Empathy and Analytics: Three Years of Pidgin Marketing

Ah, three years! They say time flies, but in the business world, it's supersonic, and this week, I've realised that Pidgin Marketing is three years old! How did that happen?

Pidgin Marketing started when I'd just become a father for the first time and needed a job that offered the flexibility to look after a little boy with some additional needs while building a business. My intention was always to grow, of course, but in that first year, I needed complete flexibility as I got to grips with my new reality!

After leaving a very busy and intense head of marketing role, I wanted to create a business that helped marketers in positions like I had been - working overtime to meet an insatiable content production schedule and sometimes feeling overwhelmed by the marketing strategy they had created!

I chose the name Pidgin because the meaning resonated with me.

(SIDEBAR: For anyone unfamiliar with the term, Pidgin is a linguistic term referring to Pidgin languages, which are new languages that develop in places where people of different cultures commonly interact. These languages blend words and grammar from both languages into a new dialect that creates a unique identity but is understood by both cultures.)

A lot of businesses, especially large corporates or long-established owner-operated SMEs, develop an internal language and all too often use this on their website or social media. While those business leaders are experts in their industry, their internal language typically doesn't resonate with their customers, and it doesn't get engagement online. Also, on the flip side, sometimes business owners don't hear what their clients are saying or don't know how to integrate their feedback into their marketing.

So, with Pidgin Marketing, I want to help build that bridge between businesses and their ideal customers, as that misalignment is, I've found, at the heart of many underperforming marketing strategies.

Pidgin Marketing started as a copywriting and content marketing service and is still my bread and butter to this day. But as my son progressed to Nursery School and we found childcare suitable for his needs, it freed up my time and brain power to take on more strategic work and expand my skill set to grow into my clients' expanding requirements.

I invested in training in paid social media, videography, and video editing, as well as refreshing my knowledge in other areas of digital marketing. My intention was never to dilute what I did well but to bring what I am good at to new mediums and new disciplines. And when it comes down to it, my core strengths are empathy and the love of a good story.

It's not that I try to get interview subjects to cry on EVERY talking head video. Still, I try to ask questions that elicit an emotional response and reveal the humanity of the businesses I work with. People buy from people, so show them your people and show them that your people are people!

Understanding people and being able to craft a story, sometimes over months of digital content, is at the heart of what I offer.

Cringing yet? I know I am. Self-promotion has never been my cup of tea. It's always felt a bit like wearing a suit that's just a tad too tight - which, as a chunky fella who marketed very lovely slim-fitting suits for five years, I know all about!

But, after three years in business for myself, I've realised that maybe I'm doing something right. My clients have stuck by me, and the business has grown organically through clients increasing their retainers with me or from new business won through referral and recommendation.

Part of the growth story has also been honest self-reflection and walking away or saying 'no' when I know I'm not the best person for a brief, like earlier in the year when I finally hung up my PR boots.

Like most boots, PR boots are made for walking, and mine got precious little exercise despite being lovely and sparkly. PR is a discipline that depends on writing, which I'm all good with, but also on longstanding, constantly maintained relationships.

When I looked honestly at my work over the past several years, I haven't needed to maintain media relationships in Northern Ireland, and my contacts in GB were specifically in the menswear world or fashion trade press.

So, even though I LOVED my last PR client and delivered decent coverage on broadcast and press titles, I knew it was best for both of us to part ways and for me to recommend some excellent peers who were more fully based in that world.

As I look to the future, it's not just about adding another client or two to my retainer list. It's about creating a team that can enhance the services I offer as an individual and continuing to bridge the gap between businesses and their audiences. It's also about developing myself and continuing to improve my skills and processes. In the short term, that involves refreshing my analytics training (again!) and finishing my SOSTAC Certified Planner course.

I've always believed in the power of showing up, not just in my clients' businesses as an extension of their team, but online as myself. It's what I preach to my clients and even offer training and mentorship on (plug-plug), but now, it's time that I practised what I preach more consistently.

Expect to see more of me and Pidgin Marketing on your feeds (and maybe even in the 'real' world!) sharing, engaging, and perhaps even entertaining you along the way…

Stating that I want to grow this business further is my first step in holding myself accountable. When I review my fourth year in business, I hope to see significant steps forward for me personally and professionally.

And maybe you can help! I want to get inspiration to push me forward on this entrepreneurial journey. So tell me, what business books changed your perspective, inspired you or helped you achieve the mindset to meet your own ambition? Or which creators or experts on LinkedIn or other platforms have inspired your journey to success? Let me know on LinkedIn or Instagram @pidginmarketing

Here's to more clarity, more connection, and, of course, more success for all of us. It might be Dry January, but cheers to that!

Martin