Marketing Better in 2025 and Beyond: A Simple Path for Small Business Growth

Marketing today can feel overwhelming with endless platforms, ads, and tactics pulling you in different directions. This week on 2 Regular Guys, Terry sits down with Aaron to unpack an uncommon approach to marketing that cuts through the noise. The conversation is based on a seminar Aaron was scheduled to give at GPX Long Beach before GPX shifted away from real education and toward sales-driven sessions. Instead of chasing every new trend or burning out on busywork, you’ll discover a framework that helps small business owners simplify their message, attract the right customers, and build momentum with confidence. Whether you feel stuck, inconsistent, or just tired of guessing, this conversation will show you a clearer path to marketing better in 2025 and beyond. Tired of bouncing between SanMar, S&S, and alphabroder just to compare prices? PromoHunt’s free browser extension does the work for you—automatically showing you price and inventory comparisons across your favorite suppliers while you shop. Join 7,000+ decorators already using PromoHunt daily.PromoHunt.com News If you have anything newsworthy you would like us to share, please email details to [e-mail]. Use the subject line “Weekly News.” https://youtu.be/n08jct2a0Es Dad Joke Aaron: I saw a gentleman yesterday pulling aluminum cans out of the dumpster and he was crushing them. It was so depressing. (Soda Pressing) Better Marketing Strategies You were scheduled to present this seminar at GPX Long Beach, but GPX pulled back from education. Can you share a little about what happened there and why you still wanted to bring this message to people? GPX made a decision after I announced working with APAS to terminate their commitment to bring me out for shows as education. They wanted APAS to pay for the time, and that is not what this is about: trying to sell someone something. I respect their choice, but here’s the thing: small business owners are craving real strategies, not product demos disguised as classes. I felt strongly that this message still needed to be shared, so instead of leaving it behind, we’re bringing it right here to the 2 Regular Guys. You’ve been working with small business owners for nearly 30 years. Why do you think so many still feel overwhelmed or stuck when it comes to marketing? Most education, when it comes to marketing, focuses on the strategies. That's great when people have a foundation, but most small businesses don’t, so for them, marketing feels like a moving target. There are so many options—social media, email, ads, networking, SEO now AI, and they are all changing daily. People end up dabbling here and there but never feeling confident. And the reality is, it’s not that they’re bad at marketing. It’s that they don’t have a clear plan or foundation. That’s what leads to inconsistency and frustration and what feels like wasted time and money on marketing. So what is the answer? How can we all market better in 2025 and beyond? The way I’ve simplified it is by focusing on three core elements that every business can apply, no matter its size or industry. It’s not about copying someone else’s exact formula. It’s about having a framework that works for you. And once you see it, marketing becomes much less about overwhelm and much more about consistency and connection. In the seminar, I call it our marketing superhero plan and it is 3 simple C’sCLARITY – Define WHO you serve and WHY they should choose you. I have borrowed a saying that I like to use to remind myself of how important this is. “When you try to be all things to everyone, you end up becoming nothing to no one.” Who specifically is your ideal customer? Get crystal clear on your ideal customer and what they truly need, not what you sell.CONNECTION – Shaping how you market and going away from marketing being about selling, but instead about awareness that builds trust and relationships.