18th Dec 2024
Unlocking Organic Success: How Socially Creative Transforms Small Businesses
About Socially Creative’s Unique Approach
What inspired you to start Socially Creative, and how has your journey shaped the services you offer today?
Socially Creative was founded after years of running and managing other businesses. I was seeing the same frustrations and stumbling blocks appear repeatedly, regardless of the industry or sector the business was in. I would see owners bang their heads against the wall, not knowing how to drive new business into their world and I would see staff be frustrated at not being busy enough and equally not knowing how to resolve it.
Why do you focus on organic marketing strategies, and how do they benefit local businesses compared to paid advertising?
The majority of local businesses only need a relatively small audience in order to meet their goals. People are really focused on making new sales, when in actual fact, learning how to upsell and resell to their audience would save them a ton of time and cash. Paid media (Facebook ads, Google ads) 100% have their place inside a lot of businesses, but only once the organic side is fully sorted and predictably brings in new leads and consistent cash flow.
Organic Marketing Strategies and Impact
Could you share some of the organic marketing strategies you use and explain how they help clients grow sustainably?
There are so many strategies local businesses can use to increase their visibility and also clientele/ customer base. One of my absolute favourites- because it’s quick, free and ALWAYS equates to new revenue for the business is upselling. For example, let’s say you sell an £11 guide. Rather than constantly trying to make £11 sales to new people, why not retarget the people who have already bought the offer into something that’s, £97 or £197 and offers an expansion on the original purchase? This builds up their trust in you and also adds to their buying momentum. Eventually, when you sell into a high-ticket program/ product, you have a bunch of people who have already spent £100s with you and you know they’re the right fit for your high-ticket. This way, you get a cohort of ideal customers and they already know they’re going to love your program and get results.
For businesses new to organic marketing, what can they expect in their first three months with Socially Creative?
In the first 90 days, we get you more visible to your existing audience, get you in front of a new audience and help you make more sales to existing customers, and therefore increase your average customer spend.
Services and Solutions for Every Stage
Could you walk us through your main services and explain how they’re tailored to meet each business’s needs?
Everything I do at Socially Creative is bespoke. You’ll never find me using a template. Every service I offer is tailored to meet the business exactly where it’s at, and take it to where the owner wants it to be. Business owners work with me in close capacity, and typically, we handle their social media marketing, their email marketing and their landing pages/ sales pages- all of this is called your funnel. Making sure that all these areas are optimised and in sync with each other is essential for any business to grow effectively. When I’m managing this for someone, I’m 100% hands-on because the business owners I work with don’t want to be spending any time trying to figure out the platforms, create content or set up retargeting campaigns- they are busy delivering their services and forming relationships with their customers.
How does the Content and Strategy Day package help businesses increase engagement and conversions?
A Content & Strategy day is the quickest way to get a business’ marketing in order. This is one of my done-with-you services for business owners who want to be more involved with their marketing whether it be because they enjoy it but want to upskill, or perhaps the budget isn’t quite there to hand it off completely. Inside these strategy days we capture a ton of content to be used on socials/ websites etc, and then we map out the exact route and strategy they need to implement into the business to gain more traction. Everything we cover in those days is actionable and tangible for the business owners because very often, a business only needs to focus on 3-5 key areas… not the other 100s of possibilities that aren’t relevant to them.
Real Results and Success Stories
Could you share a success story or two where Socially Creative helped a client achieve significant growth?
One of my proudest achievements has been taking a business that has no online presence and a very sporadic workflow to now fully booked weeks in advance, winning awards regularly and getting compliments on their socials, emails and websites daily. RitaRusk International is a luxury hair salon in Hamilton and they’re all phenomenal at what they do, but they didn’t know how to show the world. They were using stock-images to promote their services and products, a lot of the stylists’ diaries were sparse with appointments at times and there was a huge gap in their online presence versus the actual experience inside the salon. Now, everything you see of them online is unique, personal to the brand and exciting to new (and existing) customers who book in. Their online booking system has never been as busy and creates a steady and predictable income for the salon now as well as the staff who are earning more commission too.
Another success story from the business recently is Angie who is an aesthetics trainer. She’s a total pro at what she does, but was struggling to get leads in. Within 14 days of working with her, we had a 543% increase in interactions across her social platforms which equated to an all-time high of new enquiries for her courses.
