Supersize Media

13/03/2025

Why did the startup business owner hire an SEO agency? Because they wanted to rank #1 on Google for "How to waste money fast." 😆

I'm serious though.

J'accuse the entire worldwide SEO and PPC industry of ripping off small and startup businesses!

Remember my recent takedown of SEO and PPC last week? Well, what can I say? I expected an army of enraged SEO and PPC lads charging at me, ready to defend their sacred cows.

Instead? Silence ...

Not a single credible rebuttal.

Not even a half-hearted “Well, actually…” from the SEO & PPC bros. And that, dear friends, makes them culpable.

They know I’m right.

So, let’s go deeper.

This is Part II of my "J'accuse," where I expose the real reason SEO & PPC “experts” won’t engage, backed by case studies, cold hard data, and the tragic financial ruins of those who fell for their scams.

Quite frankly, I am sick and tired of hearing about small business owners losing their life savings having invested in all-singing-and-dancing websites with eye-watering levels of SEO / PPC packages attached.

(FYI, let's get the terminology straight - SEO = Search Engine Optimised and PPC = Pay Per Click and usually refers to Google Ads).

*The SEO & PPC Industrial Complex: A Scheme Built on Small Business Corpses*

SEO agencies and PPC experts need you to believe they hold the keys to digital success. Their entire industry thrives on the illusion that without their “special” skills, your business is doomed to obscurity.

But let’s be real: If SEO was as powerful as they claim, why are their own client acquisition strategies based on cold emails, LinkedIn spam, and desperate DMs?

If PPC was so magical, why do PPC agencies rely on referrals, email outreach, and networking, instead of their own ads?

I’ll tell you why: Because they know SEO & PPC don’t work for small businesses!

Yes, SEO and PPC WILL work if you have plenty of time and a big budget to play with - let's say 6 to 18 months - but for 99% of small or startup businesses, they cannot compete so should never be expected to do so!

*Case Study #1: The SEO Pyramid Scheme*
James, an immigration lawyer, was promised “steady organic leads” if he just stuck with SEO long enough.

He hired an SEO agency for £3,500/month.
12 months later, he was ranking slightly higher … but no leads.
The agency told him, “SEO is a long-term game, give it another six months.”
He did. Still no leads.
He fired them, built a strong LinkedIn video strategy, and landed 5 clients within 60 days.

📈 Cost of SEO: £42,000 flushed into the abyss.

📈 Cost of LinkedIn videos made on his mobile phone: £0 (and it actually worked)!

*Case Study #2: The Google Ads Dumpster Fire, Reloaded*
Emma, a Change Consultant, ran Google Ads for 3 months. Here’s what happened:

She spent £6,000
Got 450 clicks
Received 30 inquiries
25 of them were price shoppers or looking for free advice
Closed zero deals
Meanwhile, her competitor used a SEO-based talking head video with a valuable freebie lead magnet and referral system then landed 10 high-value clients with zero ad spend

🤑 Google Ads ROI: Minus £6,000

🤑 Referral-based marketing ROI: Plus £40,000 in closed deals

*The SEO & PPC Industry’s Dirty Little Secrets*
- The “Long Game” Myth: They always say, “SEO takes time.” You know what else takes time? Burning through your life savings while waiting for clients who never appear! When you're a small or startup business, ain't nobody got time to wait for you to hit page 1 of a Google Search, especially when you're competing with deep pocket competitors going after those same keywords!

- They Profit, Even If You Lose: SEO & PPC agencies charge monthly retainers. Whether you get leads or not, they get paid!

- The Click-Through Rate Delusion: A PPC agency will flex that “your CTR is up 250%!” But what they won’t tell you? CTR doesn’t pay your bills. You need conversions, not clicks. And 9 times out of 10 those clicks came from THE WRONG TARGET AUDIENCE! I don't want to tell you about the number of businesses who were comfortable with the amount of website traffic they received despite none of it converting. Why? Because that was a luxury jewellery company with 20,000 website clicks coming from people in Bangladesh / Argentina / Albania who like tech, websites and shipping.

*What Actually Works Instead?*
1. Short-Form Video & Social Content

80% of online traffic is video (Forbes, 2024)
TikTok & LinkedIn videos generate 3x more engagement than static posts
Video makes potential clients feel like they know you (which means easier sales)

2. Email Sequences That Convert

75% of website visitors leave and never return (HubSpot, 2024)
Automated email nurturing increases sales by 70% (Campaign Monitor, 2023)
And unlike SEO, email actually brings in real leads

3. Referral & Reputation Marketing

90% of buyers trust reviews as much as personal recommendations (BrightLocal, 2024)
A 5-star rating increases conversion rates by 270%
If you have more & better reviews than your competitors, clients choose you, without SEO

4. Networking & Relationship-Based Selling

84% of B2B decision-makers start their search through recommendations (LinkedIn, 2024)
Referral leads close 4x faster than cold leads (Forbes, 2023)
You can literally double your revenue without spending a penny on ads

Final Thought: The SEO & PPC Bros’ Silence Is Deafening
If my first article was wrong, why didn’t they fight back?

