASY TIPS FOR EVERY SMALL BUSINESS OWNER

(Plus lots of bonus 1980s pop culture references!)

LATEST INSIGHTS

40 Posts
Small business owner researching search visibility and AI citations on a laptop

10/7/26

How to Become a Source AI Actually Trusts and Cites

Digital MarketingMarketing
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Small business owner reviewing and updating older website content at a desk

9/30/26

Don’t Delete That Blog Yet: What to Update, Rewrite or Retire

Digital MarketingMarketing
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Small business owner responding to a new customer inquiry

9/23/26

How Fast Should a Small Business Respond to a New Lead?

Customer TrustMarketing
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A mechanic clearly explaining a car repair to a customer in an independent garage

9/23/26

How to Explain Technical Information Without Making Customers Feel Stupid

Customer TrustConsumer Behavior
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A clear four-step response path through a difficult customer moment

9/23/26

What Customers Need to Hear When Something Goes Wrong

Customer TrustCustomer Loyalty
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Small business team capturing useful everyday work for marketing

9/16/26

Your Best Marketing Is Already Happening. You’re Just Not Capturing It.

MarketingConsumer Behavior
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Small business owner creating a memorable customer experience

9/9/26

Does Your Small Business Need a Signature Experience? Probably More Than Another Discount.

Customer LoyaltyMarketing
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Experienced small business professional explaining a detail to a customer

9/2/26

How to Prove You Know Your Stuff Without Sounding Like a Know-It-All

Customer TrustMarketing
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Auto-shop customer naturally recording a testimonial after a repair

8/28/26

What Makes a Customer Testimonial Believable?

Customer TrustBuyer Proof
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Small business owner reviewing marketing results at a laptop

8/26/26

How Long Should Marketing Take to Work? The Honest Answer Small Businesses Need

MarketingBusiness Growth
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Independent trading-card shop owner photographing a collectible card for social media in a quiet store

8/27/26

Why Aren’t My Social Media Followers Becoming Customers?

Social MediaCustomer Acquisition
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Garden-center owner preparing a timely frost reminder for customers

8/21/26

How Do I Stay Top of Mind Without Annoying Customers?

Customer LoyaltyMarketing Strategy
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Consignment shop employees recording the questions customers ask most often

8/14/26

Does Every Small Business Need an FAQ Page?

Digital MarketingCustomer Trust
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Independent bookstore owner interviewing a customer at a small table

8/7/26

Should I Survey My Customers or Interview Them?

Consumer BehaviorBusiness Strategy
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Neighborhood diner owner thoughtfully responding to an online review after closing

8/6/26

Should I Respond to Every Online Review?

Customer TrustOnline Reviews
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Trading-card shop owner helping a parent and child compare collectible cards

8/5/26

How Do I Figure Out Who My Ideal Customer Really Is?

Consumer BehaviorBusiness Strategy
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Bakery owner and employee reviewing their website together during morning prep

8/3/26

What Should My Small-Business Homepage Say?

Website StrategyCustomer Trust
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Landscaping company owner answering customer questions while a crew loads plants

7/31/26

How Do I Make My Small Business Show Up in ChatGPT?

GEOContent Strategy
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Consignment shop owner sharing a happy checkout moment with a customer

7/29/26

How Do I Get More Google Reviews Without Sounding Desperate?

Customer TrustDigital Marketing
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Experienced auto mechanic explaining an estimate to a customer

7/27/26

Should I Put Prices on My Website?

Pricing & PositioningCustomer Trust
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Owners of an independent online retailer studying customer search questions while packing orders

7/23/26

Do Keywords Still Matter for Small Businesses Now That AI Search Exists?

GEO & SEOContent Strategy
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A business owner stares at his laptop reading a rejection email saying his price is too expensive

7/19/26

They Said, “You’re Too Expensive.” Now What?

