The power of marketing in the cleaning and hygiene industry w/ James Norgate

Could your cleaning or hygiene business be leaving hundreds of thousands, or even millions of pounds on the table because of poor marketing? This week on The Dish It Dirty Podcast, I'm joined by James Norgate, founder of marketing consultancy NXRD, to discuss why so many businesses in our industry are failing to unlock the commercial potential of marketing. James has over 22 years of marketing experience, including senior international roles at SEKO and Lasatec Industrial Holding, working with manufacturers across the cleaning, hygiene, dosing and dispensing industries. During his time at SEKO, he helped grow the UK business from approximately £1.5 million to £8 million in revenue, while delivering some impressive marketing results: -280% growth in social media presence -Over 300% growth in YouTube subscribers -124% increase in email marketing ROI -£1.8 million in reported returns from a digital campaign costing approximately £1,000 -Over £10 million in sales opportunity value generated through the website in his final year But this episode isn't just about those numbers. It's about how cleaning and hygiene businesses can use marketing to generate more leads, improve sales performance and accelerate growth. We discuss: Why marketing in the cleaning and hygiene industry is often outdated and ineffective How James helped transform SEKO's marketing and support its revenue growth Why your website should act as a 24/7 salesperson How to connect LinkedIn, YouTube, email, SEO and your website into one marketing system Why marketing and sales teams need to work together How to get more value from exhibitions and trade shows Why your marketing also affects your ability to attract employees 🎙️ The Dish It Dirty Podcast, bringing together the people, businesses and ideas shaping the cleaning and hygiene industry. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction to The Dish It Dirty Podcast 02:37 The Power of Marketing in Cleaning & Hygiene 04:29 Why Your Website Is a 24/7 Salesperson 05:29 How James Helped Grow SEKO From £1.5m to £8m 07:02 Transforming SEKO's Website Into a Lead Generation Machine 09:21 £10 Million in Opportunities Generated Through the Website 10:03 LinkedIn, YouTube & the Power of Integrated Marketing 12:09 Turning Cold Prospects Into Warm Leads 14:12 How Much Revenue Would SEKO Have Lost Without Marketing? 16:08 Why Salespeople Need Marketing Support 18:05 What Should a Marketing Team Actually Do? 19:50 Getting More ROI From Exhibitions & Trade Shows 23:10 Why Marketing Strategy Can Feel Overwhelming 24:30 How Marketing Affects Recruitment & Employer Branding 27:53 What's Changed in Marketing Over the Last Five Years? 29:53 AI Search, Google & the Future of SEO 33:01 Why Original Content Matters More Than Ever 36:03 Getting Your Business Referenced by AI 38:18 Why Most Cleaning Industry LinkedIn Content Misses the Mark 40:38 The Long-Term Power of Personal Branding 44:05 Growing Your Company's LinkedIn Page 48:00 Voice Notes, Video & LinkedIn Outreach 50:00 Why Most Sales Messages Don't Work 52:44 Marketing to Human Needs, Not Just Products 57:00 Creating Clearer Marketing Messages 01:00:20 Measuring Marketing ROI 01:03:19 Automating Lead Generation & Sales Prospecting 01:09:11 Could AI Replace Parts of a Sales Team? 01:12:12 AI Video Tools & Content Creation 01:18:02 AI-Generated Content & Detection 01:24:01 Should You Use AI to Write LinkedIn Posts? 01:27:07 The Problem With AI Personalisation in Sales Outreach 01:30:02 Why AI Still Needs Human Judgement 01:33:03 How NXRD Helps Businesses Grow 01:34:34 Where Should Businesses Start With Marketing? 01:35:36 Closing