James Dooley: If you are a company based in Sheffield and looking to grow in 2026, what digital marketing strategies should you be using and which ones should you stay away from? In today’s episode, Kasra and I are going to run through the different options available to Sheffield businesses. Should you be focusing on AI SEO? Should you try to get your business recommended in ChatGPT, Gemini or other large language models like Claude, Perplexity or Grok? Will that actually generate a return on investment?

James Dooley: Kasra, before we get started discussing the different digital marketing strategies or even outsourcing to a Sheffield based SEO agency, what advice would you give to business owners or entrepreneurs who are based in Sheffield?

Kasra Dash: The number one piece of advice I would give to Sheffield businesses is that before you spend any money on marketing, you should set up clear KPIs. Digital marketing needs to be predictable. One of the biggest reasons Sheffield businesses struggle with marketing is that they do not have these KPIs in place. A few important KPIs to track include how much money you are spending on each digital marketing channel, how many leads you are generating from each channel, how many of those leads are actually contactable or interested in your services, and how many of the contactable leads turn into paying customers. If you do not have that system in place, digital marketing becomes difficult to manage. It is also one of the main reasons businesses switch their marketing off completely, which is something I would not recommend. Set up a predictable system first and then you will be in a much better position.

Kasra Dash: James, what would be the first marketing channel you would recommend for Sheffield businesses?

James Dooley: The first step has to be branding or brand SEO. Businesses need to make sure they look good online and have a strong reputation. Everything should start with a positive brand SERP. SERP stands for search engine results page, which is what people see when they search for your company name. Getting that branding right across the board helps with every other marketing channel. It can improve your conversion rate from paid ads or social media because if someone searches your business before making a decision, they will see a strong online presence. Branding is the foundation of any digital marketing strategy.

James Dooley: The next strategy is AI visibility. More companies are starting to look into this area. What do platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok and Perplexity say about your business? Is the information positive or negative? You should also analyse what these platforms say about your competitors and look for ways to improve your own visibility. Some people refer to this as AI SEO, others call it GEO or LLM optimisation. Regardless of the name, this will be a major factor in digital marketing during 2026 and beyond.

Kasra Dash: AI visibility is definitely a strategy businesses should be paying attention to because more people are using AI tools to search online. Another option is using companies like FatRank or Promo SEO. These companies offer commission based lead generation services for UK businesses that want to grow. It is still important to run your own digital marketing campaigns, but using freelancers or external companies can help diversify your lead sources. You can visit FatRank and fill in the form to see whether they can provide a no risk supply of enquiries. Promo SEO also offers a performance based lead generation service that may help generate additional enquiries for your business in 2026.

Kasra Dash: Another strategy is Google Business Profiles, also known as Google Maps listings. This is a form of local SEO where businesses focus on building their Google Business Profile and increasing the number of reviews. Once a profile starts ranking well, it can generate consistent leads. The challenge is getting started. If competitors already have fifty or one hundred reviews and you have none, there is a gap to close. Reviews usually come from customers, which means you need leads before you can gather them. It becomes a chicken and egg situation. Even so, it is still valuable for brand visibility and local presence.

James Dooley: If you operate in a local area, appearing in Google Maps results is important. Businesses should aim to be omnichannel and visible across multiple platforms. Another key strategy is organic SEO. This involves building a website that ranks well in search results. If you operate in a specific area, you can create service pages targeting that location. For example, a plumber in Manchester might create a page targeting plumbing in Manchester. You can also create blog content answering questions people search for online. The goal is to produce high quality content, build topical authority and gain backlinks from other websites to strengthen your rankings.

Kasra Dash: Another strategy that links to this is organic social media. Organic social media is very much a numbers game. Businesses need to create content their audience actually wants to see. I often see brands that post four or five times on Instagram and then stop posting for years. That will not generate sales. If you create helpful content such as how to guides, before and after examples or useful tips, people will discover your brand and click through to learn more. Organic social media may be free to use, but it requires consistency. Posting three or four times per week is usually a good approach.

James Dooley: Paid social advertising is also a strong strategy. If you are already posting content regularly, boosting those posts with a small daily budget can increase their reach significantly. Case studies, customer results and awards can perform very well. You can also run retargeting ads so that anyone who visits your website continues to see your brand afterwards. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit and Pinterest all offer paid advertising opportunities. Paid social media is still an underused marketing channel for many businesses.

Kasra Dash: Another marketing channel that divides opinion is PPC advertising. This includes Google Ads or Bing Ads. These are the sponsored listings that appear above organic search results. Some businesses spend large amounts of money on PPC and see no results, while others say it transformed their business. The difference usually comes down to how the campaign is set up. PPC campaigns require strong negative keyword lists, protection against click fraud, high converting landing pages and a sales team that quickly follows up enquiries. If those elements are not in place, PPC will struggle to perform well.

James Dooley: While we are discussing paid marketing, another emerging opportunity is advertising on AI platforms. It is not fully available yet, but ChatGPT and other AI platforms may introduce advertising in the near future. Businesses that become early adopters could potentially benefit from lower costs and cheaper leads.

Kasra Dash: Another channel that can influence visibility is online forums such as Reddit and Quora. This is slightly outside your direct control, but if customers are talking positively about your business or recommending your services, it can generate additional enquiries. Encouraging satisfied customers to leave reviews and share recommendations can help increase visibility.

James Dooley: There is also an added benefit with platforms like Reddit because they are frequently cited in AI search results. Positive discussions about your business can help improve AI visibility as well. The final strategy I want to mention is tradesman websites such as Checkatrade, Bark, Rated People and MyBuilder, along with third party lead generation companies. The most important point across all marketing channels is understanding your KPIs and your return on ad spend. Businesses should track how much time and money they invest into each marketing activity and compare it with the results.

James Dooley: Lead generation companies can also help generate enquiries through SEO, PPC or social media campaigns. If they deliver a positive return on investment, they can be a valuable part of your marketing strategy. FatRank and Promo SEO both provide lead generation services that guarantee a return on investment through commission based or performance based models. Businesses should still generate their own leads as well, but diversification is essential. Never rely on a single source of enquiries.

James Dooley: Make sure you check out Promo SEO or the FatRank lead generation service as part of your digital marketing strategy for 2026.

Kasra Dash: Thank you very much James.