Ellie Middleton

this might sound controversial but trust me when i say... you don’t need a content strategy, you only need to increase your outputs! 3 months ago, when i started a fresh instagram account i was worrying on fidning the perfect content strategy, turns out i never found out the perfect strategy until i started posting. i started posting fit checks as it was the most easiest way to show my authentic personality without even saying a word, and it turned out one of the best content strategies, because + i stopped overthinking and started to post content even thought it didn't feel as if i could grow in the start so if you want to find the perfect content strategy, you need to: - pick the easiest format you can stick with daily (photos, fit checks, short talking head vids) - post it every day without editing it to death. - let the audience tell you what works, not your overthinking

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If I were a Head of Marketing right now (part two)... Turns out 5,000+ of you had some thoughts on what brave marketing looks like, so here’s round two. ✅ Capitalise somewhere people overlook Oh Polly just quietly made their 'New In' section the most engaging thing going on with the brand. Models interact across panels, turning product listing into a moment of surprise. The product grid is usually ignored, but they made it scroll-worthy. My favourite bit? The ice-cream drop for sure. ✅ Take your product out of its usual place Swizzels did this beautifully. They launched a new series of Reels showing the sweets being spinning around and exploding into each other. It taps into ASMR, food aesthetic, and trend culture. And by removing the product from its usual pack shot or shelf context, they made it feel more fun, more cool, more desirable. ✅ Own a rainbow, not a brand colour We’re moving beyond the era of brands owning one colour. OLIPOP PBC, poppi and DAISE Beauty are building visual identities based on full product rainbows, think shelf appeal, collectability, personal choice. It’s all about building a world where every flavour is its own moment. ✅ Set build is King Think of Puresport’s branded marathon fill-up station or The London Essence Company recreating a London rooftop terrace to launch their pink grapefruit serve. These are more than “sets” they’re brand-built environments that can live across social, OOH, retail and PR. Physical feels even more powerful in a world of 3D AR crowdedness. ✅ Drill into FOMO rhode skin’s Mallorca launch wasn’t just about a lip tint it was about making you feel like you were missing out on the coolest trip of the summer. It wasn’t pushing product, it was giving ‘I need to be there’. That’s the power of FOMO culture done right: making people want the moment as much as the product. ✅ Make your product the cool girl Oatly’s Lookbook didn’t feel like a marketing campaign, it felt like a couture drop. Their oat serves were styled like they belonged in an Acne editorial which was unexpectedly effortlessly chic haha. It was fun, self-aware, and weirdly cool. In a sea of samey UGC, they made oat milk feel like the moment. Proof that with a bit of thought and a good eye, any product can have main character energy. Basically, if I were running marketing right now, I’d be squeezing the magic out of every overlooked moment.

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Most agencies say they “also do LinkedIn Ads.” But every week, I audit accounts that look like a Meta specialist built them. This week I looked at one being run by a relatively big UK agency… And the audience size was 2 million. At first, I get excited thinking I’m about to help the marketing person on the call when I deliver this news. Then I realise, I’m actually delivering news that might get them fired. Because in some cases, there’s hundreds of thousands in wasted spend. LinkedIn Audience Network is another one. I audit accounts literally every week where this thing is switched on. It’s just one little checkbox. But it totally f$cks the account. Keep it off. Like 99% of the time. LinkedIn is not Meta. In many ways, it’s the opposite. Meta has super good machine learning and has a scary amount of info about us, which gives it intent signals on if we are in the market for a product. LinkedIn not so much. On LinkedIn, you need tight targeting. Spend your budget only on your ICP (not large audiences). Never trust LinkedIn's suggested bids or suggested anything for that matter. LinkedIn is built for sales-led businesses. + Long buying journeys. + High-ticket deals. + Complex funnels. To win here, you need: ✔ A real funnel strategy ✔ Middle-of-funnel nurture ✔ Ads that build trust, not just grab clicks ✔ A mix of thought leader, lead gen, and demand gen content If you’re an agency wanting to offer LinkedIn Ads to your clients, but you’re not 100% confident, we can run it for you. We’ve just opened our white label LinkedIn Ads service. We run the account under your brand. You stay the hero. We’re the engine behind the scenes. Send me a DM and I’ll show you how it works.

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How One Messy Business Name Almost Got a Local Company Suspended by Google Let me tell you a story… I recently worked with a small business owner who had no idea their GBP was quietly putting their business at risk. Here’s what I found: Their official business name was “Elite Home Services Ltd.” But their GBP showed “Elite Home Cleaning & Handyman Services.” And across other directories and citations? Every variation you can imagine: “Elite Home Services,” “Elite Cleaning,” “Elite Home & Handyman,” “ELITE HOME SERVICES LTD”… it was a complete mess. At first, they didn’t think it was a big deal. But here’s why it mattered: → Google saw the keyword-stuffed GBP name and flagged it → risk of suspension. → Mismatched NAP (Name, Address, Phone) across websites, citations, and directories → confused Google → hurt rankings. → Even without changing addresses or phone numbers, just the name differences put their GBP at risk. I could see the panic in their eyes. Losing visibility on Google could cost them leads, credibility, and even customers during their busiest season. Here’s what I did: → Aligned the website and all directory listings so every NAP matched the official registration. → Updated the GBP name to exactly match their legal documentation. → Prepared for reverification, sometimes Google asks for video verification if it’s a physical location. Heads up: → Temporary suspension is possible when you change the name. → But with proper documentation, you can appeal and get reinstated. → Going slow and covering your bases reduces risk, but fear shouldn’t keep your GBP messy. Key takeaway: Inconsistent names = wasted visibility + potential suspension. Fix it now before it costs you leads and credibility. Winter, or peak season, doesn’t wait… and neither do your customers searching for your services. If you want your Google Business Profile optimized, consistent, and safe from suspension, let’s talk. I help local businesses fix their GBP, align their citations, and get found by the right customers. → DM me today and let’s make your business Google-proof.