If SEO & PPC were the gods of marketing, where’s the proof that it works better than relationship-driven selling, referrals, and social video marketing?

*Something to think about.*

Instead of pouring money into the Google black hole, use strategies that actually bring in paying clients.

📢 Join Me for "Digital Sales Excellence - A Masterclass in Digital Marketing" in collaboration with Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce

📅 20th March 2025
⏰ 10:00 - 12:00 Online
🎫 For members and non-members

You’ll walk away with a plug-and-play system to turn strangers into paying clients, without throwing money at SEO or Google Ads.

🎟️ Book your spot before your competitors do. 🎟️

🔗 Book Here https://www.edinburghchamber.co.uk/events/digital-sales-excellence-a-masterclass-in-digital-marketing/?eid=FD871363-32AB-4ECC-B70D-6E4DCEAD20C0&type=Training

Supporting and empowering the business community in Edinburgh and beyond to prosper, grow and achieve success.

07/03/2025

I got a creepy email pitch from a random accountancy business this morning!

Everything about it stank of AI chatbottery. Trying to sell tax services with zero sign of humans in the About Section, the social media and press. Just a 'professional' website from a shadowy entity devoid of a soul, brand or vibes.

"We deliver excellence and ensure satisfaction" - but who the hell are you?? Are you from the afterlife?

Turns out, AI-generated ghost businesses are on the rise. These faceless enterprises often aim to exploit unsuspecting professionals and are fronts for lots of shady characters.

But even if they're genuine, how on earth is anybody meant to 'TRUST' them when everyone's bu****it antennae is on high alert?

So next time a mystery "accounting firm" slides into your inbox, check for signs of life. No social media? No faces? Just AI-generated business-babble? Run!

Or better still, join us in discovering how to build real human trust in the world’s most famous city centre shopping mall near you - The Newsfeed!

Forthcoming interactive workshops in collaboration with Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce:
- Digital Marketing Masterclass
- Social Ads Masterclass
- Viral Content & Trending Topics

Because in a world of ghost businesses, being human is your greatest competitive advantage.

🚀 Drop a comment or DM for details!

17/12/2024

If your last marketing move was to "spend more on Google Ads and pray for referrals," sit down and listen.

Because I’m about to tell you the truth no one else will:

❌ Hope is NOT a marketing strategy.
❌ Google Ads are overpriced, oversaturated, and underperforming.
❌ Referrals alone will not scale your practice in 2025.

And here’s the kicker: It’s not the algorithm. It’s YOU.

Let me tell you about Gloria.

She stopped wasting money on overpriced ads and started showing up on TikTok.

Her videos breaking down visa tips and green card myths hit millions of views.

Now her practice is thriving.

Gloria’s built a multimillion-dollar firm.

And she’s not the only one.

Mike Mandell has 20m fans on social media and his most popular post has reached 52m and still rising as more and more people continue to share it with their loved ones

Attorney Ryan, with 3m fans is an employment lawyer who warns his loyal fanbase on all the ways your employer could be shafting you

Attorney Martinez the barbie-style immigration lawyer has been on the Tamron Hall Show, Kelly Clarkson Show, Good Morning America, Buzzfeed, The Morning Show and the New York Post due to her punchy pink “like it’s hard” personality.
Criminal defense lawyers are building trust on Facebook with videos titled: “5 Things to Say if You’re Stopped by Police.”

Meanwhile, you’re still:

💼 Throwing money at Google Ads with no ROI?
📈 Chasing referrals like it’s still 2005?
🛑 Too scared to hit “record” on TikTok or Instagram Reels?

The lawyers who get this—who step into the newsfeeds with confidence—are winning.

Gloria did it. Others are doing it. You can too.

Stop hiding behind Google Ads. Start showing up where your clients already are.

Hit "LEARN MORE" if you’re ready to rethink your strategy.

29/11/2024

Can we just take a moment? Last night I was interviewed on the BBC World Service BUSINESS REPORT about Gen Z, Tiktok shopping and Black Friday. 😳😎🥂

Yes, little ol' me!

I know it shouldn't be a surprise after all the interviews and conferences I've spoken at.

But still!

