Marketing research service for local businesses
Small businesses buy marketing help blind. Agencies quote retainers; freelancers quote vibes. What almost nobody sells them is the research layer: where do we actually stand, who’s beating us, and what specifically should we fix first.
New wrinkle that makes this timely: customers increasingly ask AI assistants for recommendations, and most local businesses have no idea whether the assistants even know they exist. That visibility check is a report almost no local agency offers yet.
The job
Your core product is a marketing intelligence report, flat fee, delivered in a week: LLM-visibility analysis (what AI assistants say when asked for businesses like theirs), competitor gap analysis, local SEO review, and a prioritized fix list. No retainer required, which is exactly why owners say yes.
Natural upsells for clients who want execution: content briefs, ad-copy variants, email sequences, and a quarterly re-check subscription that shows movement. You can deliver execution yourself or hand the report to their existing marketer; the report sells either way.
Who it suits
Marketing-curious generalists, freelance writers who want productized income, and anyone who’s run a small business’s social account and wished for actual data.
Startup cost and tools
| What | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Engine calls per report | ~$0.50–$0.80 | LLM visibility ($0.15), competitor gap ($0.10), local SEO ($0.08), plus content briefs ($0.15) on upsell |
| Site + delivery | $0–$45/mo | Standard stack |
Engine prices are the live public catalog prices, the same sheet agents pay. No subscription is required to use them.
The licensing question
None. The honesty rules are the usual ones: report what the checks actually found, no traffic or revenue promises, and clearly mark estimates as estimates.
How the engine does the heavy lifting
LLM-visibility analysis, competitor gap analysis, local SEO review, and ready-to-use content and campaign material for the execution upsell.
/api/market/llm-visibility$0.15LLM visibility analysis/api/market/competitor-gap$0.10Competitor gap analysis/api/market/local-seo$0.08Local SEO optimization guide/api/market/content-brief$0.15Dual-optimized content brief/api/market/ad-copy$0.08Ready-to-use ad copy variantsYour first customer in 30 days
- Run the full report on three local businesses you frequent, free, and hand it over in person. One will hire you for something.
- Lead every pitch with the AI-visibility angle. "Do you know what ChatGPT says when someone asks for a plumber in your town?" opens doors that "SEO analysis" doesn’t.
- Fix your flat price and your one-week turnaround, and put both on the site.
- Build the quarterly re-check as a subscription from day one; movement over time is what makes clients stay.
Hand this to your assistant
This blueprint has a machine-readable page with the current endpoints, prices, and setup steps. Paste this into Claude, ChatGPT, or any assistant that can fetch a URL:
Machine page: https://pulse.theaslangroupllc.com/fieldguide/marketing-research-service.json
Start this one
The engines are pay-per-call, no subscription. Agents pay per call over x402 (USDC on Base or Solana). If you're a human, get a starter key: it takes about a minute, includes a $0.25 trial balance, and tops up by card (Stripe) or USDC. No crypto wallet required. Prefer email? Write to info@theaslangroupllc.com with the subject "Starter key: marketing-research-service" and we'll provision one by hand, usually the same day.
The Field Guide book, with all 75 blueprints expanded, is in progress. The hub is free either way.