Dabble Marketing

Dabble Marketing Stop selling and start communicating.

We provide content for your business so that the kind of message you put out to your customers is both authentic and consistent.

12/05/2025

Too many small businesses owners hide behind "we" and "our team" when really it is just you, or you and one or two others. That is not something to downplay. That is something to own.

Say why you started. Say where you are based. Say who you help.
Say it like a human.

You do not need to sound like a brand manual.
You need to sound like yourself.

Let people know where you are and what you actually do. Make your social media and your website feel like someone is speaking, not publishing.

Do not overthink growth. Focus on clarity. Focus on value.

That is what people connect with.

11/05/2025

Today is Mother’s Day. A day filled with emotion, intention, and care.

It is also should be one of the busiest weekends for small businesses. Gifts, bookings, orders — all packed into a few days.

So here is something worth thinking about.

If someone wanted to support your business this week, could they?

Would they have known what you offer?
Would they have found a clear, simple way to reach you?
Would the process have felt easy, or did it require effort?

There are people who truly want to support local. But that support often depends on how clearly a business communicates what it does, and how simply someone can take the next step.

This is not about blame or pressure. It is something to notice.

Now that the rush is over, it may be worth asking:

How easy did you make it for someone to support you?

And what could it look like next time?

09/05/2025

At Dabble Marketing, I speak to small business owners all the time who feel completely overwhelmed at the idea of making videos.

Many believe it means turning into an influencer or producing high-end, polished content. But the truth is, you do not need to be perfect. You just need to be helpful.

Here are three easy ways to start using video without ever showing your face:

Voiceover videos: Talk through what you do while showing your product or process.

Behind-the-scenes clips: Let people see how your work gets done. Real is relatable.

Answer FAQs: If clients often ask the same things, turn those answers into short videos.

Your audience is not looking for perfection. They are looking for honesty, value and connection.

The longer you wait, the more opportunities others are taking. Start where you are, with what you have.

If you would like help getting started with content ideas, editing or a video strategy that works for small business, send me a message. I would love to help.

08/05/2025

At Dabble Marketing, one of the biggest turning points came when I stopped trying to sound like a big business.

Small business owners do not need to pretend. The more honest and human your brand feels, the more your community will trust you.

Here are three practical things that made a difference for me and can for you as well:

1. Speak like a real person.

2. Be open about your size.

3. Share what you believe in.

Being small is not a disadvantage. It is what makes you responsive, relatable and trusted.

If this resonates with you, leave a comment or send me a message. I am always happy to chat with fellow small business owners who are figuring this out too.

07/05/2025

Stop Trying to Be Woolies. Be YOU!

If you own a small business in South Africa, here is the truth: you do not need to act like a national brand to succeed. Your biggest strength is that you are local, agile, and deeply connected to this community.

You know the people. You live their challenges. You laugh at the same jokes. That connection is priceless, and it is something big brands simply cannot replicate.

Use your own voice and face in your marketing.
Speak directly to your local community, not to everyone.
Focus on clear, honest communication, not catchy fluff.

Your community wants to support real people doing real work. Let them see you. Let them hear from you.

If this message speaks to you or someone you know running a small business Fourways or the surrounding area, share it with them.

07/04/2025

You’re a small business with a website — but all it really does is give people your email address and mobile number. Realistically, the site isn’t bringing you any value: no leads, no enquiries, nothing at all.

Let’s talk a little about your small business. There are ways to improve, and I’d love to bring you value. Feel free to throw out any questions you have about websites or your marketing efforts — let’s raise the level of what we’re doing in our businesses.

26/03/2025

Have you ever come across how some businesses unintentionally create barriers for their clients right from the start? I talk about how some coffee shops still limit WiFi access, thinking it might drive away non-paying customers.

But what if by opening up and being more welcoming, you actually attract more loyal customers? As a small business in South Africa, it's crucial to serve your clients' needs and make them feel valued. When you focus on their comfort and satisfaction, the rest follows naturally.

Let's rethink how we engage with our clients, and the slow path to growth and loyalty will follow. Don't assume the worst from them, which can often happen if you have been hurt by a client, be it through how they treated you or not end up paying you in the past.

25/03/2025

Being a or it is easy to become desperate to sell. To not listen, to not just take a moment to think about what your potential client may be needing.

In South Africa, this is even more so because of the very small pool of potential clients everyone is fighting for. Whether you are someone in or you are a it takes a huge amount of restraint to not make the mistake of trying to convince someone that they need your product or service when in actual fact the harder you chase... the more you could scare them away.

27/02/2025

Have you ever promised something to a client and you simply could not deliver on that promise? Maybe you overestimated your own ability or were desperate to land the work?

Maybe a client lied to you, perhaps you were taken in and agreed to working with them based on things they had shared with you that were simply not true or possible.

I would love to know your experiences should you wish to share them as experiences and stories make things so much more tangible for those in the freelance/agency/creative world looking to learn, grow and get better at what they do.

At doing some personal brand training with their sales team. The car sales industry is not only changing but what is be...
18/10/2023

At doing some personal brand training with their sales team.

The car sales industry is not only changing but what is becoming even more important is how sales can level up their ability to really offer a massively personal approach to everything they do.




Something which I've realised is quite critical over the last few years of dealing with a multitude of clients has been ...
18/01/2022

Something which I've realised is quite critical over the last few years of dealing with a multitude of clients has been to see which of them sit in a position where they are able to weather not only a storm but also to be dynamic enough to evolve and survive massive shifts in their industries and disruptions the size of which can not fully be understood at the present time.

What I have noticed is that it comes down to the fact that they don't build and plan when the chips are down but rather they do so when things are actually fairly comfortable and safe. So often clients will approach me when they are ready and incredibly difficult situations when their marketing strategy and advertising their products or services is now a make-or-break situation and the marketing thereof is the perceived silver bullet to all of their business problems. That's not to say that it cannot help them out of a difficult situation but rather by the time they have come to me it is tantamount to going to your doctor after having experienced pain and discomfort in a part of your body for the last 5 years and then hoping it's just going to be something small and simple that they could easily fix with a simple cream. Alas, this is rarely the case both with your health and in your business.

Business success, however you want to define it, and I suppose on some level almost everyone will include a level at which the business is financially stable and able to survive month after month is actually a bigger trap than a business that is trying to find its feet or trying to build itself into a position where it is successful. Yes, this may sound counter-intuitive but the biggest thing to realise is that when things are going well, that is the time you need to be creating and positioning yourself in such a way that you are able to manoeuvre for the inevitable sideswipes that are beyond your control. This “good period” is the time where strengthening and building in areas which you know you need to do, but which so often does not get put on the top list of your priorities, will allow for the kind of flexibility you need in when your business, or personal landscape shift.

It is truly incredible how quickly one can go from success to fighting for survival and it is this reality that needs to be in the back or rather in the front of your mind so that you are reaching out, stretching, and giving more when things feel as if there is no need to do so. It may even feel unfair that you are not able to relax and enjoy the fruits of your labour now that things are ticking over in a way that doesn't require immediate adjustment or desperate strategic attempts at survival but the one thing that is for sure is that this time will come to an end.

If you are familiar with the childhood story of the grasshopper and the ant then you very much want to be the ant who is collecting and preparing and growing and evolving at a time where the grasshopper feels like there will be an abundance of resources, or in your case clients and opportunities.

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