I USED TO LISTEN TO BBC WORLD SERVICE WHEN I WAS WEE! When I lived in Paris, I would listen to it all the time.

That's how I heard about Madame Thatcher taking Britain to war with the Falklands and how Mitterand got elected and then Chirac.

And then I was on it last night!

It really is a Thanksgiving that's giving this year! 😍🦃❤️

Listen up here from around 10m onwards https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct605r

The ban will not take effect for at least 12 months

28/11/2024

Turns out I'm not on BBC Radio Scotland after all. No, I'm on the BBC World Service, Business Report with Roger Hearing at 10:40 discussing Gen Z, Black Friday and TikTok Listen up! 🎧 🎙️

04/09/2024

I bet you didn't know that for lawyers, accountants and professional services, there's a MAHOOSIVE difference between "PR Social Media" and "PERFORMANCE Social Media."

"PR social media" is where the content is like a diary update:
→ "Today we won an award" 🥱
→ "Look at us enjoying a team building day" 🥱
→ "Here's day in the life of our latest intern" 🥱
→ Anything that starts with "We are delighted to announce ..." 😴😴😴

PERFORMANCE Social Media is when your firm or expert professional provides CHARISMA and ACTUAL value in the newsfeed with RESONATING content that educates, entertains, inspires and PROVOKES interaction to a SPECIFIC narrow audience.

Such as:

→ Breaking news in your niche sector
→ Quick tutorial on how to master this tricky area if you find yourself in this specific situation
→ Special offer / download / event / report / opportunity
→ Storytime on how clients came with awkward / bizarre / desperate situations and how difficult it was to help them because ... and then they ... but then ... and finally ... the moral is ...

Here at Supersize Media, we deliver the monthly breakdown of data, stats, recommendations and results for clients at the beginning of the month.

The August report for one of our lawyers was particularly spectacular:

→ Almost 4m views from social media to email marketing, ads, landing pages, and website
→ 121 (one hundred and twenty one) appointments at $100 each
→ 30% of appointments turned into retainers at an average of $5,000 per person
→ Monthly income DOUBLED to multiple 6 figures

My question for you is ...

What would your professional service firm or personal expert brand look like with this type of PERFORMANCE MARKETING team working with you and your firm?

It could be pretty amazing ... even if I do say so myself.

Here's a wee snapshot from the performance on one platform alone.

What's not to love?

31/05/2024

Attention! Massive generalisation alert! What I've noticed about a lot of women, not all, but many, is that we love to operate in groups. Check out the local gym. What are the blokes doing? And where are the wimmin?

We are all in classes, packed to the gunnels. The lads? In front of the mirror, sweating it out.

It seems to me that men (massive generalisation warning) enjoy their own company more, whereas we enjoy letting the energy of the group lift us up and motivate us.

Am I wrong?

For women, what's even better is a group with fab uplifting vibes and that pushes you to go way beyond your comfort level.

Maybe that's why the churches I've visited all over the world are still massively filled with women, not men.

But that's for another post.

Suffice to say, I discovered a fantastic new way for women to have fun and grow their business together over diner via the Dutch Bites and Business run by the inspirational Krabbenbos

The format is:
🍒 Diner on a long table in a private room
🍒 Seat switching between courses
🍒 Introductions
🍒 Challenges and opportunities passed around in a number of envelopes
🍒 New best friends for life
🍒 New clients and referrals for your business
🍒 Super low cost membership
🍒 £50 for the meal with two courses, drinks and coffee (venue willing, obv)

Watch this space as we see more of these popping up over the UK.

Fancy one in Edinburgh?

I got some lovely responses to my challenge including this one that absolutely blew me away! What's not to love!

29/05/2024

I've been doing marketing and journalism for over 30 years. And the crazy thing that most professional service firms and consultants don't realise is that without trust-building, mic-drop, value-driven, storytelling marketing, they're just another business or professional in a directory or on an ad.

Obviously, they can do a lot of functional marketing by themselves with basic level knowledge or rope in some cousins, freelancers or interns.

That can definitely get you started.

But when it's time to scale, it's time for a proper marketing person on your team who will steer the deployment of scarce resources.

After all, when you have every marketing firm pitching how they MUST DO email marketing, ads, social media, long form posts, SEO, podcasting, lead generation ... the choice can be rather overwhelming.

To put it mildly.😳

🤔 Which freelancers to pick?
🤔 Should they go the agency route?
🤔 How can they be sure of a solid ROI?
🤔 How do they keep on top of the marketing project, growth and results?
🤔 How do they ensure the professional reputation is in safe hands with a company that can identify and pinpoint your key selling points and values?

