Growth Marketing for Newcastle Business

Logos and Websites. They're like the cool kids in school. Always in the latest fashion and always popular. Think Coca-Cola and Apple. They dominate the branding game. But here's the problem: they're global brands with global budgets.

Imagine your local coffee shop trying to out-brand Starbucks. Waste of money.

Your local business needs more than a new logo and a fancy website. You need to be seen and heard, by customers searching for what you do. You need to help new customers find you. You need Growth Marketing.

So, what is Growth Marketing and why should you be thinking about it for your local businesses in Newcastle?

Before we get there, we need to understand traditional Brand Marketing and why it isn't working for you.

What is Brand Marketing?

Brand Marketing is the traditional and most common form of marketing in business - trying to spread brand awareness across an audience as large as possible.

We naturally think this is how marketing is done because it's what the biggest companies in the world do. They spend millions on maximising their exposure around the globe. Brand Marketing is everywhere you look.

Local businesses in Newcastle (and all over the world) use brand marketing on a smaller scale. They put their logos on work vans, uniforms, signage and sponsor the local footy team to try and promote their brand within the community.

The Pitfalls of Brand-First Strategies

A good marketing strategy is a strategic blend of brand marketing and growth marketing. Successful businesses often integrate both strategies — using growth-focused marketing to bring in more revenue quickly, with measurable results while using brand marketing to build a strong, reputable brand over the long term.

You see brand marketing in action a hundred times a day. Coca-Cola's red cans and Christmas jingles, the Nike swoosh and those Apple commercials that make you feel like you're living in the future. That's brand marketing. The strategy of "getting your brand out to as many people as possible". Creating emotional connections and building customer loyalty.

The best way to see brand marketing in action is to think about how you search for a product or service.

When you think about buying a smartphone, you don't search Google for "new smartphone 2023". You just compare Apple to Samsung. Or "best fizzy Cola beverage"? Nope, it's just Coke or Pepsi. Do you search for "supermarkets near me" or do you just choose between the Tesco, Morrisons and Aldi within a half a mile of your home? That's brand marketing. It's what the big companies with big budgets do to make sure they're in front of as many minds as possible.

But - when you need a quote for a home extension, a new local gym, or a new restaurant to try with your family - how many strong brands come to mind? Instead, we search for providers of that specific service. Instead, we search for "Marketing Agencies in Newcastle Upon Tyne", "Crossfit Gym near me" or "Electricians in Whitley Bay".

Most local business owners spend their marketing budget on Brand Marketing strategies. They slap their logo on some signage, or a jacket and hope the phone will ring. Because that type of brand marketing is all we know. We're surrounded by it. 24/7.

Hope is a bad strategy. There's a better way. A more cost-effective way. A local business that only does brand marketing is throwing good money after bad. Trying to promote your Newcastle business through a logo on a van won't cut through the noise. There are too many brands to compete with.

Plus, as we've just established -

‍Customers aren't searching for your brand. They are searching for what you do.

Enter growth marketing—it's like turning up the volume when people are trying to listen. You need to be where the action is, not just look good from a distance.

What Is Growth Marketing?

Meet Your Customers Where They Are

Growth Marketing relies on an understanding of customer behaviour and trends. By analysing how and where new customers are searching for your product or service (eg. on social media, web forums or search engines), a growth marketer will tailor strategies to intersect with the habits of your customers.

Through targeted content, optimised for search engine visibility (SEO), a business improves its chances of appearing exactly when and where a potential customer is seeking the solution you offer.

Moreover, a robust SEO strategy using accurate search keywords and quality content can significantly boost organic traffic, drawing in a highly engaged audience without the price tag of traditional advertising. That's how you found this article. We figured out what you were searching for, and how you were searching.

Furthermore, a well constructed Growth Marketing campaign will include a wide range of experimentation on things like website landing pages, multi-channel A/B testing customer acquisition and lead generation tools - all designed to get you the highest possible Return on Investment,

Growth marketing is like putting a signpost on the busiest street corner, pointing customers in the direction of your bookshop. It's about being there when they're looking for a good book, not just looking pretty on the shelf.

Immediate Impact, Limited Budgets

Brand Marketing takes time to work and is hard to measure but a good Growth Marketer can bring new customers and revenue fast. And it can be measured. It focuses on maximising conversions at each point where customers engage, making your marketing efforts highly efficient and maximising your return on cost.

Local businesses often operate with small advertising budgets, that are often wasted on poorly constructed brand marketing efforts. Instead, spend those hard-earned pounds on the most effective strategies possible, with fast wins and sustainable growth.

The Path Forward

Growth marketing presents a fast track to genuine and measurable results. Any good Growth Marketing Agency in Newcastle Upon Tyne will be able to show you exactly where your money is going and the results they're achieving. Plus, the best growth marketing campaigns can bring more inquiries and sales than you'll know what to do with.

It's important to recognize the interconnected nature of brand and growth marketing strategies. At the same time, we must recognise that Growth Marketing should be the focus for smaller and more localised businesses, looking for sustainable results. Think of your business as a tree. Growth marketing is the roots, spreading out to capture nutrients and sustain the tree's growth. Brand marketing is the trunk and branches, providing the structure and stability that allow the tree to reach new heights. Together, they create the perfect tree, but the trunk cannot exist without the roots.

Ready to explore how a proper Growth Marketing strategy can help your Newcastle business? We use best-in-class tools to give you accurate reports on how your advertising money is spent. We're building long term relationships with customers around Newcastle Upon Tyne and transparency is crucial.