As the founder of Alpha Digital Marketing and a seasoned online visibility strategist, Victoria Marshall has empowered small businesses since 2014 with tailor-made services for small enterprises. Victoria offers engaging training courses, hands-on workshops, and in-person training sessions, each designed to navigate the digital realm, amplify digital presence, foster connections with ideal clients, and significantly elevate sales. A recognized and sought-after ad specialist who often graces various events as a speaker, generously sharing actionable tips for maximising online visibility, Victoria remains committed to translating the digital language into a powerful tool for business growth and success.
Victoria Marshall, Online Visibility Strategist
Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better.
I'm Victoria, I live in the Southwest region of the UK with my three almost grown-up children and a spirited 10-year-old Springer x Poodle. We're tucked away in peaceful countryside but are close enough to larger towns, striking a nice balance between peaceful and active.
I spent a good chunk of my career as a planner in various manufacturing sectors until 2014 when one of my children struggled to recover from a long-term serious illness. Being a single parent, I needed to be home more, which directed my career onto a new path.
Music is my go-to comfort; my playlists are a mixed bag, ranging from classical and country to heavy metal. If a tune catches my ear, it finds a spot on my phone. When I'm not working, I enjoy exploring with my camera, especially snapping photos of old buildings like castles. Their historic charm translates into some really moody images which I love. Also, I'm an avid reader and love both biographies and a variety of fiction. Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today.
After being invited to present at two events organized by the UK's Federation of Small Businesses on the topic of Social Media, my business took a significant leap. These events introduced me to the founder of Business Women In. Since around 2017, I've been conducting marketing training sessions for their members and have recently written specific courses for them. This is in addition to supporting other businesses with their marketing and I've been fortunate to maintain a steady client base. I have now been able to broaden my availability, with a larger capacity now dedicated to client training and ad management.
Can you provide an overview of Alpha Digital Marketing and its core services? What sets your agency apart from competitors in the digital marketing industry?
Alpha Digital Marketing primarily offers three tailored services, emphasising a personal touch and direct engagement with clients: managing paid ads with a notable monthly budget, crafting marketing strategies, and delivering business training. Rather than an exhaustive list of done-for-you solutions, the emphasis is on enlightening businesses and ad management.
We’ve seen numerous business owners wrestle with the complexities of digital marketing, leading to overwhelming frustration. While many businesses may not initially have the budget to delegate their digital marketing tasks, they often possess the ability to learn these concepts. As these businesses grow, the skills can be passed onto their teams or outsourced when the time is right. Our methodology is designed to arm businesses with the know-how and confidence they require to effectively make their mark online, ensuring their marketing is amplified across diverse channels, ultimately letting them enjoy their success! In the rapidly evolving field of digital marketing, how do you stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies to ensure your clients receive cutting-edge solutions?
Keeping up with the dynamics of digital marketing is a full-time commitment! Subscriptions to platforms like Social Media Examiner are invaluable for staying current and ahead of the curve. There's hardly a day when I'm not delving into something new, be it fresh training materials, updates on ad platforms, or exploring varied strategies. Every client has a unique set of needs, which makes it crucial to have the latest information at my fingertips when crafting their ad campaigns or marketing strategies. Can you describe your approach to developing digital marketing strategies for clients? How do you tailor your services to meet the unique needs and goals of each client?
The agency believes in a holistic, all-encompassing approach when it comes to client engagement. While in-depth discussions with clients form the foundation of this, we go a step further by undertaking detailed research on both their operations and those of their competitors. This additional layer of analysis gives a rounded perspective on the broader industry trends, challenges, and opportunities, ensuring we have a clear understanding of where the client stands today and their aspirations for tomorrow.
The evaluation process is thorough. Delving into the intricacies of their digital presence: examining the tone and content of their social media communications, assessing their strategies on Google optimization, scrutinizing the quality and user-friendliness of their website, and analysing their search engine rankings. Furthermore, we review the effectiveness of their newsletters in engaging their audience and fostering customer loyalty.
In tandem with this, we analyse their competitors in a similar vein. This really helps in spotting gaps, capitalising on unique selling points, and planning a strategy that will set them apart.
With all this information we craft a tailor-made strategy for each client. Each client receives a personalised strategy package, tailored to resonate with their specific business and overall objectives. But we ensure it’s not overwhelming, breaking it down into clear, actionable steps. What metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) do you use to measure the success of digital marketing campaigns? How do you ensure transparency and accountability in reporting results to clients?
The metrics can differ based on individual client objectives. However, a consistent indicator is the ROI – Return on Investment. This universally benchmarks the effectiveness of any campaign. While the overarching goal for every client is ROI, their specific objectives can range: some aim for service sign-ups, some for webinars, and others for increased bookings, enquiries, traffic boosts, or in-store visits.
For instance, with a particular client, we prioritise metrics like Cost per Link Click (CPC) and Website Purchase and Leads Generated. Alongside these, we assess Reach, Frequency, CPM (Cost per 1000), CTR (Link Click ThroughRate), Link Clicks, and the overall Click ThroughRate. Coupled with client-specific metrics, these provide a comprehensive view of campaign effectiveness.
In terms of reporting, we realised that while written reports are useful, many of our clients appreciate a video walk-through of the results. In these videos, we break down the performance, highlight strengths, pinpoint areas of potential enhancement, and lay out the next steps. Post-video, clients receive a list of action items, either requiring their input or laying out the subsequent plan. They feel more empowered when they understand their results in more than industry jargon.
For organic strategies, we focus on metrics like reach, engagement, various Click Through Rates, and follower count. Additionally, based on the client's unique needs, we might look into enquiries, bookings, and in-store visits. Just as with paid strategies, clients get a detailed written report and a clarifying video walkthrough. This approach, based on feedback, has been instrumental in ensuring clients are always in the loop and fully grasp their campaign's results.
Could you share some success stories or case studies that highlight the results your agency has achieved for clients? What industries or types of businesses do you typically work with?
Alpha Digital Marketing has and does work with clients from many different industries – authors, coaches, garages, therapists, jewelry designers, and even retailers, and works with clients with a monthly budget of £200 to £20k. While they're all different, they all have one thing in common: they're established and ready to grow.
Our Ad clients frequently see a significant return on investment in competitive fields quite often at least 3x return on investment.
One Case study I love to share is about a retail store that was in a tight spot. Their marketing budget was tiny, their social media presence was almost non-existent, and you couldn't find them on Google if you tried. Things got even tougher with COVID hitting. We decided to start with what's free – so we jumped on Facebook and Google, focusing on building their organic presence. The results? More people started walking into their store. With a very careful strategy using Facebook groups and a bit of Google magic, we got people talking and excited about what the shop had to offer. As things started looking up, we gave paid ads a go. Google was good, but Facebook? A game-changer. By the end of that financial year, the store's turnover had shot up by 24%. Their online posts now regularly see an 8% engagement rate, often higher, and it gets people in the mood to shop, with their return on investment being 10x it has been an incredibly successful strategy.
I often tell this story to small businesses who think they can't make a dent with online marketing. It just goes to show, that with the right strategy and even a tiny budget, you can make big things happen.
