Meet Geoffrey Campbell from The Why Marketing. He’s a regular attendee of our BA5 events (pictured), a passionate business owner and all-round friendly person.
You may also know him from our Pride Month article earlier this year, discussing the important of diversity in our businesses.
He started his business in 2019 with a view to help small business owners get started with their marketing needs – be it branding, planning, social media or even collateral. You name it, he can help you with it.
Geoffrey says there was a gap to fill, to upskill small business owners on the marketing basics so they could grow and eventually take on a full-scale marketing agency.
We asked our Chamber Member about his journey to running a business.
Tell us a bit about your background
Over the last 20 years, I have worked in uniform manufacturing, uniform sales, promotional branding, events and corporate gift sales. I also started two businesses in this time. The combination of all these different aspects has given me a vast knowledge of (predominantly) small business marketing: The pitfalls, the budget constraints and, most of all, the overwhelming amount of information available.
Why did you start your own business?
I found that small businesses don’t generally have a marketing presence and can’t afford a full-scale agency. There was a gap to be able to upskill small businesses with the basics of marketing, to get their brand out there and grow them to a point where they can move on to marketing agencies and take their business to the next level.
Tell us about your business: How can you help our business community?
The Why Marketing can help upskill small businesses to market themselves. This is achieved through a variety of marketing channels that are often free or low cost.
We will help set-up social media accounts correctly, analyse current marketing strategies and create a marketing plan that utilises as many marketing channels as are relevant to your industry.
In addition, we supply promotional items, corporate gifts, banners and flags and more to raise the brand awareness of as many small businesses as possible in the Bay of Plenty area.
What makes your business unique?
The Why Marketing is unique by virtue of the in-person tutoring, working to clients’ individual strengths and building tools to help work around their weaknesses. These tutoring sessions help small business owners understand how social media channels work and how to work with them.
Building a marketing schedule that works for the business owner, rather than the business owner working for the marketing schedule, gives them the power to build their own marketing long term.
When you first got into business, what is the one thing you wish people told you?
I wish people had told me that business is about working with other businesses and people, and that everything isn’t only up to me.
In your first year of business, what challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
Most of the challenges were building my reputation, getting my name out there to not only the business community, but also the right target market for my services.
Now it’s about getting my product supply out to the boarder business community in Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty. I most overcome these challenges by being part of the Tauranga Chamber of Commerce, and then a variety of networking groups.
And now, looking back, what have been your biggest learnings?
Far more businesses need marketing help than I ever expected. A lack of knowledge is far more dangerous than a lack of action.
What’s the one misconception people might have about your industry?
That marketing is either unaffordable or a waste of money.
What’s the one thing you want people to know about your business?
Our core mission is to help as many small businesses as possible. Our vision is that every small business owner should have the basics of marketing as a toolkit to start with. This isn’t a sales pitch; we have a genuine passion for wanting to help and support our community.
What are your goals (personal and professional) for the next six to 12 months?
My biggest goal would be to empower small businesses to know how to market themselves.
When you’re not at work, how do you like to spend your time?
I have a variety of hobbies, including hiking and cycling touring the country.
If you could impart one piece of advice to fellow business owners, what would it be?
In difficult times, marketing is the last thing that should be cut. Budgets can be redirected and optimised, but should never be cut completely.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Promotional products/corporate gifts are a great passion of mine. This is a greatly undervalued industry, and an easy and cost effective way for small businesses to market themselves. In combination with other forms of marketing, they one of the best ROIs of any marketing activity.
New members can find it hard meeting people at events, so we want to take some of the pressure off that awkward small talk by shining a light on your business through our member profiles.
Our member profiles are a great way to give the business community a taste of who you are and what you do, so when they see your face at one of our events they won’t hesitate to make that all-important introduction.
If you’re a new member and would like a profile, get in touch with our marketing team today.
