SME Marketing Case Study: Helping a web design business build presence and reach new clients
- Ruth Harvey
- Jan 5
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 9
PepperStreet Web Design (PepperStreet) is a well-established and trusted local business with an excellent reputation. But like many SMEs, it had fallen into a common cycle of busy periods followed by quieter ones, and reached a point where visibility and business development weren’t keeping pace with the quality of its work.
After a quieter spell and a realisation that outbound efforts were inconsistent and uncomfortable, PepperStreet wanted support to build a strategy that felt structured, sustainable, and authentic. Without active promotion, PepperStreet Web Design risked remaining invisible to the very clients who needed their expertise.
Find out how YMP supported this web design business build presence and reach new clients with my SME marketing case study:
The Your Marketing Partner UK (YMP) approach
A deep-dive discovery session
We began with a detailed discovery document - a structured set of questions that helps YMP quickly understand a business and what the challenges and opportunities are.
PepperStreet’s responses provided a strong understanding of the business’s strengths and uncovered clear opportunities to support growth, particularly around audience clarity, positioning, service structure, and promotion. From this, we worked through several core strategic elements.
Defined the target audience and developed an ICP
Using customer data, industry insights and lived experience, we worked together to define:
Who their ideal clients are
What they value
How they buy websites
What triggers a purchase
The problems they need solved
This resulted in a clearly defined target audience and an insight-driven ideal customer profile (ICP), giving PepperStreet a focused direction for all marketing and sales activity.
Developed strong positioning and a compelling value proposition
We clarified PepperStreet’s strengths and why that matters to clients. Together we built:
Clear positioning statements
Strong value propositions
Messaging that reflects their strengths: local partnership, smarter websites, personal service
This became the foundation for future content, outreach, and website messaging.
Reviewed and refined the service offering and pricing strategy
We explored how PepperStreet services were structured and priced, identifying opportunities to increase value and make the offering clearer and more compelling. This included refining existing packages, considering new service options, and aligning pricing with the true value delivered.
Developed a promotional strategy PepperStreet could feel confident using
One of the biggest challenges PepperStreet faced was a lack of consistent brand visibility. The business had strong experience and a great reputation but wasn’t showing up often enough for potential clients to discover it.
To overcome this, we developed a promotional strategy that balanced long-term brand building with short-term lead generation, ensuring the business could increase awareness while still attracting immediate opportunities.
This included:
Long-term visibility activities such as exhibitions, local networking, PR opportunities, and a sustainable content plan.
Short-term activation tactics like targeted outreach, LinkedIn Sales Navigator research, and local lead-gen campaigns aligned to her ICP.
By separating brand and activation we created a strategy that builds visibility, future demand, and supports immediate enquiry growth.
Created a sustainable plan to manage marketing going forward
We built a practical, manageable structure outlining:
Weekly, monthly, and quarterly marketing activities
Content creation rhythm
Tools to use (email, scheduling, analytics)
How to measure performance
How to adjust activity during busy and quiet periods
This ensures PepperStreet stays visible consistently, not just during those quieter periods.
YMP's impact
By combining clarity, structure, messaging, and a personalised promotional approach, PepperStreet gained:
A defined ICP and audience strategy
Clear, confident positioning and value proposition
A service and pricing structure that reflects the value delivered
A promotional plan designed to boost visibility in a way that feels natural and achievable
A sustainable weekly/monthly marketing structure
Renewed confidence in showing up authentically
As PepperStreet reflected in their own blog:
“I brought in Ruth from Your Marketing Partner, who arrived with some brilliant and fresh ideas and a clear, actionable plan.”
PepperStreet's takeaway? Business development doesn’t have to be loud or pushy - it’s about building trust, showing up consistently, and making your presence known in ways that feel honest and sustainable.
