What does pop duo Haute and Freddy have to do with small business marketing?
They are currently on tour in support of their album Big Disgrace. They could have done what every other band does: show up, play their tracks, and sell merch. Instead, they’ve turned their tour into an interactive, community-driven universe.
They’re doing this in a few ways:
- Issuing hyper-specific, localized dress codes for each show
- Building hype through daily social media stories and posts
- Creating city-specific group chats for fans to collaborate before each show
For their stops in Cambridge, Nashville, San Diego, Portland, and Philly, fans have been appropriately commanded to dress in “Queen’s Dumpster” attire to tie into their track, Symphony for a Queen.
This is an excellent example of how to build an inimitable experience, which is exactly the type of marketing small businesses could benefit from right now.
Showing Up in Search Results Isn’t Bringing in as Much Business as It Used To
For years, the majority of Google searches have ended without a click. But now that most search results feature AI Overviews, users have even less incentive to click through to your website. They’re getting the answer they need from Google’s scraped and summarized overview.
If an AI agent can give away your core expertise for free in two seconds flat, what is actually left for your website to sell?
As Rand Fishkin from SparkToro eloquently put it, “Google no longer wants to be the gateway to the web. They want to be the web.”
He said that the best way to handle this shift is to build inimitable experiences. Businesses have to stop trying to get more people to their website through Organic Search traffic and start building a high-affinity brand “lore” that people can experience.
But how do small businesses do that?
Here is a three-part framework for how local service businesses can do exactly that.
Pillar 1: Create Opportunities For Word-of-Mouth Marketing
AI can summarize information, but it cannot replicate human empathy. You need to provide customer service so distinct that your clients can’t help but talk about it.
Take our client, The Pet Nanny In-Home Pet Sitters. They provide dog-walking and pet-care services while owners are away. They take such good care of each pet, their clients constantly leave 5-star reviews for them, talking about how happy they are with their communication, scheduling process, and detailed “report cards” after each walk, complete with adorable pictures and GPS maps of their adventures.
They’re providing much more than just a pet-care service. They’re delivering a hyper-visual, comforting experience that clients can instantly screenshot and share with friends.
Pillar 2: Use “Visual Proof” to Show Your Messy, Human Process
Author Austin Kleon famously advocates for “Showing Your Work”. Showing your messy, real-time, human process is your small business shield against AI.
AI can generate a flawless stock photo of a clean kitchen. What it cannot replicate is a video of a local contractor sweating, laughing, and troubleshooting as they complete a project in real-time.
That raw, human process is the exact ‘work’ your clients want to see. Leaning into short-form video that shows the behind-the-scenes reality of your business is a huge advantage small business owners have against larger, faceless brands.
Pillar 3: Remember That Tactile Senses Matter
Inimitable experiences can also be physical. When Austin Kleon launched his new book, he offered his fans special bonus materials when they pre-ordered his new book. He sent them personal notes, custom zines, mini-posters, and even a retro playlist card for a cassette tape.
He offered his fans a tactile experience that required touch, printing, and analog assembly. Local service businesses can easily replicate this idea to replace a digital onboarding process for new clients.
For example, if you’re a residential contractor or landscaper, instead of emailing a PDF contract and a generic digital brochure, you could drop off a physical “Homeowner’s Field Guide to [Your City].” It could include custom-designed stickers, a handwritten welcome note, and a QR code linking to a curated Spotify playlist titled “Songs to Watch Grass Grow To”.
Why This Strategy Is AI-Proof
A Large Language Model can generate a flawless summary of your business, but it cannot print a zine, pack it into a box, write a personal note in ink, and deliver it to a client’s doorstep. It can’t go on an adventure with a neighborhood cat, and it certainly can’t demand that your Philly fans dress up for your concert in items they found inside the Queen’s dumpster.
The rapid evolution of AI scares many people. For the average small business owner with limited time, keeping up is a lot. But you don’t have to navigate it alone.
It can be helpful to work with a partner who is up to date on best practices for AI and small-business marketing. Our team at Sweet Rose Studios can assess your current strategy and help you identify where it could be working harder for you. Contact Sweet Rose Studios today to get started.
