Effective marketing doubled my site traffic: small business marketing with Paul Jardine
Paul Jardine has taught me a lot of things. I’ve learned from him about SEO (I highly recommend his SEO for small businesses workshops), ethical business practices, Stockport independents and even marketing (though I’m the marketer and he’s my client!).
Paul is a web designer and developer, and we started working together in early 2019. Over this time, one of the things that really impressed me about Paul was his approach to small business marketing.
Throughout my career, I have seen so many businesses work really hard on a good strategy, but then if they don’t see huge results straightaway, they either stop their efforts completely or change direction.
In my experience, the best marketing strategies are based on a commitment to consistency: turning up day after day and doing the right thing because you know that eventually it will bring results.
What I also really appreciate about Paul is his humility. He is never tempted to overstate anything, is fiercely committed to doing the right thing, and is always looking at how he can lift up others.
Paul with bo, also known as stockport’s favourite web design hound.
Even though I have been supporting his business with marketing for more than a year, I know that Paul’s success is down to him: his vision for, and approach to, his business. However, his absolute commitment to marketing has played a part in his success, and that is what I wanted to speak to him about.
Paul, you've run your business for 6 years. How has your approach to marketing changed from the early days to now?
Since I started out I definitely feel like I’ve transitioned from being a freelancer to a business, and marketing myself has absolutely contributed to that.
Promoting myself as a person with a skill is much different to being a business that can provide a service and I’ve adapted myself to do that.
In the early days I also felt like I needed to be present on every social platform (which is a common mistake with new businesses). Now I’m much more strategic. I got rid of my profiles that weren’t useful to me, such as Facebook. This was also because I’m passionate about online privacy, and so I didn’t want to use Facebook to promote my business.
So, Facebook was culled! But what has worked well for you over this time? Have you had any wins you can directly attribute to your marketing?
My general enquiries and size of jobs has grown thanks to our efforts marketing my business.
I’ve met some of my favourite clients after they’ve contacted me via social media.
I’ve written blog posts about web design conferences which have been shared by the keynote speaker and I have had nice messages back from some pretty high-profile designers.
Being invited to speak at the Stockport for Good event last year was a real honour.
What do you like and dislike about marketing your small business?
Sharing some content that really connects with people or helps them is one of the best feelings when marketing yourself.
On the downside, sometimes it can feel like you’re shouting into the void.
Also it can be exhausting feeling like you’re promoting yourself so it’s important to know when to switch off from you the business to you the person. I generally avoid social media at the weekend.
Why did you decide to outsource some of your marketing?
I wanted to increase my work with private clients, rather than freelancing with digital agencies, which meant I needed to put more effort into selling my skills and services directly to people.
After attending one of your workshops in early 2019, I decided to work with you to implement an effective marketing strategy. Now, a year later, my website traffic has doubled, and my enquiries have risen significantly. It’s certainly contributed to growing my business.
What marketing lessons have you learned?
Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each platform, e.g. sharing articles and links on Twitter and using Instagram as a ‘behind the scenes’ insight. Don’t just copy and paste the post using the exact same content.
Using Analytics tools to measure what works and what doesn’t has helped me spend my time and energy more efficiently.
Also, when I really want people to pay attention to me, I have to post the content alongside a photo of my dog!
What advice would you give other small business owners to improve their marketing (or their experience of marketing themselves).
Be yourself and be proud! Authenticity is very important for small businesses.
Use your platform for good and to spread positivity. Promote others, not just yourself.
Marketing is an endless task so don’t be hard on yourself if you feel you’re not doing enough. Also, no one will be upset if you don’t post for a while! It’s better to post quality content every now and again than burn yourself out posting constant updates.
Who is your marketing inspiration?
Charlotte at Creative Wilderness is incredibly honest and brave with what she posts and gets a great response as a result.
You and Katya have really built a proper community around what you do.
Indie businesses such as Rare Mags and Plant Shop do an amazing job of capturing their vibe.
Learn from Paul
Paul and I will be doing an Instagram Live on Friday, 10 July, all about how you can Supercharge your Content. He will share some insights about SEO and small business marketing.
Have a listen live at 1pm on my Instagram Stories, or afterwards on IGTV.
I would also highly recommend signing up to Paul’s monthly newsletter, which is jam-packed with web design advice and tips for small businesses.
He also runs workshops about SEO for small businesses, and has a number of web design and development services aimed at small businesses who want to make their websites better.