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Laura Gurney Marketing Expert

My Story

My experience in marketing and lead generation came about after starting my career with Simon Gillespie Fine Art Restoration Studio, in 1997 in London.  I graduated with a degree in Latin American Studies and Simon was looking for someone who could speak Spanish. Within a few months, apart from managing the Studio office, I began learning about how to generate clients; this was in the days before email was commonplace, and I researched paintings in archives and catalogues, wrote letters and followed up with phone calls and in-person meetings.  It was painstaking work, since Simon’s expertise was with British portraits and Old Masters. It was all about cold outreach, building connections and gently nurturing them with Christmas cards and follow-up calls. Often, after a few years of gentle correspondence, these connections would turn into clients.  There was nothing done in the manner of a general mail out, everything was about real, valuable connection; and that’s how we work today with organic social media outreach. 

Of course, attraction marketing really helps to reduce this process; it occurred to me that partnering up with Historic Houses and offering a prize of restoration would be a valuable incentive for members of HH to submit their proposals to us. And that is how we can turn the tables towards your services being sought out, rather than you pursuing each and every client. 

My strong point is ideas! I have so many of them and love to connect with business owners and see how I can help them. No two businesses area alike, as no two people are; what you are creating and offering to the world is uniquely you, and I take time to get to know you and who your ideal client is. 

For solar client Xerogrid this involved running paid Facebook ads targeting, most specifically, farmers with huge barn roofs!  The campaign generated £350,000 worth of leads within 3 weeks; he sent me a brilliant text asking me to ‘turn the ad off’ because  they were overwhelmed. 

In terms of PR, I ran a campaign for Leeds Taoist Association, writing Press Releases and getting articles out into the media about their European funding and collaboration. This was very successful locally. 

My most recent and exciting news is a furniture design client that I entered into the New Designers Show, part of London art week, July 2023, and he is now a finalist for New Selects, and will be exhibiting there, with lots of media attention!   Along with finding him a retail spot in one of the best Yorkshire Design shops, things are really going up a gear for them! 

I have worked extensively with affiliate marketing and used organic social media for this myself; I now love to dive into strategy for other businesses and have had clients that are  Life coaches, nutritionists and Creative Writing coaches and currently a wonderful client who is on a mission to help those of use that want to cut sugar out of our lives. 

This September, I look forward to working with an Arts Council funded former trapeze artist who is now moving into performance art. 

I have also had the privilege of working with talented videographer David Waldman, creating Climate Hack TV which 

I only work with people that I truly feel I can help; lets grab a cuppa on Zoom and have a chat about your business and see what we can do. 

Laura Gurney Marketing support
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