Meet the Team: #1 - 11 Years of Marketing with Jamie Thorpe
Discover the first instalment in our series that delves into the careers of the Thorpes team, helping you get to know them better. Kicking things off is Jamie Thorpe, who shares insights from his journey in marketing, particularly in the construction industry. You might even pick up a few valuable tips along the way!
A decade of challenges, insight, and growth
11 years. Just over a decade. Can you even remember what the world was like in 2013? Me neither.
As a refresher. In November of 2013 Lorde was number one with “Royals”, Manchester United were attempting to defend their last Premier League title (which they’ve not won since) and everyone was playing ‘Flappy Bird’ on their iPhone 5s.
Most importantly, of course, was that in the latter part of 2013 I stepped bright-eyed and bushy-tailed into Thorpes Joinery (then known as Thorpes of Great Glen).
Since then, I like to think I have picked up a few things. Some construction-related, some marketing-related, and a significant amount of utterly useless football trivia that will never, ever come in handy.
I’ve been fortunate enough to work alongside some hugely knowledgeable people, but for the most part, marketing has been a solo journey. Following my degree, it was largely left up to myself to put the theory I had learned into action, be it through my role at Thorpes, my side passion of JT Social or the various bits of football media that I got involved in.
This, I think, allows a unique perspective on the world of marketing. I have been my own critic, my own taskmaster, even my own manager to an extent. So, I thought I would ramble away and list some of the biggest lessons I have learnt about B2B marketing, specifically within construction. You never know, it might even prove useful, or not, who really knows.
1. Quality over quantity. If you are just starting out in social media marketing you’ll be inundated with blogs, influencers etc telling you that you simply must post every day, otherwise your content will fall to the bottom of the pool, never to be seen by anyone. Instead, I propose a marketing hill that I am willing to die on: getting your content right for your audience and offering value will always be better than churning out posts of lower quality just for the sake of it. A smaller but engaged audience will always top a bigger, but less interested one. Sorry, LinkedIn influencers, but this is the truth.
2. People buy from people. Never, ever underestimate the human side of your company. Construction is built upon relationships and ultimately, your brand name will only ever get you so far. Lean on this is the right way, give your team visibility and allow them to be ambassadors of your company, they will sell more than marketing taglines ever can.
3. Language matters. I know this might seem obvious but bear with me. Something I have always tried to steer clear of is ever proclaiming to be “the best” at anything. This is not to say that Thorpes are not an excellent company, far from it, but in general, it has always been my view that if you have to say that you are the biggest, the best, the most exceptional or “market leading”, then you probably aren’t.
Allow your service to do the talking and focus your language on what you can do for your clients, rather than simply telling them how great you are. Humility over bragging, problem-solving over self-congratulating, every single time.
4. Monitor, don’t copy. Be aware of what your competitors, clients and others from your industry are doing. That much is obvious, I mean, we are all naturally nosy anyway and bound to keep an eye on the various goings on. After all, industry-related news is crucial to ensure you have your finger on the pulse and can stay relevant. You may even see an idea that you think “ah man, we should do that”.
In fact, there are several marketing influencers that would tell you to actively build that into your social strategy, and they’d be right. However, don’t simply just copy ideas, you would be AMAZED at how often this happens and it’s such poor form. Evolve it, add your own spin, develop and improve but don’t just ctrl c + ctrl v. Don’t be that guy, no one likes that guy.
5. Understand your client. This can be a bit tricky in B2B marketing, especially in the world of sub-contracting. But in general, it can be hugely helpful when creating content to visualise who it is for. Create a persona for each client type: what’re their interests, what’re their problems, what do they want to see? Then, create content for these personas. Easy peasy.
6. It’s ok to admit you don’t know the answer. If you work in marketing, at some point it’s gonna happen. There you are, happily chatting away to your prospective client, when they ask you a question. No problem, you think, I know my subject matter, sure I wasn’t a bench joiner, but it’s been 10 years, I’ve picked up a thing or two along the way…erm, what on earth are they on about?
Being involved in such a multi-layered, and detailed industry can occasionally have it’s drawbacks. You will end up talking to people who are hugely knowledgeable about their field, and occasionally a time will come when you simply do not know the answer to their question. Fear not, I have a solution. Rather than spout some BS that is only gonna come back to bite you, simply say some variation of “I don’t honestly know, but I will find out”. I am 100% certain a client would prefer an accurate, if delayed response, rather than an immediate one that is wrong…
7. Mix it up. Don’t be afraid to try something new. Like writing a blog about your biggest marketing lessons for example, or experimenting with video, or focusing on a new area of your business. Sticking to the status quo is boring, and an educated gamble or foray into a new channel can bring dividends.
8. All In on AI? This is a dangerous thing to put on Linked In, my days, but, here we go: don’t rely on AI to write.
There, I said it.
Full transparency: I have tried several AI writing tools, and by tried I mean had a little go to see what the fuss was about. This brief sojourn into a RAPIDLY evolving world is by no means enough for me to proclaim myself to be an expert on the matter, but, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was all just a bit, “meh”.
Content marketing is hard work, anyone involved in it will tell you this, but it is hard for a reason. Knowing your audience, adapting your tone of voice and using language to create pervasive and useful content is not something that simply just happens. Sure you can prompt AI to write in this manner, probably, but if not done properly you run the risk of pumping out content that a) feels the exact same as any other AI utilising brand and b) does not match anything that has gone before it on your channels, and not in a good way.
My favourite summary on AI so far is this quote “I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so that I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do my laundry and dishes”. Keep the humanity in your brand.