SMALL BUSINESS

A small business marketing consultant with big agency experience.

A small business marketing consultant helps an owner get more customers from a limited budget by choosing the few things worth doing and doing them well. John Graham Seeliger spent decades at major global agencies, and now puts that experience to work for small businesses and entrepreneurs in Phoenix and across Arizona.

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By John Graham Seeliger, Principal and CSO Updated October 22, 2026

Why do small businesses need a different approach?

Because a small business can't afford to waste money learning what doesn't work. Big brands can spread a budget across every channel and see what sticks. You need pinpoint targeting and precise budgeting from the first dollar.

Here's the good news: the principles that built national brands scale down. Our methods have worked for medium, big and small businesses alike. What changes is the size of the test, not the quality of the thinking.

And small businesses have an edge the giants envy. You can move fast, talk to customers directly and change course in a week. A good strategy uses that.

Where we usually start

Who your best customers are, and how to find more of them
One clear message that sets you apart
The two or three channels worth your money
An offer that gives people a reason to call now
Selling more to the customers you already have
Simple tracking so you know what's paying off

WHO WE HELP

Which small businesses do we work with?

I need more customers
The business works, the customers love you, there just aren't enough of them. We find the next ones and the cheapest way to reach them.
Sales are flat or falling
What used to work stopped working. We diagnose why, then fix the audience, the message or the media, whichever is broken.
Starting or relaunching
New business, new location, new product or a fresh start. We help you launch right the first time, so you're not paying to relearn it later.

Does big agency thinking work for a small budget?

Yes, because the best ideas are rarely the expensive ones. They're the surprising ones.

One of our most successful campaigns for IBM ran on a bag of candy: buyers who wouldn't sit through a sales demo would for M&Ms. The result was 650% over projected ROI. Another campaign, for a hospital, mailed out cash and asked for it back, multiplied. It came back 600% above target.

Small budgets reward that kind of thinking. Read more in Dumb Questions: Where Great Marketing Campaigns Often Begin.

"His ideas are fresh, his execution is sharp, and his results speak for themselves."

Scott Hansbury, CEO, Anthem One LLC (Scottsdale, AZ)

QUESTIONS

Straight answers.

How much should a small business spend on marketing?

There is no single right number; it depends on your margins, your growth goals and how fast you need results. The better question is where each dollar goes. We help you set a budget you can sustain and put it where it returns the most.

Can a small business afford a marketing consultant?

Usually, yes, because a good consultant pays for themselves by cutting what doesn't work. The first conversation is free, and you get a written quote before any work starts.

Do you also do the marketing work, or just advise?

Both. John sets the strategy and the ideas, and our team of web, AI, social media and direct mail specialists does the work with you, as much or as little as you need.

What is the first step?

A frank conversation about where you are, where you want to be and what is getting in the way. Call 602.558.7540 or use the form below.

Do you work with startups?

Yes. If you're starting or relaunching, a clear plan before launch saves money later. Tempe and Chandler startups, see Tempe and Chandler.

KEEP EXPLORING

LET'S TALK

Ready when you are.

Not sure if you need help? No worries. A quick conversation costs nothing, and you'll know exactly where you stand. Plus, what your next step should be. If any. No sugar coating, no pressure, no BS. Call now. And if you're on the right track, we'll tell you that too.

Start the conversation.

Phone:
602.558.7540

Email:
johngseeliger@cox.net
jgs@creativestrategiesmktg.com

Location:
Phoenix, AZ, serving the Phoenix metro and all of Arizona