Your Pitch - Make a Brew blended marketing and branding

Clare Froggatt set up Make A Brew Blended Marketing and Branding to help businesses develop their identities and share their stories. She tells us how her ‘dream job’ is helping businesses take their branding ‘beyond the logo’

Tell us about your business – sell yourself!

My dream job has always been to make a living by creating ideas and that’s what I’m hoping to do with Make A Brew – with a blend of marketing and branding to help businesses get their stories out there.

I have 22-plus years’ experience from being a professional graphic designer at previous companies, including at director level, and owning my own design agency. I was also marketing development manager on a large European project and have worked in the private sector and the public sector, from breweries to the NHS.

A lot of clients say ‘I work in a boring sector’ but I look at it from a different perspective, it’s all about asking them the right questions to get the right stories from them – which aren’t boring at all! – and then get the right message out there for them that people will want to read.

People are often stuck for ideas because they’re working IN the business and ON the business. They’re focusing – understandably – on things like finance and HR and marketing ends up falling through the gaps.

What gave you the idea for your business?

I wanted to put my 22-plus years’ experience and industry knowledge I’ve gained into concentrating on branding for smaller businesses, helping them to take their brand identity beyond the logo.

We live in a social and digital world these days and digital marketing has grown with that – ten or 15 years ago we didn’t have half the resources available that we do today.

With me, I like to think clients are getting someone who is experienced, personable and who genuinely cares about them, who actually listens and hears what they are looking for and I think I can add great value.

Who are your customers and how are you targeting them?

SMEs, small businesses, start-ups and sole traders and with lots of networking – I’ve been connecting with people I’ve not seen for sometimes up to ten years.

It’s mainly Sheffield City Region businesses at the moment – giving myself a name like Make a Brew does quite firmly plant me in the north with a love of the hot beverage!

But all those different types of business will need an individual approach which is where the ‘blend’ comes in – a ‘pick and mix’ type of approach where I can tailor what I offer so that it is exactly right for the client.

A small business might not have the resources for a marketing manager, but I can come in on a fixed-term project by project basis that helps take them to the next level in social media management or branding.