Leanne and I have worked together for almost 3 years now. She’s an online coach who helps high-achieving individuals in their 30s and 40s to become their best and strongest self, mentally and physically. Over the years we’ve taken her from zero online presence, to consistently showing up every day and building out a team of coaches who help her business thrive.
What unique strategies did you use to overcome challenges or help clients reach important milestones?
A true understanding of the business’ offerings and its ideal audience is key. If you don’t know these things, then your messaging will be off and if that’s not working, you won’t make sales. A full and proper understanding of who you’re speaking to and the offer you’re selling is essential. Strategies based around educating audiences, inspiring them and then motivating them to take action is priority in most cases.
The Power of Personalisation and Community
How do you ensure that each client’s marketing feels authentic and community-focused rather than overly “salesy”?
The majority of businesses I work with are personal brands. Although they have a company, they themselves are very much present in their marketing. This makes it so much easier to communicate with an audience when it comes from a person as opposed to a face-less logo. It’s true, people buy from people and if you can create and nurture relationships overtime, selling becomes a natural next step in that relationship, rather than it being the thing you lead with- which is when people feel that you’re being ‘salesly’ and switch off from you.
Can you share an example of a personalised strategy that made a big impact?
One of my clients, Jenny, runs a hand-made jewellery shop, and she was in a constant cycle of trying to find new customers to buy her pieces. We really quickly identified every customer she’s previously had, knew what they had bought from her and then were able to run some retargeting emails to encourage them to buy a different piece of jewellery that would compliment the original purchase piece. Right away, this solved the problem of trying to find new customers all the time, and really capitalised on an audience who already knew she existed, had experienced her products before and knew that they loved buying from her brand.
Tools for Success: The Local Leads Marketing Toolkit
What does the Local Leads Marketing Toolkit offer, and how does it empower local business owners to attract new customers?
The Local Leads Marketing Toolkit offers 10 strategies that any business can plug into their systems today and get results from. Ranging from strategies for social media, to email retargeting all the way through to in-house marketing to existing customers, there’s something for any local business who needs inspiration to kick start their marketing.
What results have clients achieved using the Toolkit?
I’ve seen businesses make their first sales via the strategies, I’ve also seen existing businesses increase their average customer value and we’ve even had a business who doubled their monthly income by implementing just 2 of the 10 possible strategies. They’re all quick to do which means you don’t eat into your valuable time.
Practical Advice for Local Business Owners
What common marketing mistakes do you see local business owners make, and how can they avoid them?
Being in a constant state of ‘I need to find new customers’ is the biggest pitfall I see. More often than not, you don’t need new customers all the time, you just need to increase the average value an existing customer spends with you by offering next steps and increased value with your services/ products. Most of the time, this mindset leads to sporadic posting, mixed messages and general confusion for your audience- all of which are a recipe for disaster as a business.
What simple steps could a business owner take today to start improving their marketing?
Learning to love the data is essential. Most business owners, including myself, hate numbers and statistics. We’ve all probably become business owners because we’re creative in some way and want to forge our own paths, but when you understand that data and statistics around your business is your quickest way to making more impact and revenue, you should get excited by the data! Get to understand how many touch points you need to have with a prospect before they buy and understand the types of content that make them reach out.
Free Consultation and Next Steps
What can a potential client expect from a free consultation with Socially Creative?
A consultation is designed to answer any questions that you have around your business and its marketing. You also get advice that you can walk away with an implement right there and then. However, one of the key things that’s established in a consultation is trust. There is so much scepticism around marketing and hiring someone to help. Have a quick Google and you’ll find a million ‘marketing gurus’ who can help. Almost every business owner I’ve come across has had a negative experience with someone in marketing. It’s on me to build the trust and get to know you and your business during that initial consultation by sharing ideas, showing proof and laying out the route I’d take to get your business from where it is now to where you want it to be.
How do you help new clients feel confident in their marketing plan from the start?
Clear communication and expectations from the get go. Marketing is mostly about testing. Testing what works and leaning into that. And also discovering what doesn’t work and never doing that again. If there’s clear lines of communication and expectations are managed, everyone knows what the goals are and how we’re going to meet them.
Find out more about Susan’s offer and get in contact with her here!