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Top tip for my freelance marketing homies out there: Stop trying to justify the costs involved in what you provide. Focus on the value/deliverables it will provide instead. I see a lot of people breaking down the fact that their prices include insurance, software, equipment, holiday pay etc. And whilst that’s all absolutely true, I’ll let you in on a little secret: That potential client doesn’t give a toss. They only care about them getting results/returns from whatever the service is that you’re selling. Try this instead: “That price is a bit steep. Especially as we didn’t get any results last time we did this.” “Interesting. How much did you pay for this last time, what did you get for it, how was it implemented, and what did you get back?” “We spent £300 on [let them specify shit deliverables from the fella from Fiverr] and got nothing back” “What’s an avg client worth to you?” “£3000”. “Ok. Well for [insert price], here’s a full breakdown of our process, all the exact deliverables you’ll get, how they’ll be used, and the metrics we’ll measure to show how they’ll affect your bottom line. I’ve also attached 3 examples of businesses similar to yours that we’ve done this for and the results they got. If we can land you [x] new clients from this in [y] time, how much profit does that leave in your pocket each month?” People think they want someone to “do a thing”. What they ACTUALLY want is confidence that there’s a clear system behind the investment that will return more than they’re putting into it. Frame your conversations this way and you’ll have a much nicer time on sales calls. P.S- there are plenty of people out there that are inherently just cheap/daft and will always place price above logic/evidence. Don’t waste your time or energy on those. The economy will teach them harsher lessons than you ever could. #Freelance #Marketing #Sales

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Does LinkedIn still work right now? On a recent call with Lindsay, Cory, and Charlie, we spoke about the drop in reach on LinkedIn and how we’d re-optimise it for growth. We talked about how you don’t need a massive audience to win. Small creators are landing clients every day because their content is strategic. Here’s what’s worked for me even when reach has dropped: •⁠ ⁠I became a lot more intentional with my copy. •⁠ ⁠I leaned heavily into pain point triggers. •⁠ ⁠I added social proof and nuggets of value in every post. •⁠ ⁠I tested urgency, scarcity, and stronger calls to action. Even with fewer impressions, people still reach out. Because the copy is working harder. If your content isn’t performing like before, don’t just chase more views. Make every word work harder so the right people who do see it are more willing to talk to you. What’s one shift you’ve made recently?

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We're failing as a CRM and Retention agency. But not in the way you think. Our average client stays with us for 7 months. That's not the problem. The problem is we're rejecting 70% of enquiries because we're understaffed. Unlike paid ads or SEO, retention work requires 4-5 people per brand at any given time. Here's what I've realized. Not every brand needs an agency like us. For most, an in-house resource is more than enough. For others, their existing ad agency can handle it. But every brand should focus on retention. So instead of turning away 70% of brands, I'm starting something different. A bootcamp sharing everything we've learned over the last 2 years. Working with 50+ brands. Generating over $10M (85 Cr.) in revenue. The goal? Help more brands solve retention without needing a full agency. If you're an agency or brand interested in learning retention, drop a comment. I'll personally reach out. (Details shared in the first comment)

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12 things I see in every CEO who work LinkedIn like a boss!! Want followers to turn into revenue? Start here 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼 • You share the stories others won’t. • You argue for your buyers, not against competitors. • Your voice is recognisable in any comment thread. • You turn failures into lessons. • You reply to meaningful comments like they matter. • You hold strong opinions on 2-3 specific topics. • You celebrate other CEOs’ wins, even competitors’. • You share real numbers when it serves the lesson. • You show behind-the-scenes decisions, not just outcomes. • You call out industry BS everyone thinks but won’t say. • You coin signature phrases people quote back to you. • Your content makes people think, “I wish I’d said that.” • You don’t treat LinkedIn like social media. • You treat it like the boardroom of the internet. That’s why some CEOs leverage LinkedIn to scale their business… And achieve their objectives. While others collect vanity metrics and wonder why nothing converts. And then say something like... "LinkedIn is saturated" Or... "LinkedIn doesn't work for my business" The difference isn’t follower count. It’s TRUST count! ---------- I’m Stefan. I help business owners, founders and CEOs turn LinkedIn into a high-trust client engine with authority content, smart outreach, and zero-cringe lead generation. Want to see exactly how this works? Grab my free email course:: https://lnkd.in/eyNAnixC

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