Marketing Simplified: 4 Simple Questions That Grow Any Local Business

 When you strip away the fluff, fancy tools, and shiny trends, marketing boils down to four simple questions. If you're a local business owner—whether you run a salon, a restaurant, or a small spaza shop—these questions will help you attract more customers, build stronger relationships, and make more money.

Let’s dive into each one and show how you can apply them to your business right now.

Before you can sell anything, you must know exactly who your customer is.

Not just “everyone who has money.” That’s too vague. You need to get specific.

Ask:

·       What’s their age?

·       Are they male or female?

·       Are they students, moms, professionals, pensioners?

·       What are their habits, fears, and dreams?

·       A barber shop might serve young professionals aged 20–35 who want stylish cuts and quick service during their lunch break.

·       A spaza shop might serve local moms who shop daily for small, affordable essentials.

 When you know who you serve, everything else becomes clearer.

People don’t buy products. They buy solutions to their problems.

Ask yourself:

·       What pain does my customer want to avoid?

·       What desire do they want to fulfill?

·       What outcome do they hope for when they buy from me?

·       A local gym helps people overcome the problem of low energy, weight gain, or stress.

·       A fast-food takeaway helps busy people who don’t have time to cook.

 When your message speaks to their problem, they’ll listen.

Marketing is like fishing. You need to know where the fish are before you cast your net.

Ask:

·       Where do your ideal customers hang out physically or online?

·       Do they scroll Facebook, watch TikToks, join community WhatsApp groups?

·       Are they at schools, churches, taxi ranks, or shopping centers?

·       A tutor targeting high school students might find them at school gates, on TikTok, or Instagram.

·       A car wash might find their customers in local WhatsApp groups or walking past their location on weekends.

 If you’re in the wrong place, no one will hear your message.

 It’s not enough to be visible—you must be relevant and persuasive.

Ask:

 What would grab their attention?

What would make them stop, click, walk in, or take action?

What offer can I make that feels too good to ignore?

·       A hair salon could run a Facebook ad:

“Back to School Special – Wash, Treat & Style for R80 This Week Only!”

·       A local plumber could drop flyers at homes with a headline:

“Leaking Tap? We Fix It Today or You Don’t Pay!”

 The goal is to make your message irresistible and easy to respond to.

These four simple questions are the foundation of all smart marketing. Whether you’re online or offline, small or growing — your job is to get clear on who you’re helping, what you're helping them with, where to reach them, and how to grab their attention.

Master that… and marketing will never feel like guesswork again.