With some of our clients, at Supersize Media, we only do Social Media Ads and Google ads. With others, it's only Viral Short-Form Video Content Creation.

It all depends on budgets and growth goals really.

But with most, we like to be able to handle the whole top, middle and bottom of the marketing and sales funnel so that our client doesn't have to do anything about securing those qualified leads and sales.

All our clients have to do is pitch up to weekly Pulse Checks and monthly Strategy Sessions where we report and make recommendations on EVERYTHING based on raw data and market-leading experience.

You wanna know what's even more crazy? Not only do we have the full gamut of social media and digital marketing tools at their disposal, we even have a whole team of outbound callers who will speak to their target audience and secure bookings / sales right there and then.

It's the perfect way to continue running a micro, agile business without having all the overhead of a large marketing team that would normally be needed to go get that growth, those profits and those clients.

Just thought I'd share.

22/04/2024

If you've been a business that thought Tiktok was all about young people singing and dancing, wow, you couldn't have been more wrong!

According to the American government, it's the radical home of sedition, dissent and data theft. In fact, it's such a home of potential terrorism, hate speech and foreign interference that they have voted overwhelmingly to ban it.

This means that when the legislation goes through, 170 million people in the USA won't get access to the app and Tiktok will have to decide whether to continue without the US audience or decide to change ownership.

Where will all the dissenters go? It will be Twitter / X and the more free speech absolutist platforms of course.

Luckily, our USA clients have 'spread their portfolio' widely and their messages are built to work across a range of social media platforms. That means their business won't disappear overnight. It will be sad though because performance, visibility and the sales funnel have been extraordinary for them on Tiktok.

Consider this a cautionary tale of not putting all your social media eggs in one basket in case that basket goes bankrupt, takes a performance dive or becomes an enemy of the state.

What are your thoughts? Glad to see TikTok go? Think censorship will increase over the next 10 years? Keen to start building your business message on Tiktok now that all the USA competitors have been knocked out?

01/03/2024

I don't know about you but I get super excited about the beginning of any month. Hey March, you're looking sonsy tonight! (That's Scottish for 'attractive')

In fact, forget that, I get excited about the beginning of the week.

Actually, scrub that, I get excited about the beginning of each day.

No matter how frustrating or annoying the previous day, week or month has been, I always get to look at my goals at the beginning of the day and pick JUST ONE THING to get done to move the business forward.

So what's your ONE THING to move the needle in March? Mine is to soft-launch a Personal Branding Workbook for Attorneys, Accountants and consultants - for those who dare to seize the thistle and come out from behind the corporate brand.

Let's do this! Are you ready for March? Can March actually handle us?

29/02/2024

Your Personal brand v your Company brand, THAT is the question. Whether 'tis nobler in the newsfeed to suffer the slings and arrows of trolls and chancers, Or to get the marketing department to take up arms and throw your messages into the sea of troubles And by opposing, end them.🎭

What I mean is ...

🌟 When it comes to professionals like coaches, consultants, accountants or lawyers, navigating the realm of personal vs. corporate branding can feel like a Shakespearean saga! 🎭

👩‍💼 Let's do a quick experiment.

If these CORPORATE or BUSINESS brands were to say: "It's a beautiful day, have a great Monday" in the newsfeed - what would your reaction be?
￫ Heinz
￫ Dentons
￫ Meta
￫ The Monarchy
￫ the local bakery

I'm assuming you wouldn't react at all unless you were a mad fan.

How about if the following PERSONAL brands said the same thing in your newsfeed?
￫ A bean packer at Heinz
￫ A specialist lawyer or attorney at Dentons
￫ Mark Zuckerberg
￫ Princess Catherine 😎
￫ The founder of the local baker

As you will see, each one evokes a specific resonance in the newsfeed and nine times out of ten, the human interaction will always evoke a better response than the corporate one. Even if the corporate one can amplify with ads.

Why? Because we BELIEVE and TRUST the personal brand more. We can read more of the signs through the 360 degree points of non verbal observation.

If Princess Catherine herself says she's fine, we can believe her. But if the monarchy machine says so, not so much.

And what happens to the performance of a post if there is a lot of reaction? The law of social media is that the crowd will lift the post to increase visibility and grow exponentially and ignore one that leaves no impact.

You don't have to look much further than Linkedin as evidence of this. Put a post onto your corporate page and it will die a death. But get your employees to curate and share it and they literally breath life into the post in terms of performance.

🔍 Your personal brand is your shining armour, showcasing your unique expertise, personality, and values. It's the beacon that draws clients to YOU in a crowded digital space.

