How to develop a Marketing Culture in a Small Business That ‘Does not Like Marketing’

What if the real reason your business is not growing is simply that no one on your team sees marketing as their responsibility? Most small businesses say the same thing. “We survive on referrals.” “Our product speaks for itself.” “We are not marketers.” That sounds humble, even noble. But in reality, it can be dangerous. When no one owns marketing, no one owns the customer. People come to “do their work,” not to win hearts, maintain relationships, or tell the business's story. The result is a quiet decline. Not a big scandal—just fewer calls, fewer repeat buyers, and more price complaints.

Marketing culture is not just about hiring a social media manager or printing a fancy brochure. It is a mindset that says: every customer contact is marketing. The way you answer the phone is marketing. The way you write an invoice is marketing. The way you handle a mistake is marketing. Once this idea sinks in, a small business that “does not like marketing” begins to see marketing everywhere. Suddenly, the question is not “Do we do marketing?” but “What kind of marketing are we doing without realizing it?”

Imagine a small team where everyone asks simple questions every day. Who did we delight today? Who did we ignore? Why did this person choose us and not someone else? What story did we tell our customers this week through our actions, our tone, and our speed? These are marketing questions. You do not need a title or a degree to ask them. You need curiosity and a little courage. Culture starts there, in that repeated habit of paying attention to the customer, even when you are tired and busy.

Here's the hard truth. A business that claims “we are not into marketing” is still sending signals into the market. Silence remains a signal. Slow responses are signals. Confused staff send signals. The market interprets these signals and responds with either loyalty or distance. You may say you dislike marketing, but you cannot escape it. Every small business already has a marketing culture; the only question is whether it is intentional or accidental.

Look around your own business. What do your people believe about customers? Do they see customers as interruptions or as the reason you exist? Do they talk about problems or possibilities? Do they wait for instructions or look for simple ways to improve the experience? If you want a marketing culture, you do not start with a campaign. You start with a conversation: “From today, the customer is everybody’s job.” Then you live that sentence, one decision at a time.

Author: Genevieve Sedalo (PhD)