December Talk with Nataley Fryer

It's the last week of December and a week of restrictions for the second Christmas in a row. Let's take comfort from the words and experiences of some dynamic business owners and managers across the UK. Today we're talking to Nataley Fryer who is the client services manager at Smarter Media which is a digital marketing agency based in Swindon yet operating across the South West. The team offer a range of services including social media management, SEO & Pay Per Click.

It’s December – is this a busy time for the business? 
Traditionally it would be a quieter time of year with time to deliver presents to clients, then spend time planning for January however, this year we seem to be very busy with paid client campaigns who are heavily focussed on promoting themselves through this month and next so there is no down time to reflect and plan just yet. 

Christmas has been and gone – what does Christmas mean for you? 
Much to everyone’s annoyance in the office, I absolutely LOVE Christmas and everything about it including listening to Christmas songs in November! 

For me, aside from the pretty twinkly lights, excessive amounts of fizz, mince pies and cheese ;) it’s ALL about creating memories and that in itself is most definitely an excuse to fill up the diary spending time with those you love!

What’s on Santa’s List for 2022? 
To see Smarter Media continue to grow, it’s been three years since I joined the company and what a journey it’s been! 

We have grown massively in that time despite the pandemic so, to see us accelerate even further throughout 2022 now that we have more people in the team would be awesome.

In 2022 we will be adding to our current portfolio of digital products and services which will allow our clients to grow further digitally.

Should our success continue, I am hopeful this will benefit my own career path which is to get to director level by the end of the year.

And what’s on your list personally? 
We are currently carrying out some renovations at home so my request to Santa was a new range cooker. That’s a clear sign of age right?!

What has been your greatest business lesson this year? 
It’s been tough year in many ways for most of us in business, but I genuinely feel we have all grown and learnt from it. 

However, my top three are:

1.    Resilience – when times are tough you need to dig deep.

2.    Stepping out of your comfort zone – we all need to keep learning to grow and improve.

3.    Never underestimate the importance of building good relationships – whether that be virtually or face to face, it’s those good relationships that help see you through when times are challenging. 

What have been your business highlights in 2021? 
1.    I have personally achieved 65% growth YOY

2.    An average of 96% client retention rate – demonstrating we have a real understanding of our client’s business and how to drive better results

3.    Having a deeper understanding in the world of paid media by working more closely with my paid media team. 

What have been your personal highlights in 2022? 
Moving house, both joyful and stressful at the same time! 

Is ‘giving back’ important?
100%, every year I encourage the children to choose a charity that they would like to support, they know this is one of our traditions and I hope they carry it on as they grow up too. 

They need to learn that Christmas is as much about giving!

Over the last couple of years we have – 

-       Made up ‘goody bags’ for the homeless

-       Provided gifts for Swindon Womens Aid 

-       Done a ‘curry cook off’ to raise money for Huntingtons Disease 

-       Donated money to buy food and school essentials to the poorest children in Sri Lanka

If you are planning to recruit in 2022 – share a little of your hopes around the growth of your team. 
As a growing business we have a number of roles that we are currently recruiting for – see our website for more details.

What would be your best piece of advice for anyone in business for 2022? 
Make a plan but be prepared to change it! 

For more information visit https://smarter-media.co.uk