Meet Maria My Local Marketer

I started My Local Marketer at the end of 2024, since I believe that focusing on target audiences in a smaller area – especially when you have limited time and costs – can lead to a quicker learning curve and results. Although I prefer connecting with people in-person, a digital presence is crucial for finding and attracting new connections, as well as developing existing relationships.  

It was also in late 2024 when I found out about the Curious Academy’s Digital Marketing course, after meeting someone who had previously been on the course. They highly recommended it, saying that it was really beneficial to be around other business owners, where you can get their input on your business and see what is and is not working for their businesses, too. I thought the course sounded like a great opportunity to get some core processes in place for my business with expert guidance; it is important to have a strong foundation in place upon which everything else can be built. 

I was not disappointed, and the course was everything that I had hoped and more. 

There was a nice division between the taught material and practical parts, where you had a chance to apply the lessons to your business. However, what I found particularly helpful was the 1:1 help that we all got for our own businesses, and the emphasis on action and how to do things quickly and effectively. 

I have done a lot of online courses, and although I have gained some useful skills you do not get the bespoke feedback that you need to make changes that really impact your business. Having this as an in-person course and getting feedback on your business from other business owners was extremely valuable to me, and I have made some big changes to my business as a result of this. For example, putting an SEO strategy in place for my website.

The course was also helpful because it gave temporary free access to paid tools and guidance on how to use them effectively. For example, I was introduced to Canva’s DreamLab and that has been incredibly helpful in helping me to quickly generate relevant images.

Finally, although the course was great, it would not have been the same if it was held anywhere else. The Curious Lounge is a beautiful space, and the team are very friendly and helpful. I always looked forward to the days when I would pop into the space and see everyone. I also thoroughly enjoyed having regular oat hot chocolates, which are absolutely delicious!

When I started the course, my goal was to understand what processes I needed to put into place that were effective in helping me to promote my business and practical to do given my time and resource constraints. I am delighted to say that I have a good solid understanding of what is needed to set up a good digital marketing foundation, and I am now in the process of setting up and maintaining different activities with an emphasis on batching content. 

I am also looking to connect with people, so please connect with me on LinkedIn: Maria Teresa Lloyd. 

You can also listen to my local podcast that focuses on highlighting people, businesses and places in Reading. I’m always keen to know what people would like to hear about, so if you have an idea, pop me a message, I look forward to hearing from you! 

PODCAST: https://mylocalmarketer.co.uk/mlm-podcast/

CONTACT: maria@mylocalmarketer.co.uk

WEBSITE: mylocalmarketer.co.uk