Let’s talk about the most important thing, getting your foundations right.

It’s not glamorous, it’s not a quick fix, but trust me—this is non-negotiable. Think of it like building a house. You wouldn’t start decorating the living room before laying the bricks, would you? The same goes for your brand. You can’t run before you can walk, and trying to skip steps? That’s a recipe for wasted time, energy, and money.

If you’re a new brand just starting out, here’s my advice: take a step back and focus on the essentials. Get your foundations right. Spend time building your content bank—photos, videos, website copy—you’ll need it all, and you’ll need a lot of it. No, really. You can never have too much content. High-quality visuals that showcase your product. Engaging captions that tell your story. Blogs, emails, how-to guides—the works.

Why is this so important? Because your content is your brand’s voice. It’s how people discover you, learn about you, and decide whether they trust you enough to make a purchase. Without a solid content library, you’re essentially whispering into the void.

Now, here’s a big one: don’t even think about running ads until you’ve built up your organic traffic. I get it—ads are tempting. They can drive quick wins, and who doesn’t want to see those sales numbers climb? But here’s the catch: relying on paid media as your main revenue stream is like building your business on quicksand. It gets expensive fast, and if you haven’t got the organic foundations to support it, you’re just burning cash.

Ads are brilliant when used strategically—but they should be the icing on the cake, not the whole cake itself. Build your online presence first. Focus on creating content that people actually want to engage with. Get your audience talking about you, sharing your posts, and visiting your website because they’re genuinely interested—not because you paid for their attention.

So, how do you get started? Here’s a step-by-step guide to laying those all-important foundations:

Step 1: Define Your Brand Identity

Before creating any content, make sure you’re crystal clear on who you are as a brand. What’s your mission? Your tone of voice? Your unique selling points? Consistency is key, so every piece of content you create should reflect your brand’s identity.

Step 2: Build Your Content Bank

Start with the basics:

• High-quality photos and videos, on-brand visuals that showcase your products or services in action. Show them off in different settings and styles.

• Ensure you have clear and engaging website copy that highlights your offering and tells your story. Don’t forget to optimise it for search engines!

• Write educational or inspiring blogs and guides that position you as an expert in your field.

• Create a mix of social media posts—some to entertain, some to inform, and some to directly promote your product.

Step 3: Optimise Your Website

Make sure your website is up to scratch. Is it easy to navigate? Mobile-friendly? Fast to load? All the content in the world won’t help if your website puts people off.

Step 4: Grow Your Organic Presence

Focus on building a community around your brand. Post consistently on social media, engage with comments, and respond to messages. Start a newsletter to keep your audience in the loop. Organic traffic takes time to grow, but it’s worth the investment.

Step 5: Use Analytics to Understand Your Audience

Pay attention to what’s working. Which blog posts are driving traffic? What social media content gets the most engagement? Use this information to refine your strategy and create more of what your audience loves.

Step 6: Test and Refine Your Strategy

Marketing isn’t “set it and forget it.” Experiment with different content types, posting schedules, and messaging. See what resonates with your audience and adapt as you go.

Step 7: Introduce Ads (When You’re Ready)

Once you’ve built a strong organic presence, then you can start running ads. But do it strategically. Test small budgets, target the right audience, and always measure your results. Ads work best when they’re amplifying a solid foundation—not trying to create one from scratch.

Step 8: Stay Consistent

Good marketing isn’t about quick wins—it’s about playing the long game. Show up consistently, keep refining your approach, and focus on building relationships with your audience.

When you get your foundations right, everything else becomes so much easier. You’ll not only attract more customers, but you’ll also keep them coming back for more. And that? That’s the real key to growth.