The Smartest $500 You Can Spend on Marketing Right Now

Where Would $500 Go?

If you had $500 to put toward your marketing today — just $500 — where would it go? A lot of small businesses spend five times that amount on things that produce almost nothing, while leaving the high-leverage, low-cost moves completely untouched. Here's what I'd do with $500 if I were starting from scratch.

First: Claim and Fully Optimize Your Google Business Profile ($0)

Before a dollar gets spent, this needs to be done. Your Google Business Profile is free, it's the most visible thing about your business in local search, and the difference between a fully optimized profile and a neglected one is enormous. Photos, services, description, hours, attributes — fill everything out. This costs nothing and should take about two hours.

→ Read more: How Google Reviews Affect Your Search Rankings

Second: Run a Targeted Google Local Service Ads Test ($300–400)

For most local service businesses, $300–400 on Google Local Service Ads over 30 days is enough to generate meaningful data and real leads. You pay per lead, not per click. The Google Guaranteed badge is built in. And you can pause it anytime if capacity fills up. This is one of the most efficient ways to spend a small test budget because you're paying for direct customer contact.

→ Read more: Google Local Service Ads: The Most Underused Tool for Local Service Businesses

Third: Invest the Rest in a Review Request System ($100)

A simple review link shortener, a business card with a QR code pointing to your Google review page, and a short follow-up text template. Combined with the habit of asking every satisfied customer to leave a review, this generates compounding returns for years.

→ Read more: How to Get More Google Reviews Without Being Annoying About It

→ Read more: The Small Business Marketing Checklist: Where to Start

That's the $500 playbook. Scale from there once you know what's working.

Want to figure out the smartest marketing moves for your specific budget and business? Schedule a free consultation at jpetrous.com | contact@jpetrous.com | 586-563-6634.