Ep.77 Maria Lloyd | 4 Simple (But Overlooked) Shifts for Business Growth

In the final My Local Marketer episode of 2025, Maria shares four key takeaways from local business interviews to help Reading-based entrepreneurs succeed in 2026.

1. Mastery of Industry Insights

Maria highlights Becky Ottery from Eclectic Games, who stays competitive by tracking designer blogs, attending trade shows, and listening closely to customer interests.

To streamline this, Maria suggests using AI prompts—specifying your niche and location—to identify the best sources and people to follow.

2. Strategic Positioning

Differentiating your business from giants like Amazon is essential. Local shops provide value through specialist advice, product trials, and physical experiences that online retailers cannot match. Understanding this unique positioning allows for more effective marketing and targeting.

3. Shared Knowledge Systems

Becky Nallon of Double Barrelled Brewery shares how they use a "product book" containing brewer and marketing notes to empower front-of-house staff.

Collate your team's knowledge into a central resource to ensure consistent, high-quality customer service. Solo owners can use spreadsheets to track these details for contractors or partners.

4. Extraordinary Customer Touchpoints

Inspired by Pete Hefferon of Shed, Maria advises auditing every business touchpoint to add "thoughtful tweaks" that turn ordinary interactions into memorable experiences. Creating a "Fans First" culture leads to fiercely loyal followings and increased word-of-mouth growth.

By refining information channels, USP, and internal communication, local businesses can build a standout brand for 2026.

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. Build Robust Information Channels

To stay competitive, establish formal systems to track industry news, local developments, and audience interests. You can use AI tools like Gemini or ChatGPT to help identify specific blogs, trade press, and key influencers to follow. Becky Ottery from Eclectic Games highlights that listening to customers is often the best "crowd-sourced" method for staying ahead of trends.

2. Define Your Strategic Positioning

Clearly define how your business adds value in ways that global competitors like Amazon cannot. Specialist knowledge and physical experiences—such as product trials or expert advice—are critical USPs for local businesses. Understanding these unique advantages allows you to target your marketing more effectively.

3. Centralise Your Team’s Knowledge

Improve customer service by sharing expertise across your entire staff. For instance, Double Barrelled Brewery uses a "product book" containing brewer and marketing notes to empower their team with consistent information. Even solo entrepreneurs can benefit by recording service details in a spreadsheet to streamline communication with future partners or contractors.

4. Elevate Every Customer Touchpoint

Audit every interaction a customer has with your brand and identify where you can add "thoughtful tweaks". Taking an ordinary process and making it extraordinary makes your business more memorable and shareable. This "Fans First" approach helps cultivate a loyal following and drives word-of-mouth growth.