How a New Business Starts Marketing in the UK: A Practical Playbook

Starting a new business is tough. It can feel like a completely different world when you move from being a blue-collar or white-collar worker into self-employment, because suddenly you are responsible for finding customers as well as doing the work.

It is worth taking marketing seriously from day one. The Office for National Statistics reports that the five-year survival rate for UK businesses born in 2019 was 38.4%, which is a reminder that staying visible and consistently winning work really matters.

Below is a practical, beginner-friendly marketing plan for new UK businesses, especially service businesses.

Understand What a Marketing Funnel Is

A marketing funnel is simply the steps people go through before they become a customer, and then a repeat customer.

A simple funnel for a new business looks like this:

• Awareness: people discover you (Google, social media, directories, networking)

• Consideration: they compare you with alternatives (reviews, website, content, pricing clarity)

• Conversion: they contact you and book (calls, WhatsApp, forms, quotes)

• Loyalty: they come back and recommend you (follow-ups, reminders, great service, easy rebooking)

Once you see marketing as a funnel, you stop trying random tactics and start building a system.

Build a Brand

Branding is not just a logo. It is the overall impression you create, and whether people feel confident choosing you.

For a new UK business, keep branding simple and consistent:

• A clear promise: what you do, who you help, and where you operate
  Example: “Emergency plumber in Bristol, same-day callouts and transparent pricing.”

• Consistent visuals: logo, colours, and fonts used everywhere (website, socials, directory listings)

• A recognisable tone: friendly, professional, and straightforward

Trust is everything when you are new. A tidy brand makes you look established.

Select Social Media Platforms Strategically

When you are new, it is tempting to post everywhere. In reality, that usually turns into half-finished profiles and long gaps between posts. A better approach is to pick one or two platforms where your customers already spend time, then show up consistently and actually talk to people.

As a quick guide:

• LinkedIn suits consultants and B2B services, where trust and expertise matter.

• Facebook is strong for local services because of community groups, local recommendations, and reviews.

• Instagram and TikTok work well for visual services, especially anything with clear before and after results.

• YouTube can be brilliant for trust-building, but it takes more effort, so it is best as a second step once you have momentum.

If you want a clearer breakdown by platform and service type, ServeScope’s Social Media Channel Guide is a useful reference.

Blog Posts and Guest Posting

Blog posting helps you show up on Google when people search questions before buying. For service businesses, that can mean enquiries from people who are already looking for help.

Good starter topics include:

• “How much does a [service] cost in [town/city]?”

• “What is included in [service]?”

• “How to choose a [trade/service] provider”

• “Common mistakes when hiring a [provider]”

Guest posting takes it further by placing your expertise on other sites. It can put your name in front of a new audience and often gives your website a backlink, which helps SEO. And a quick reminder: we allow UK businesses to guest post on our platform, so why not send us one to start with?

Design or Redesign Your Website That Converts

Your website should not just look nice. It should turn visitors into enquiries.

For most new UK service businesses, this is what a converting website needs:

• A headline that says what you do and where you work

• A clear list of services (and starting prices if you can)

• Proof like reviews, photos, and case studies

• Strong calls to action on every page (Call, WhatsApp, Get a Quote)

• A short contact form that works well on mobile

• Fast load speed and simple navigation

If you only improve one thing: make it easy to contact you within 10 seconds.

Citation Building: Register to Online Business Directories

Citations are mentions of your business details in online business directories, usually including your business name, address, and phone number.

They matter because they can:

• Send direct leads through directory searches

• Strengthen local SEO by reinforcing consistent business details across the web

Use the same format everywhere, including spacing and phone number style. Consistency helps trust, both for customers and search engines.

Local SEO

Local SEO is what helps you appear for searches like “accountant in Leeds” or “electrician near me”. Focus on these essentials:

• Google Business Profile: complete it fully, add photos, services, and regular updates

• Reviews: ask every happy customer and reply to all reviews

• Service and location pages: make sure your pages clearly mention what you do and where you serve

• Local content: pricing guides, checklists, and location-specific FAQs

Local SEO is slow at first, but it compounds. It is one of the best long-term channels for UK service businesses.

Business Networking

Business networking still works, especially when you are new and need early momentum.

Try:

• Local business groups and meetups

• Partnerships (estate agents, property managers, other trades)

• Follow-up messages after you meet people (most do not do this, so you stand out)

Think long-term. Remember: People buy from people. You are building relationships that can produce repeat referrals for years.

If you’re feeling a bit shy or awkward during these events, that’s completely normal for someone who is new to networking. Finding the right type of business networking might help you feel more confident.

Difficult to Do on Your Own: Buy Online Visibility Services

If you are busy delivering work, marketing can easily slip. That is where outsourcing can help.

Online visibility services you can buy include:

• Website design and conversion improvements

• SEO and local SEO

• Citation building and directory management

• Content writing and guest posting

• Social media support

• Paid ads and lead generation

If you are not sure how to choose suppliers or avoid poor-value contracts, it helps to learn the basics of purchasing services properly, so you know what “good” looks like before you commit.

Use AI and Business Tools to Speed Up Your Process

AI and business tools can save you hours each week.

Useful examples:

• Drafting blog outlines and social posts

• Improving wording on service pages and FAQs

• Creating quote follow-up templates and review request messages

• Organising a content calendar and marketing checklist

• Tracking enquiries in a simple CRM so you do not lose leads

AI will not replace a proper strategy, but it can make execution much quicker when you are starting out.

Key Take-Aways: Marketing Steps to Keep a New UK Business Growing

Marketing a new business in the UK is not about doing everything at once. It is about building steady visibility, earning trust, and making it easy for the right people to contact you.

Start with the fundamentals: understand your funnel, create a clear brand, choose social media platforms strategically, and put a simple website in place that converts. Then build depth through blog content, guest posting, directory citations, local SEO, and real-world networking. Over time, those efforts support each other, and that is when marketing stops feeling like guesswork and starts becoming predictable.

If you are stretched thin, do not be afraid to outsource parts of it or use AI and business tools to speed things up. The goal is not perfection. The goal is consistency, because the businesses that keep showing up are usually the ones that keep growing.