I can’t believe it’s been seven whole years since Crisp was just a teeny little new potato (aka just me freelancing alone, with a little help from my adorable Head of Barketing, Monty).
Today, we’re so proud to have grown into a family-sized pack of crisps – made up of our fabulous team and the clever, creative, results-focused marketing we’ve delivered for hundreds of clients along the way.
To celebrate this delicious milestone, I created a video sharing 7 things I’ve learnt after 7 years of running my own marketing business – watch it here, or keep reading for the full rundown.
Not only has creating this been a lovely way to reflect on how we’ve evolved – but I hope it gives you some valuable food for thought for your own biz, whatever industry you happen to be in.
Let’s open up the packet and dive in.
1. Focus on quality over quantity
One of the key things I’ve learnt is the importance of quality over quantity. This applies to all areas of your marketing, but particularly matters when it comes to social media.
Back in our early days, people used to ask us for 20+ posts a week in a bid to connect with their audience (gasp!), whereas now we focus on fewer posts that actually mean something. It’s all about consistency and showing up authentically.
And this applies to our own marketing too. I focus on creating educational, helpful and genuine content across all our channels – so by the time a potential client books a Marketing Kickstarter to chat about their business, they already know and like my vibe, understand the type of work we do, and trust our expertise. It’s a win for everyone, really!
2. Attract the right people, not just more people
When clients come to us, they know exactly what they need: viral content, more followers, and maximum eyes on their business (cue a knowing look from us).
But our superpower is being able to ask the right questions to dig right down into what’s really going on.
Are they lacking enquiries? Perhaps they’re getting lots of enquiries but not much business? Do they need a targeted campaign to reach the right people?
We look past what they’re asking for to deliver what they REALLY need.
3. Build the right systems from day one
When I started Crisp, it was just me – so you wouldn’t think I’d need things like style guides and process documents.
But I come from working at universities and large organisations – so I built them anyway. And boy, did those foundations pay off when I started building my team.
Systems from day one changed everything, and has made it much easier to scale quickly as we need to.
If you’re early in your business journey or are looking to grow your team, don’t skip this important step – or risk potential chaos (and a stern talking-to from us) in the future.
4. Get clear about your ideal client
Back when I started, I knew I wanted to work with professional services and financial advisers – and, these days, they’re still our core client base.
But I’m also getting really clear on the exact subset of clients we work best with.
People who are incredibly passionate about their business light us up, and are an absolute joy to work with. Their enthusiasm for what they do means no meeting is ever dull – and the chance of us ever running out of content ideas is firmly at zero.
The other quality we look for is a willingness to trust our expertise and empower us to get the best results for their business. Sound like you? Let’s chat already!
5. Invest in your relationships
Human relationships are everything – especially in this era of AI and automation we live in, when so many industries are losing the human touch.
Here at Crisp, we embrace the productivity benefits of AI to keep everything behind the scenes running smoothly – but as a team of real, creative humans, we’re passionate about investing in our relationships with our clients through regular meetings, WhatsApp chats, brainstorming sessions, and even the occasional industry meetup (did someone say karaoke?).
Our team relationships are equally important to us. As a remote agency, we stay connected by chatting online, catching up in regular meetings, and making an effort to get to know the whole person behind each role.
Everyone brings their own unique flavour – and we’re better because of it.
6. Stay creative and inspired
If you’re feeling uninspired, chances are it’s showing up in your work and the way you move through the world.
Over the past few years, I’ve realised that in order to do my best marketing work, I need to fill my own creative cup – whether that’s recording episodes of my podcast (all about creativity), gazing at the trees, learning a new skill (pottery is on my current hit list), having a conversation that sparks an idea, or simply giving myself time to think differently.
Being intentional about staying creatively inspired will help keep you – and your work – fresh. Warning: life might feel a little more joyful as a side effect!
7. Take time to pause and reflect
Speaking of taking a moment, when was the last time you put down the to-do list and paused to appreciate how far you’ve come?
For me, making this video and writing this article were a great way to take stock of what I’ve actually achieved over the past 7 years – and set some crunch-tastic goals for where Crisp is going next.
For you, it might be writing something down, making a video, setting some audacious goals, or simply giving yourself a great big pat on the back for getting this far.
Thanks so much for your support on this Crispy journey. Here’s to the next 7 years!
Want to know more about Crisp? Discover our story and what we do on our About Us page, tune in to my podcast, Creativity Uncovered, or explore more of our marketing advice.