Two Cents is Mettle's free resource library of small business marketing guidance. Articles are organized by industry, by subject such as local SEO or paid media, and by local market, and each one cites primary sources like government agencies, chambers of commerce, trade associations and non-partisan research organizations.

How do I find advice for my industry and city?

Use the dropdown filters at the top of the library. Choose your industry, then a subject. Choosing the subject 'Local market insights' reveals state and city dropdowns for markets including New York, Boston, Miami, Chicago, Nashville, Knoxville, Murfreesboro, Gallatin, Dallas and San Antonio.

Where does the information come from?

Every article lists the authoritative sources behind it, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Small Business Administration, the Federal Trade Commission, the Better Business Bureau, local chambers of commerce, official tourism boards, industry trade associations and Pew Research Center, combined with Mettle's own client work.

Resources

Two Cents.

Everything we've learned running marketing for small businesses, given away for about what it's worth. Filter by your industry, the thing you're stuck on, or your market.

15 articles · 11 industries · every piece cites its sources

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City guides

All local market insights →

How each market actually behaves, what we'd do about it, and every article we've written there.

Manhattan, NY Brooklyn, NY Queens, NY The Bronx, NY Staten Island, NY Boston, MA Miami, FL Chicago, IL Nashville, TN Knoxville, TN Murfreesboro, TN Gallatin, TN Dallas, TX San Antonio, TX

Showing 4 articles

Hair salons & barbershopsLocal market insightsNashville

How to fill salon chairs on a Tuesday

Weekends sell themselves. Midweek is where the margin hides, and where a small offer does more than a big ad budget.

Aug 4, 20265 min read

RestaurantsLocal market insightsMurfreesboro

The slow-night playbook for independent restaurants

You don't need more people. You need the right people on the right night.

Jun 2, 20266 min read

BarsLocal market insightsNashville

Bars: regulars beat reach

Fifty people who come every week are worth more than fifty thousand who saw your reel.

May 24, 20265 min read

Boutique & gift shopsLocal market insightsGallatin

Boutiques: turn foot traffic into a list

Someone walked in, loved it, left and forgot you exist. That is the whole problem.

Apr 25, 20264 min read

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Where this comes from.

Every article lists its sources. We lean on primary data instead of recycled blog posts: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census Bureau, the Small Business Administration, the Federal Trade Commission's advertising guidance, Better Business Bureau standards, local chambers of commerce, official tourism boards and destination marketing organizations, industry trade associations, and Pew Research Center. Then we add what we've actually seen work with clients.

Common questions.

What is Two Cents?: Mettle's free resource library of small business marketing guidance, organized by industry, subject and local market, with sources cited on every piece.
How do I find advice for my city?: Choose the subject "Local market insights" and the state and city dropdowns appear, covering New York, Boston, Miami, Chicago, Nashville, Knoxville, Murfreesboro, Gallatin, Dallas and San Antonio.
Does it cost anything?: No. Read it, use it, steal it. If you'd rather someone run it for you, that's the part we charge for.