Marketing has changed. If you're still thinking about it as a line item in your budget—"I'll spend $1,000 a month on ads"—you're already behind.
We just had a candid conversation on Bean to Business about what's actually working for small businesses like ours, and some of it might surprise you. Here's the unfiltered version.
40% of Our December Traffic Came from ChatGPT
Let that sink in. Not Google ads. Not SEO. Not social media. Forty percent of people who found Hill Country Chocolate in December 2025 typed something into ChatGPT like "Texas chocolate corporate gifts" and we showed up.
This is the new reality. Generative AI search is here, and if you're not thinking about how to get found there, you're invisible to a growing chunk of your potential customers.
Stop Thinking About Marketing as a Budget Line
The days of writing a $1,000 check and expecting marketing to happen are over. Today, marketing needs to be part of your business architecture. Everyone plays a role:
- Front desk staff making sure customers leave reviews
- Someone capturing real content on their phone
- Your website optimized for engagement
- Consistent presence across multiple platforms
It's more complicated, but honestly? Most of it is sweat equity. Many of these things don't cost money—they cost attention.
The Facebook Ads Trap
We've seen this a thousand times with small businesses. Don't do this:
The mistake: Spend $2,000-3,000 on 15 different Facebook creatives over a couple weeks, get no meaningful data, conclude "Facebook ads don't work," and give up.
The reality: Meta needs time to learn. You don't have enough traffic to A/B test everything. Your sample sizes are too small for the data to mean anything.
What to do instead:
- Run one or two creatives maximum
- Watch for early signs of traction
- If it starts working, scale it fast
- If it's not converting, scrap it and try something new
Don't lock yourself into a campaign for months. Be willing to adjust on the fly.
You Can't Outsource Authenticity
Here's something that might be controversial: You can't hire someone else to do your social media. Not really.
Can an agency run your ads? Sure. Can they handle the technical architecture? Absolutely. But the content that actually connects with customers? That has to come from you.
People today are skeptical. They can tell within three seconds of scrolling whether your content is genuine or manufactured. Those expensive photo shoots twice a year that get repurposed for 12 months? They don't drive sales anymore.
What works is authentic, real-time content. Turn the camera on. Capture what's actually happening in your business. You don't need expensive equipment—your phone is fine. Tools like CapCut and Opus Clip can handle the editing.
How We Actually Use AI
We're not using AI to mass-produce content. That's a race to the bottom. Here's what we are using it for:
Ad feedback: Every single ad we publish gets screenshotted and fed into Claude for feedback. We have a project set up with all our brand information, what's worked before, and reference material. It's like having a marketing consultant on call.
Content inspiration: We use specific frameworks (like Harry Dry's punchy copywriting style) trained into Claude to help us iterate on headlines and hooks.
Data analysis: This is the biggest one. We get overwhelmed by analytics dashboards just like you do. So we screenshot the data and ask Claude to explain what it means and what we should do about it.
Last week we found out we were ranking #4 for "chocolate chip banana bread recipe." Not a lot of traffic—maybe 22 clicks a month. But moving from position 4 to position 1 could mean 500 clicks. That's worth about $1,000 in equivalent ad spend. The blog post we created to target that keyword cost us about $3 in AI tools.
Every Review Gets a Response
This isn't just good manners—it's SEO. When someone leaves a review and you respond, all of that content goes into Google. So don't just write "Thank you for visiting!"
Instead, write something like:
> "Thank you for visiting the chocolate factory during your trip! It was wonderful hosting you—glad you enjoyed the wine and chocolate pairing. Next time you're in the Texas Hill Country, try our Mexican Hot Chocolate Bonbons. They're a customer favorite!"
You just added context about your products, location, and offerings that helps you get found in search.
Listing Services Are a No-Brainer
If you have a brick-and-mortar location, pay for a listing service. Here's why:
Google checks whether your business information is consistent across the internet—Yelp, TripAdvisor, Apple Maps, DuckDuckGo, US Chamber of Commerce, and about 100 other directories. If everything matches, Google trusts you more and ranks you higher.
Are you really going to log into 100 different platforms every time you change your holiday hours? A listing service does this automatically.
They can be expensive (sometimes $1,000-1,500/year), but it's a set-it-and-forget-it investment that directly impacts your visibility.
The Two Numbers That Matter
In all the complexity of modern marketing, it comes down to two things:
- Customer acquisition cost: How much does it cost to get a customer through the door?
- Customer lifetime value: How much will that customer spend over time?
If you're spending $30 on a Facebook conversion for an $80 box of chocolate, your margins get tight fast. But if that customer buys from you 10 times over the next few years? That $30 was a bargain.
Everything else is just tactics in service of those two numbers.
The Bottom Line
People can't buy from you if they don't know you exist. And they won't buy from you if they don't think you're real.
Today's marketing requires showing up authentically across multiple platforms. It means responding to every review. It means capturing real content constantly. It means using AI tools to work smarter, not to replace your voice.
Is it more complicated than just writing a check to an agency? Yes. But it's also more effective, and a lot of it is free.
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This post is based on a Bean to Business conversation between Dan and Melanie at Hill Country Chocolate. We talk about the real challenges of running a small confectionery business—no filter, no corporate polish.