A lightbulb moment. That’s how My Valley Limited co-owner Wayne Morgan describes the guidance and advice provided by Superfast Business Wales.
From aspects such as a fine-tuned marketing plan for the year to website design and utilising Google AdWords, Superfast Business Wales and adviser Ian Dunkerley have had a positive impact, not least a 15 per cent increase in businesses selling via My Valley Limited – a one-stop online eco-friendly shop for sustainable, ethical, vegan, natural and organic products.
“It sounds rather simplistic saying it out loud now, but a general plan for the year ahead was one of the items Ian got us to do. We sat down in January and planned our marketing strategy around key dates like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Valentine’s Day,” said Wayne.
There has also been a physical shop launched at Aberaman Industrial Estate, a move dubbed as “a natural next step” after some encouragement from Superfast Business Wales and Ian.
Wayne and fellow owner, Tim Mealing, have plenty of business acumen, the duo having a background in sales and logistics, but when it came to My Valley the pair needed guidance on how to increase customer base, increase sales and improve digital marketing.
“We had the bare bones in place, although it was only when Ian pointed out things that we should be doing and how important they are, did we realise that we needed to pull our socks up in certain areas,” admitted Wayne, who met Tim after being furloughed during the Covid pandemic.
“Would we have done that without Superfast Business Wales? Probably not. It was a lightbulb moment.”
Simple yet effective. And Superfast Business Wales and Ian were full of other key pieces of advice for My Valley, which launched in April 2021 after around half a year’s planning.
Wayne had looked into what he could do business-wise to help the environment but was put off by the costs involved. It was only when he met Tim that the duo decided to set up a marketplace for likeminded people who were keen to buy and sell eco-friendly products at a reasonable price.
Key to My Valley Limited’s business plan is that there are no listing fees, meaning that you only pay a reasonable commission if your product sells, so the risk involved is minimal.
On the specific improvements suggested by Superfast Business Wales, Wayne explained: “We looked at everything from our internal marketing strategy to Google AdWords – which has raised brand awareness and increased online sales – search engine optimisation (SEO), and website improvements.
“We also integrated our email marketing with the website by adding a call-to-action button to encourage people to sign up. We’ve seen the results straight away with subscriber numbers jumping up to around 100.
“The content and formatting of the newsletter has also improved and that is another tip we received. The newsletter now looks crisper in appearance and showcases what we are doing as a company much better. Those people receiving it have engaged more in terms of clicking through to the website.
“It was also quickly pointed out to us that the pictures we had on the website needed to be the right size, and those pictures needed descriptions and captions, so as not to spoil the user experience.
“We were often torn between how to promote the business, but it became very obvious through working with Superfast Business Wales that we needed to make it clear that people can buy and sell on the website.
“We also didn’t have a ‘Sell on My Valley’ button at the top of the homepage. People were having to scroll down to the bottom before they would see it.
“Making it more accessible has definitely helped. We’ve got around 20 businesses on the site and roughly 15 per cent have come since the changes were made.
“We regularly change our keywords to help with SEO, and that coupled with the website improvements and newsletter evolution has increased visitor numbers.”
Looking forward, Wayne is hoping to gain further support in measurement tools to help turbocharge the marketing activity.
He added: “We will be looking to use Google Analytics more to help us track visitors, spot increases and be able to delve into the data to help inform future activity.”
The advice of Superfast Business Wales has enabled My Valley to flourish, as well as allow Wayne and Tim to offer support of their own and look to expand their empire.
“We are also offering support to other people and their business – including one who imports products from Nepal – and that is very rewarding.
“The guidance from Superfast Business Wales has had a ripple effect. While the main goal was to help our brand grow, it can only be a positive if others are benefiting, too.”