Why I'm Not Your Typical Marketing Agency: The Story Behind Liontooth
- By Lisa Ellison
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- 12 Sep, 2023
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Flexible, Personalised Marketing Solutions Without the Agency Overhead
Sometimes I'll get a message to my inbox referencing my marketing agency
👀 God no! I'm
not an agency! No. Sorry, no.
I'm a 1.5-person band. (The other half is my husband who's a silent partner, providing the incredible design skills). I don't want to be thought of as a marketing agency. For me it has connotations of frustration, waiting, chasing, and to be fair, more often than not incredible results but still.
I'm a no-nonsense, to the point communicator.
I like to be efficient and get stuff done and that includes getting results for my clients. I like the fact I'm basically flying solo with this, it's easy. It's straightforward. It's DONE.
Let me give you context and insight...
I have experience with agencies from BOTH sides - I've been the client AND the service provider. Honestly, I had challenges with both. See if anything sounds familiar:
From a client perspective, my biggest frustrations were always...
- The huge bill. Sorry guys, I always found it eye watering even though I wasn't paying!
- Not being able to get hold of my point of contact and waiting whilst others frantically ran around trying to get answers for me.
- I felt bad for (and frustrated about) the person playing piggy in the middle. I couldn't speak to Studio to get answers or explanations about design issues/challenges/restrictions. Information was often lost in transit.
As the service provider, (for me) these were my biggest frustrations...
- There too many systems and processes that got in the way of me just getting on and providing the level of service I wanted to.
- Too many other cogs in the wheel slowing down the process.
- Too many hoops to jump through and restrictions.
So, this led me to where I am today - running my own business providing marketing and branding services on a freelance and consultative basis.
I try to run my business as flexibly as possible, always making sure that the service I provide is tailored
to each individual client. This is why you won't find price lists on my website. I understand that every client is different in terms of size and budget. I want everybody to be able to have the support they need and to be able to access the services that will help them to grow their own business.
I've used my experience in international marketing management, as well as my experiences both as a service provider for a creative agency and as the client receiving such services, to shape the level of service that I provide today.
In addition to my lived experience of working with businesses of all sizes, from micro businesses all the way through to businesses run based on global networks of distributors around the world, I have qualifications in marketing.
Working with me, you will only ever have one point of contact. I'm contactable pretty much anytime of the day or night.
If you want design work doing, I'm able to provide that service via my husband who is an incredibly talented graphic designer. But again, I will be your one point of contact. If you have a particularly intricate, challenging or unusual design requirement, we are always happy to have a group meeting with our clients to ensure that all possibilities, challenges and hurdles are discussed and ironed out, with any visions understood and options provided.
One of the biggest benefits to my clients about the way I run my business is the low overheads. This means I'm not inflating my prices to cover increasing costs. You get the value of strategic branding and marketing, as well as incredible design, without breaking the bank to pay for it.
I have developed a range of frameworks from which I can offer suggested solutions to any branding and marketing challenges.
My favourite part about running my own business is that I have the opportunity to build valuable, long-term relationships with people, helping them to understand what the challenges are so that they not only can move forward, but they can also navigate their way independently in the future.
In terms of my business values, they are very much aligned with my personal values.
- I love to help other people and this is key for me.
- Building strong relationships that are loyal, trustworthy and valuable.
- I'm very much a down to earth kind of person; what you see is what you get.
I really enjoy meeting new people from all sorts of industries and backgrounds. This gives me the opportunity to learn as well as impart my knowledge on somebody else. Although my background is in human pharmaceuticals, animal health and large format printing, since starting Liontooth I have worked with people from all industries including health and wellness, technology, real estate and more.
What are your biggest branding and marketing challenges - let's see if I can help.
Jamie Laing - before you roll your eyes and scroll on, hear me out. (I know, the photo gave away my cliff hanger!) You may have been one of the 50,000+ people that saw my LinkedIn post last week, very much a throw away passing comment, essentially, to say I drove past Jamie Laing on my way home from the school run whilst he was on his fundraising mission for Children In Need.
I followed the story closely last week, quite hooked on his progress and whether or not he would make it. I'm not a celebrity-obsessed person and I rarely engage with anything celebrities do but last week was different and I'm sure I'm not the only one. I believe that many people didn't know he was even embarking on that challenge until last week - I didn't and I listen to Radio 1 daily! I also believe there's a lot of people that either don't know who Jamie Laing is or do know and don't particularly like him - we can't please everyone!
So, what was it about his fundraising effort that gripped the nation and led to him raising over £2m?! It's all about the story. And *this* is a great example of marketing done well - with an emphasis on storytelling and humanising your brand. His fundraising effort, backed by BBC Radio 1 coverage, provides a perfect case study on the power of storytelling in marketing. His journey emphasised his struggle, determination, vulnerability and honesty and that played a pivotal role in engaging the public emotionally and driving donations. If his personal narrative hadn’t been shared so openly, it’s unlikely that such a significant amount would have been raised.
This is something I've also experienced in fundraising efforts that I've been involved in and it makes all the difference but it takes strength to be vulnerable, and I'll always admire those who found the strength to tell their story (you know who you are 💛).
Here's what we can learn about the value of storytelling in marketing:
Emotional connection drives action : Jamie's story wasn't just about asking for donations; it was about sharing his personal experience and struggles throughout last week. People are more likely to connect with a cause when they can empathise with the storyteller. In marketing, emotional engagement creates a bond between the audience and the brand, making them more likely to engage.
Vulnerability builds trust : By being honest and vulnerable about his efforts and the challenges he faced, Jamie Laing built trust with the Radio 1 listeners. Vulnerability *humanises* a brand. In marketing, being transparent and acknowledging (and addressing!) flaws can enhance credibility and build a stronger, more authentic relationship with consumers.
Narrative creates value : Jamie Laing didn’t just promote an event, he shared a compelling and authentic story about his commitment. In marketing, your story can be the difference betwe en blending in and standing out. Crafting a narrative around your brand or product creates meaning, making it more likely to stick in the minds of consumers.
Great - now how can you implement this in your marketing?
If you have ever worked with me, you'll have heard me going on about the importance of authenticity. This applies to everything from branding to customer service. If a brand is transparent about its processes, challenges and goals, customers are more likely to engage and support it.
Emotion drives engagement - whether it’s a product, service or cause, storytelling can create an emotional connection that compels action.
Consistent storytelling over time, where customers can see growth and commitment, helps keep them invested.
So basically, Jamie Laing’s Children In Need campaign demonstrated that storytelling - driven by vulnerability, determination and honesty, was the key to the level of success in his fundraising last week.
For marketers, it highlights that connecting with people on an emotional level, telling authentic stories and leveraging the right platforms can make all the difference in achieving success.
It can feel difficult to build emotion into corporate marketing but there's ALWAYS room to be human.
