insights | 06.11.2025

Digital marketing for Northampton Heritage industries

Article topics

Build a simple website
Claim your Google Business Profile
Set up a social media profile
Build an email marketing list
Encourage customers testimonials and reviews
Get a local digital marketing agency to handle your online presence

Northampton has always been admired for its rich industrial heritage, both in the UK and abroad.

The town is most well-known and loved for its shoemaking industry. By the turn of the 19th century, one in three adult males worked as shoemakers and even today it’s known as the ‘shoemaking capital of the world’.

If you work in the heritage industry sector, getting started with digital marketing may feel like a challenge, especially if you don’t have the budget or skills to get online.

However, it isn’t as tricky as you might think. Here are five simple ways you can amplify your online presence and get the best return on investment for your business.

(While this article is geared towards shoemakers, any small business can take advantage of the guidance within it!)

1. Build a simple website

One of the easiest ways to get seen online is to build a website. 78% of small businesses in the UK have a website, with 84% saying their site plays a big part in their success.

Having a website makes it easier to rank in the search engines, where nearly 70% of all internet visits begin. Not only this, but a website is available 24 hours a day, meaning customers can buy your products on weekends, bank holidays, and outside of working hours.

You can also use your website to demonstrate your history and tell your story, making your business come across as more trustworthy, reliable, and credible.

Which website platform is right for you? It depends on your requirements, budget, and which business tools you need to implement.

WordPress is a good, highly-flexible platform if you’re just starting out, or you may want to consider a cloud-based platform like Shopify – like Crown Northampton uses. With cloud-based platforms, you pay a monthly or annual fee and your hosting and updates are all covered.

If creating a website doesn’t appeal to you or you want to test the waters first, you may want to consider using an online marketplace. Marketplaces showcase your products for you, handling marketing, payment processing, and often delivery and returns, in exchange for a fee.

While there are large marketplaces like Amazon, Etsy, and eBay, there are also smaller, more niche sites perfect for heritage crafts like Not on The High Street and The British Craft House.

2. Claim your Google Business Profile

How much should you be spending on your marketing if you’re a small heritage business?

In our experience, you should set aside at least 10% of your overall budget to get the best results.

The good news is that if you don’t have a big budget, there are still lots of things you can do to get the word out to people outside of Northampton.

A good starting point is to set up a Google Business Profile. Just claim your profile (or request ownership if it’s already been claimed), fill in as many fields as possible, and you’re ready to go.

With a Google Business Profile:

Your profile will appear if people search for your business, displaying your opening times, information about your products, and a link to your website and social media profiles
You can provide Google with more context about your business, meaning you’re more likely to rank for the search results that count. Most importantly, it shows Google that your business is open and active
You can engage with customers – replying to their reviews and answering their questions. We’ll talk about customer reviews in more detail later

There’s another advantage to setting up a Google Business Profile too. It increases the chances of your business appearing in the ‘Snack Pack’ at the top of the search results.

3. Set up a social media profile

Social media isn’t just all silly dances and photos of what you had for breakfast.

It can be a powerful tool for showcasing your products and brand values – ultimately establishing customer trust in your business.

In fact, social media is the top generator of sales for nearly 30% of small businesses in the UK!

Take Crockett and Jones, a premium shoemaker based in Northampton. Its Instagram feed is full of lush product photos, inspirational videos, and stories from satisfied customers.

The key to getting the most out of social media is not to spread yourself too thin. It’s better to focus on one or two platforms that your target audience uses most regularly than to have an account on every single platform.

Working with local influencers can be a great way to introduce new customers to your business. There’s an influencer out there for every brand – nano influencers with between 1,000 and 10,000 followers are affordable and more likely to engage with followers.

Social media marketing for eCommerce businesses: six steps for success

4. Build an email marketing list

If you only have limited time and resources to dedicate to marketing, email marketing should be a channel you prioritise.

As people have to opt in to receive emails, you’re marketing to those who are most interested in your business. You can segment your mailing list to send more targeted and personalised content – like different emails to people who buy most frequently versus those who are yet to buy from you.

You can also use automated emails to appeal to customers at specific touchpoints. For example, if someone puts a product in their online cart but doesn’t buy, you can send an abandoned cart email encouraging them to come back and make a purchase.

If you use email marketing it’s crucial to build your email list carefully. Customers must consent to being added to it, otherwise you risk falling foul of data protection regulations like GDPR.

An easy way to collect email addresses is to use a pop-up, or ‘squeeze page’ on your website. Offering a discount can encourage customers to sign up – 90% of customers will happily hand over their email address if an incentive is offered.

5. Encourage customer testimonials and reviews

When you run a heritage business, word of mouth marketing is exceedingly important. You rely on satisfied customers to tell other people about your products and encourage them to buy from you.

You can use digital marketing to make this process faster, more efficient, and ultimately more scalable. 93% of shoppers read at least one online review before making a purchase, with others reading many more.

If you sell online, many eCommerce platforms offer ratings functionality as standard, meaning you can showcase reviews alongside your products. All you need to do is encourage customers to leave a review after they’ve bought from your online store.

You can also collect business reviews on your Google Business Profile, as well as platforms including Facebook, Trustpilot, and Reviews.io. You can also use Yelp if you operate brick-and-mortar stores.

Don’t forget to check out feedback on other sites too, like Reddit. Setting up notifications on Google Alerts will mean you get an email every time someone mentions you online.

Take the time to respond to all reviews and feedback you receive, both good and bad. This shows you care about what your customers say and are willing to make amends to put things right.

45% of people say they’ll still check out a business if it responds to a bad review.

Alternatively… Let your local digital marketing agency handle your online presence

If you don’t have the time or resources to manage your digital marketing, there is an alternative option – using a digital marketing agency.

One in five small businesses use an agency to handle their marketing, with online advertising, social media, and search engine optimisation (SEO) being the three most called-upon services.

We pride ourselves on being a full-service agency, meaning we can handle everything from your web design and development to your digital marketing strategy. Plus as we’re based in Milton Keynes, we can pop over to your factory or store in as little as 30 minutes!

You shouldn’t have to ‘shoes’ between online visibility and affordability – get in touch today to find out more.