Meet the Dundee social media expert helping local firms go global

The thrill of exposing local firms to a global audience never grows old for Dundee marketing guru Danielle Greene.

She started her digital marketing consultancy Greene Creatives as a side hustle after graduating from university.

But her approach of letting potential customers see the people behind the brand has quickly developed into a growing business. She went full time in 2020.

Danielle offers social media management, content creation, website design as well as one-to-one marketing workshops.

She says she likes to let her ideas run wild.

Dundee firms drawn to Green Creatives

While open to marketing businesses of all shapes and colours it is her fellow creatives that seem drawn to Danielle.

Greene Creatives has worked with high profile fashion outlets such as KerrieALDO, Isolated Heroes and Hayley Scanlan.

She said: “We cover all spectrums but it seems to be people who are creative in their own right who come to me.

“What makes me different to the larger agencies is that I get to know my clients to the point where I become an extended part of their own team.

“I grow to understand the business really well and can custom cater ideas to fit their business vision.”

Early days of Dundee marketing agency

Fresh out of university Danielle began her marketing career with Fife watchmakers Kartel, quickly building a reputation within the industry.

After being poached in 2018 by an oil company in Montrose, Danielle realised she wanted more freedom to express herself.

During this time period a close friend opened a hair salon on the Perth Road and asked Danielle to do the online marketing, which proved the catalyst.

Danielle Greene, owner of Greene Creatives in Dundee.

She said: “Through word of mouth small businesses started getting in touch and asking if I would do freelance.”

What began as a side hustle quickly grew to become something more when the pandemic hit.

Lockdown forced many businesses to rethink their marketing strategy, transferring their presence to a sustainable online platform.

“Businesses realised they needed to go digital because their shops were closed.

“That allowed me to leave my job in 2020 and focus on Greene Creatives full-time.”

Content is king

Greene Creatives offer free consultancy and monthly membership for £35 a month.

This allows business owners to gain support from Danielle before they feel they are ready to outsource completely.

The current trends for marketing are strongly swinging towards the truth behind the business, the unfiltered reality of day-to-day events.

Danielle said trends are people want to see the ‘authentic’ side of businesses. Image: Alan Richardson.

She said: “The content that people are consuming now is reality based.

“Before, Instagram was quite fake and everything was really polished.

“Now with the rise of TikTok people want to see the authentic side of the business and see the person behind the business.

“I am trying to get clients to be a lot more real and get the personality behind the brand out there.”

The need for consistency

Following the surge in digital consumership post pandemic Danielle is keen to enforce the need for continued marketing despite the cost of living crisis.

“A lot of businesses don’t consider marketing as important as perhaps they should and solely rely on social media.

“Cutting your marketing now is the worst thing you can do.

“You have to stay consistent to stay at the forefront of your customer’s mind. Because when they are ready to buy you’ll still be there.