💫💼 On the flip side, the company brand offers a sturdy fortress of credibility, resources, and a built-in reputation. 🏢💼

🚀 Ready to start breathing life into your personal brand? Let's talk! 💬🔥

💼🌟

28/02/2024

When's the best time to insult a client? Well, there's a fine question!

Secretly, I know many of you business owners have been tempted to lay into one psychopath or unrealistic dreamer client or another, but professional restraint and budgets prevent you.

But truth be told, I would argue you've arrived at the epitome of client-agency relationships when you get to regularly talk sh*te about each other, to each other.

However, misjudge that moment, and it'll massively backfire.

At Supersize Media, we pride ourselves on communication overkill. Why? Because we love to clasp the client to our bosom with hoops of steel.

We love to ensure not only are we providing value in tangible results—massive growth in sales, lead generation, and brand awareness—but the client FEELS valued at every touchpoint.

We work to engender a sense of adventure, excitement and problem-solving-system-building to ensure the client doesn't experience difficult growth pains in the process.

We have the client in a WhatsApp group; we meet up once a week for a quick 15-30m marketing and business scrum; we have a monthly full report and strategy meeting, and then we use email, shared docs, and quarterly in-person events or gifts to keep them sweet.

It's not because we are a bunch of professional sycophants or dastardly manipulative narcissists.

Well, not much 🤣

It's actually because after years of raising a large family of 5 kids as a single mum, who all really, really get along, I've learned that you need just one vital ingredient for successful communication where everyone can have a great experience no matter how difficult life, love and business can get ...
.. and that is... drum roll...

The benefit of the doubt!

Once you have achieved this, then pretty much all difficult situations, awkward conversations, unguarded comments, or tasteless remarks will be given 'the benefit of the doubt' because you've worked so hard at consistently gaining trust and making them feel that everything they say and do, no matter how daft, crazy, far-fetched, unrealistic, banal or genius really, really matters.

And so I leave you with today's delectations from one of our most amazing clients.

20/02/2024

Roll up, roll up, we have a brand new short Zoom course launching tomorrow! 📣🥁

📍Viral Content and Trending Topics
A 2-hour deep dive into:
🔴 What makes viral content
🔴 What kind of viral content will work for your business
🔴 How to find trending themes
🔴 How to build a community of trust and authenticity

At tomorrow's event, we already have one of the largest property companies in Scotland, one of the largest event organisation companies in Scotland and other notable sectors will be represented. 📊

If it's just for the networking alone, it's worth signing up, never mind the actual gold your company will have the capacity to deliver once you complete this intensive online course.📈

Get ready to take lots of notes and roll your sleeves up on research and planning to strengthen your business' message online 📝

Last chance to sign up today! 💪

📍Viral Content and Trending Topics
📆 Wednesday 21st February
⏰ 10:00-12:00
📺 Zoom
🧮 Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce
🎟️ https://www.edinburghchamber.co.uk/.../viral-content...

16/02/2024

Rather than doing the usual "Facebook Marketing" or "Tiktok Marketing" courses, myself and Edinburgh Chamber have decided to mix it up a little.

If your social media posts have experienced a lacklustre performance lately, let's fix that for you and build a viral framework around your content to make sure it has a better chance of being seen by your ideal clients. Even without an ads budget.

Any questions, hit me up in the comments or DM me.

https://www.edinburghchamber.co.uk/events/viral-content-trending-topics?eid=11729434-F15A-4D21-B888-F9831C689E56&type=Training

23/12/2023

Woohoo, she shoots she scores! I was laid up with flu since the beginning of the week so I was mildly stressing about all the Christmas prep. 😰🙀🤒

Luckily, the symptoms were dying down yesterday so I was looking forward to dosing up on pain killers and spending a full day catching up with buying ALL the Christmas prezzies for the five kids, their partners, the five grandkids, plus the relatives and pals. 🤪🛍️💰

A tall order, but I was ready for it.💪

Woke up this morning and couldn't even move. Done my back in completely. Couldn't even put on my socks no matter what position I put myself in. 🥴😵

Only way forward was Amazon Prime. I managed to order the most fantastic gifts that would've taken me hours running around Edinburgh city centre to find. Success? 🛒🏬

All ready to purchase? Nope, it turns out they weren't all arriving before Xmas when you looked in detail after all. 🙄🥺😬

Back to the drawing board to delete and rediscover new gifts. 💨🎄🛍️

And bam! It's 14:30 on 23rd December and apparently, after three hours of hard-core online shopping, all the gifts should arrive by 13:00 tomorrow. 😱🤞🫦

What do you think? Can I breathe easy? Can I get back to my sick bed now?