13 | Q4 2020 Best Marketing Consultancy of the Year Award Smart Thinking Consultancy was founded by marketing expert Maggie Robinson over 8 years ago so she could break free of office politics and restrictions and provide a personal, consistent and reliable marketing service for small and medium sized businesses. With over a decade of corporate experience behind her, Maggie wanted to put ethics and values at the core of what she does, so she decided to focus her attention on businesses across the UK who need marketing support. She prides herself on giving a personal, bespoke service to her clients – she takes on the work herself rather than being the salesperson for a team. Maggie uses her knowledge of the marketing sector to make sure her clients have a consistent and cohesive approach to their marketing and aren’t missing out on key marketing opportunities. Part of Maggie’s approach involves staying up to date with the fast-moving marketing industry through constant training and learning. Maggie has also helped others to do this through serving on the South West Committee for the Chartered Institute of Marketing, helping other professionals keep up to date with CPD and has also contributed to government support programmes assisting other businesses. Maggie is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing due to her industry experience. She said: “So many people pass their qualifications and then do no further training, so they’re still applying theories based on what they learnt years ago. The marketing landscape has changed so drastically, even within the last few years, so it’s essential to keep up to date with the way the market is moving in order to be able to provide the best service.” With recent events proving challenging for many businesses, Maggie offered free marketing consultations to SMEs affected by Covid-19 to make sure businesses focused on both their short-term survival and their long-term planning to secure their future. Smart Thinking Consultancy is also sponsoring a site close to Maggie’s home to contribute to the upkeep of the local area. Another key part of Smart Thinking Consultancy is the opportunity to provide wider support to good causes and the local community. Maggie is currently supporting Team Anna Victorious, a team of four men rowing across the Atlantic to raise money for Victoria’s Promise - a cancer charity which supported crewman Ed’s wife Anna as she battled cancer. Maggie said: ““I felt a need to help, and can use my marketing expertise and contacts to help spread the word and raise funds for Victoria’s Promise. It will take a huge effort just to get the money needed to get on the water, so I was keen to offer the help that I could.” Ed said: “We are so excited to have Maggie as part of the team helping us to achieve our goal of rowing across the Atlantic Ocean. The journey starts a long time before setting off on the 3000mile journey from La Gomera to Antigua. Some say the hardest part is getting to the start line so having Maggie’s expertise in marketing is amazing. We are really looking forward to working with her whilst raising the profile and money of this amazing charity, Victoria’s Promise, who did so much for Anna and my family during her cancer diagnosis.” As well as supporting charities and her local community, Maggie provides effective, relevant and reliable marketing advice ranging from full traditional and digital marketing strategies, to advertising campaigns and search engine optimization. Based in the beautiful market town of Marlborough, in Wiltshire, Maggie works with businesses across the UK. One of the major changes across the business world has been the increasing reliance on online communication, which makes client meetings easier than ever. However, nothing beats a face to face chat and Maggie happily travels when appropriate and fits her working hours around her clients’ schedules – so evening phone calls and weekend updates aren’t a problem. Many businesses have found the recent circumstances challenging and Maggie has been helping companies adjust their focus and the way they communicate with their customers to strengthen their chances of survival. Her main piece of advice is to keep things simple. She said: “Businesses now understand that they have to get clear messages out there to their customers. Understandably, budgets are coming under scrutiny, so it is important that any marketing budget is spent wisely. “I have been helping businesses analyse where they spend their money and the return on their investment. It helps companies decide if they’re spending their money in the right way, if they should outsource their marketing or whether it’s more cost-effective to have a role in-house.” Maggie’s ethic-led approach leads to her clients getting a level of attention not normally experienced through a consultancy – her jargon-free, open and honest approach, ties to her local community and charitable causes, plus dedication to the sector all combine to make Smart Thinking Consultancy stand above other marketing consultancies. Maggie’s dedication and passion for helping others and ability to provide a joined-up and valuable service for SMEs in need of help makes Smart Thinking Consultancy an obvious choice of winner for Best Marketing Consultancy of the Year 2020. To find out more about Smart Thinking Consultancy, visit www.SmartThinkingConsultancy.co.uk or contact Maggie Robinson at [email protected] Nov20184
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