Pricing & Positioning Customer Trust
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A person holds a clown emoji mask in front of their face while sitting at a desk with a ring light and phone

7/19/26

Why Introverts Might Actually Have an Advantage on Video

Video Marketing Content Strategy
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Busy homeowner hesitating over a long service inquiry form on a laptop after dinner

7/16/26

Why Do People Abandon My Contact Form?

Website StrategyCustomer Experience
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Woman looking frustrated at laptop while trying to navigate a confusing small business website

7/12/26

Why Your Website Isn’t Turning More Visitors into Customers

Website Strategy Content Strategy
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Independent appliance repair technician explaining a completed washing-machine repair to a homeowner

7/9/26

Should I Guarantee My Work?

Customer TrustBusiness Strategy
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Collection of patriotic 4th of July promotional banners in red, white, and blue

7/5/26

Boring Holiday Marketing Is Everywhere. Make Yours the One Customers Actually Remember.

Holiday Marketing Content Strategy
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Weathered landscaping company owner reviewing an unanswered customer estimate after a long workday

7/2/26

Why Do People Ask for Quotes but Never Buy?

Pricing & PositioningCustomer Decisions
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Crowded local small business storefront next to an empty big-box Mega Mart parking lot

6/28/26

How to Build Customer Loyalty When Bigger Competitors Charge Less

Customer Loyalty Community Marketing
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Small business owner at a desk looking relieved with a phone and laptop

6/13/26

Can AI Help Small Business Owners Get Their Time Back Without Hiring More Employees?

Business Strategy AI & Automation
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Trade show booth for ABC Promo Products with a sign reading Family Owned Best Prices and a vendor looking bored as attendees walk by

6/8/26

Why Customers Keep Price Shopping Your Business (And Exactly How to Stop It)

Pricing & Positioning Consumer Behavior
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Small chihuahua wearing a red cape flying heroically against a blue sky

6/1/26

Why Small Businesses Struggle to Compete With Big Brands (And What Actually Works in 2026)

Customer Trust Consumer Behavior
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A small chihuahua plays in a sandbox while a large mastiff watches

5/31/26

Stop Trying to Look Bigger. Start Owning Your Sandbox.

Pricing & Positioning Brand Identity
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Over-decorated store exterior with rainbow Pride decorations and tumbleweeds

5/24/26

How Should Small Businesses Approach Pride Month Marketing in 2026?

Marketing Strategy Consumer Behavior
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Two people looking skeptically at a World's Best Pizza sign

5/17/26

How Can My Small Business Build Trust with Customers?

Customer Trust Consumer Behavior
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Market vendor serving customers at an outdoor stall -- real relationships built transaction by transaction

5/13/26

How Do I Turn Customers Into Brand Advocates Without a Loyalty Program?

Customer Loyalty Marketing Strategy
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AI and human decision-making in search visibility

5/10/26

What Is GEO and Why Does It Matter More Than SEO for Small Businesses? (And What to Do About It)

Digital Marketing Business Strategy
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Are You Wasting Small Business Week? (Probably. Let's Fix That.)

5/1/26

Are You Wasting Small Business Week? (Probably. Let's Fix That.)

Business Strategy Marketing Strategy
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Laptop showing anti-hype content with dog typing, representing authentic marketing

4/27/26

How Do I Do Authentic Marketing Without Looking Unprofessional?

Marketing Strategy Brand Identity
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Anti-Corporate Sentiment Is Peaking... Small Businesses Are the Beneficiaries

4/24/26

Anti-Corporate Sentiment Is Peaking... Small Businesses Are the Beneficiaries

Marketing Strategy Consumer Behavior
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Dark storm clouds gathering -- economic uncertainty facing small businesses

4/22/26

How Should Small Businesses Prepare for Economic Uncertainty?

Economic Trends Consumer Behavior Customer Loyalty
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Dog peeking over edge looking worried about the economy

4/17/26

The Economy Just Hit a Record…and It’s a Bunch of Thawing Dog-cicles 💩

Consumer Behavior Economic Trends Marketing Strategy
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