Metrics That Matter.
A field guide for small business owners doing their own digital marketing. Stop chasing vanity numbers. Start measuring what actually drives revenue.
Most small business owners are measuring the wrong stuff. Let's fix that.
You're short on time. Short on budget. Doing marketing on top of running the whole business. The last thing you need is to be tracking the wrong numbers. So let's get you to the right ones.
Am I building demand?
Are more people finding me, learning about me, and showing interest each month than last month?
Am I converting that demand into revenue?
Are the people who know me actually taking action — buying, booking, visiting, signing up?
Every channel has a different job. Stop measuring your billboard like it's supposed to ring up sales.
Social = the billboard
Awareness. Top of funnel. Job: get found, get remembered.
Email = the front door
Loyalty + conversion. Your warmest audience. Highest ROI of any channel.
Website = the cash register
Conversion is its only job. Where the decisions get made.
GBP = the spotlight
Local intent. Free. Underused by almost everyone.
Start here. Most operators never need to go further.
Pick ONE metric per channel. Write it down weekly. Compare to last week. Trends, not snapshots.
When the basics are dialed in.
Beginner asks "is it working?" Advanced asks "is it worth it?" — and where do I invest more, less, or kill entirely?
Where is your best-converting traffic actually coming from? Often surprises people. UTM-tag every campaign so you can tell.
Which formats and topics drive your results? Process video vs. product shot? Founder story vs. menu close-up? Make more of what works.
What it is: Remarketing (also called retargeting) means showing ads or sending email follow-ups to people who already engaged with your brand — visited your website, watched a video, clicked an ad, opened an email, or abandoned a cart — but didn't convert the first time.
Why it matters: Warm audiences convert 2–5x higher than cold ones because they already know you. This is where small marketing budgets get their highest ROI — you're not paying to introduce yourself, you're paying to finish the job. Tools to use: Meta custom audiences, Google Ads remarketing lists, and email automation (Klaviyo, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign).
The Keep-It-or-Kill-It Audit
Not a metric — a discipline. Quarterly, look at every channel and tactic and ask: is this working?
- List every channel and tactic you're running
- For each: hours per week + dollars per month + measurable result
- Rank by ROI — result ÷ (hours + dollars)
- Keep the top 3–5. Kill or pause the rest, without apology.
Stopping the wrong things is just as valuable as starting the right ones.
Print this. Pin it. Work through it.
The 20-Minute Monday Routine
- Pick the same day and time every week (Monday coffee, Saturday before open — whatever fits)
- Pull up your two or three most important channels
- Write down ONE number per channel
- Compare to last week. Note the trend.
- Pick one thing to test or change this week
Monday Morning Starter Pack
- Open your Google Business Profile dashboard. Write down views, calls, and directions for the last 30 days.
- Open your email platform. Write down open rate, click rate, and list size for your last 3 campaigns.
- Pick one beginner metric per channel to track weekly. Just one.
- Add "How did you hear about us?" to your reservation form, order form, or POS this week.
- Look at your top 5 social posts from last month by saves and shares. Make more of THAT.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Don't check metrics daily — that's anxiety, not strategy
- Don't switch strategies before giving them time to work
- Don't optimize the most visible channel — optimize the most effective one
- Don't compare your numbers to large brands with large budgets
- Don't let the platform pick your KPIs for you
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Download the GuideHey, I'm Julie.
I help small craft beverage brands sell more, market smarter, and stop confusing being busy with making progress. Tough love, straight talk, no jargon. If you have customers, you have a business — not a hobby.
I founded Not Your Hobby Marketing Solutions in 2019 to give small operators the kind of strategic help that bigger brands take for granted: real sales planning, real distribution strategy, real marketing that connects to revenue. I work with brands on consulting, education, digital marketing, and data analytics.
I'm also the COO of Kick Fizz, a craft beverage brand I helped build from zero with a team of two and practically no budget. So when I talk about scrappy, resource-strapped, doing-everything-yourself marketing — I'm not just consulting on it. I'm living it.
I host the This Is Not Your Hobby podcast, run a group coaching program, write a weekly email community called The Bottleneck, teach at the university level, and speak at industry conferences. The work is the same everywhere: help small brands work smarter, not harder.
Real strategy for real small brands.
Whether you're a craft brand, hospitality operator, B2B service provider, vendor, or trade association — if you serve the craft beverage and hospitality industry, you're in my lane.
Who I work with
Consulting
Fractional COO, CMO, and CSO services. Full-time, part-time, or project-based retainers. For when you need senior strategic help without the senior salary.
Liquid Insight Audits
A flat-rate digital marketing audit — full analysis of your website, SEO, social media, and email marketing with actionable recommendations.
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A monthly group coaching program. Think of it as a streaming service for craft beverage business education — sales, marketing, distribution, and data analysis, all year round.
Want to work together?
Book a free discovery call. We'll talk through what's on your plate, where you're stuck, and whether I'm the right person to help you move forward. No pressure, no pitch — just a conversation.
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The brand I help build, from the COO seat.
Kick Fizz is a hemp-infused craft beverage I co-built from zero — low-dose Delta 9 THC and CBD, bright flavors, big personality. It's also where I get to test, in real time, everything I teach. If it works for Kick Fizz, it works for you. If it doesn't, you'll hear about it.
About the brand
Kick Fizz is craft beverage with personality — bright, bold, and built for people who like flavor with a side of fun. Each can is hemp-infused with a low dose of Delta 9 THC and a touch of CBD, made for grown-ups looking for a thoughtful alternative to alcohol — or a complement to it.
We're a small team punching above our weight, learning every day, and proving you don't need a big-brand budget to make something great.
Visit KickFizz.comRetailers & distributors, let's talk.
We're actively building distribution and looking for the right retail and distributor partners to grow with. If you're a buyer, a sales rep, or a distributor who'd like to learn more about the brand, let's get a conversation started.
Whether you're stocking, repping, or repping for stocking — we'd love to hear from you.
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For people who run small brands and treat them like the businesses they are.
Conversations with operators, makers, and industry pros about what actually works in craft beverage and small business — sales, marketing, distribution, and the unsexy work nobody wants to talk about. Plus the bottleneck moments that real brands hit, and how they break through them.
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