May is Small Business Month, a time to support and celebrate the contributions of America’s 33.2 million small businesses and startups. It’s also the perfect time for entrepreneurs to explore new ways to grow their companies.
Whether you’re a team of one or managing a fast-growing operation, this month is a great opportunity to hit pause on the daily hustle and focus on working on the business, not just in it. Here are four high-impact areas you can focus on with actionable growth ideas you can tackle today, this week, or throughout the month.
1. Refine your marketing strategy
Marketing is an important element of big-picture business growth, but it’s hard to focus on it when you’re caught up in day-to-day business operations. This Small Business Month, block out some time for analyzing your current marketing strategies and adjusting your approach to best support your current business goals.
Here are a few areas to consider:
- Social media. Choose one channel to optimize during Small Business Month. Create a channel-specific strategy that ties into your overall social media marketing plan. Brainstorm ideas using our strategy guides for TikTok, Facebook (Meta), and Instagram, or check out some of LinkedIn’s tools for small businesses.
- Video marketing. According to 2025 data from Wyzowl, 93% of marketers have reported a positive ROI from their video marketing efforts. Find inspiration with seven unique ways to leverage video content for your business.
- Content marketing. Refresh your blog with timely, SEO-friendly content that addresses your customers’ top questions. You can also consider creating a lead magnet, such as a webinar or white paper, to grow your email list, and send a value-packed newsletter to re-engage subscribers. Repurposing existing content into new formats—like turning blog posts into videos, infographics, or social media posts—can help you get more mileage out of your efforts. For ideas and inspiration, read our guide to creating small business content that generates leads.
- Public relations (PR). Increase positive PR with a plan that outlines weekly PR tasks, such as partnering with micro-influencers or answering questions on platforms like Qwoted and Featured.com. You can also research publications and podcasts that target your ideal audience and pitch them directly with your expertise.
Take it one channel at a time and create achievable, short-term goals for improvement. Next, determine what financial and time resources your plan requires. Put your system into action with daily, weekly, and monthly tasks that move your company forward.
[Read more: 7 Marketing Trends Every Small Business Needs to Know About]
2. Optimize your website
Is your website at the top of the search engine results page (SERP)? Website design and SEO improvements can increase search engine visibility, which means more potential customers will land on your website.
Follow these tips to optimize your website for SEO:
- Assess your website regularly. Use free tools like HubSpot’s website grader or Google Lighthouse to assess your site and view recommendations. Also, consider running an A/B test. This is where you change one website element affecting conversions, such as your main call to action (CTA).
- Leverage SEO resources. Google Marketing Platform offers free tools for small business website optimization. Learn more about key SEO strategies for small businesses, and explore additional free SEO tools you can use to enhance your efforts.
- Conduct key word research. Consider each key word's search intent, volume, competition, and value.
In addition to optimizing for SEO, it’s best practice to ensure your website is accessible to users with disabilities. Review the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and guidelines for web accessibility.
This Small Business Month, block out some time for analyzing your current marketing strategies and adjusting your approach to best support your current business goals.
3. Improve customer relationships and engagement
Strong customer relationships drive long-term success, so this Small Business Month, look for ways to increase customer engagement and loyalty. Here are a few ideas to consider:
- Build a community around your business. There are several types of programs you can launch to increase engagement and a sense of community among your customers. A loyalty program can help increase the frequency of sales, while a customer referral program rewards clients for sending friends your way. To go one step further, consider a brand ambassador program that gives customers the tools and incentive to promote your business.
- Create systems for gauging the customer experience. Automate post-sale surveys to capture the voices of your customers. Follow up with clients and have systems in place to document interactions. Listen to a few customer service calls to spot-check quality standards.
- Refine your customer review process. According to BrightLocal, 97% of consumers read reviews of local businesses at least occasionally, and 42% do so regularly. If you don’t already have one, create a process to request, monitor, and respond to reviews. Be proactive about asking satisfied customers for positive reviews and addressing negative feedback with professionalism.
- Show appreciation for your customers. Small tokens like handwritten notes and celebrations of customer milestones can go a long way.
4. Delegate and automate tasks to free up your time
As a business owner, your time is one of your most valuable resources. Are you wasting it on tasks that don’t directly drive growth?
This month, take a hard look at your workload and identify what can be outsourced or automated so you can focus on the work only you can do. Ask yourself which tasks are essential for you to handle personally, and what could be done faster, better, or more affordably by an employee, contractor, or automated tool. Some commonly outsourced small business tasks include social media marketing, public relations, bookkeeping and tax preparation, and IT management.
[Read more: What Tasks Should Small Business Owners Outsource to Save Time?]
For tasks that stay in-house, automation and artificial intelligence (AI) can save time and boost consistency. AI-powered tools in particular have become increasingly accessible for small businesses. Here are a few areas where automation or AI can make an immediate impact:
- Customer service. As customer demand for quality service increases, AI-powered customer service tools can fill in the gaps. Consider leveraging AI chatbots to answer basic queries, sentiment analysis tools to understand how your customers feel, or intelligent routing systems to connect customers with the right (human) support team member.
- Graphic design. Try AI graphic tools that can simplify photo editing, from removing backgrounds to applying custom color palettes and fonts. Some even allow you to generate graphics from text or rough sketches.
- Content writing. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT for your business can help you brainstorm content ideas and draft marketing copy, saving you time and overcoming writer’s block.
- Sales. There are plenty of available tech tools for streamlining sales. Consider automating lead nurturing with email sequences, CRM follow-ups, or abandoned cart reminders to keep prospects engaged without constant manual outreach.
Of course, there are some things AI can’t do for your small business—things like customer relationships, strategy, and creativity still need a human touch. But by outsourcing and automating things that don’t need your direct involvement, you free up your time for high-impact work that moves your business forward.
[Read more: Free Resources for Small Businesses to Leverage Year-Round]
Jessica Elliott and Danielle Fallon-O’Leary contributed to this article.
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