Creative Enterprise Growth Programme: Strategic Marketing Masterplan

A calm, practical day to understand how marketing works and build a clear, simple strategy for your business.

We are thrilled to welcome Simon Clayton FCIM, a professionally qualified marketing and leadership coach with more than 30 years’ experience helping business owners grow their influence, purpose and direction. Simon brings a rare blend of real-world business experience, strategic clarity and supportive teaching, turning marketing from something overwhelming into something achievable.

Simon is also the author of Marketing Masterplan and Infectious: How to Master Trust, Authority and Influence.
Every attendee will receive a complimentary copy of Marketing Masterplan to take home.

This full-day session gives you the space to step back from day-to-day tasks and finally understand the structure, psychology and strategy behind marketing that works.

Marketing often feels confusing, overly complex or never-ending for creative business owners.
This workshop will simplify it. Completely.

Using the core principles from Simon’s Marketing Masterplan, you will move through seven essential building blocks of effective marketing, with clarity, calm and practical guidance.

Each stage is broken into small, manageable steps so you never feel overwhelmed.

We begin with a clear explanation of marketing’s true purpose:

• What marketing is (and what it isn’t)
• Why it matters to creative businesses
• How to simplify the entire process
• Why trust and connection are more important than tactics

This section removes the pressure and gives you a strong foundation.

Here we explore:

• The purpose behind your creative business
• The value you bring to your audience
• What you want people to understand about your work
• How purpose drives your marketing decisions

When your purpose is clear, your marketing becomes effortless.

You will dive into:

• Who your customers really are
• What motivates them
• What problems do you solve for them
• Where do they spend their time
• What influences their decisions

This stage helps you stop guessing and start communicating effectively.

This section helps you define:

• Your unique offering
• Why customers should choose you
• What makes your creative business stand out
• How to communicate this confidently

Your proposition becomes the backbone of your message.

Together we’ll explore:

• Which marketing tools suit your time and capacity
• How to choose platforms that feel sustainable
• What you should prioritise (and what you can drop)
• How to stay consistent without burning out

You’ll leave knowing exactly where to focus your energy.

You will learn:

• How to guide customers from awareness to purchase
• What builds trust
• How to communicate value
• Simple ways to improve your conversion rate

This is practical, easy to apply, and designed for real creative businesses.

To finish, Simon will help you create:

• Simple metrics to track
• A realistic monitoring plan
• A healthy perspective on numbers
• A sustainable strategy for long-term growth

This final stage gives you confidence and clarity moving into 2026.

By the end of this workshop, you will:

• Understand the entire marketing process from purpose to results
• Know how to identify and reach your ideal audience
• Clarify what makes you different
• Choose the right marketing tools for your business
• Learn how to convert interest into real customers
• Build a practical, human-sized marketing plan
• Increase confidence in promoting your creative work
• Leave with a copy of Marketing Masterplan to support your next steps

Everything is taught in simple, digestible steps specifically tailored to creative entrepreneurs.

This workshop is exclusively for creatives, including:

• Makers
• Artists
• Designers
• Craft businesses
• Artisans
• Creative freelancers
• Micro businesses selling handmade or original work

Perfect for creative entrepreneurs who want clarity, confidence and a strategic approach to marketing , without stress or overwhelm.

You will be supported throughout by Simon Clayton FCIM, an experienced educator and strategist known for making marketing feel human, clear and achievable.

Expect friendly conversation, simple frameworks, real-world examples and guidance you can put into practice immediately.

This is not corporate.
It is calm, structured, supportive — and often transformative.

If you can’t attend this session, contact us and we will help you explore alternative workshops in the Creative Enterprise Growth Programme.

The Creative Enterprise Growth Programme is a Creative Impact project, part of Creative Central NCL, funded by the North East Combined Authority and Newcastle City Council.