Video Marketing Toolkit

What makes a Meta ad actually perform?

Dan Dennis sits down with Eddie Kelly from We Do Marketing to break down the secrets behind high-performing Meta Ads, including how he helped a UK jewellery business generate £140k+ in sales at around 8x ROAS.

They cover ad creative, hooks, targeting, sales funnels, retargeting, A/B testing, ad fatigue and the differences between Meta and Google Ads.

Plus, Eddie reveals the strategy behind the campaign and the biggest mistakes businesses make when running Facebook and Instagram ads.

If you want more from your Meta Ads, this episode is worth a listen.

00:00 — Introduction & Meet Eddie

01:10 — How Eddie Started in Marketing

02:02 — The £140K Jewellery Case Study

03:23 — Building a Community Through Facebook

04:25 — Growing the Business & Google Ads

05:45 — Google Ads vs Meta Ads

06:58 — Lookalike Audiences & Meta AI

07:37 — How Much Should You Spend on Meta Ads?

09:12 — Building a Sales Funnel

11:00 — Setting Goals & Measuring Results

13:45 — Blind Ranking: What Makes a Great Ad?

14:39 — Audience Targeting

15:42 — Why the Hook Matters

16:08 — Landing Pages & Offers

17:32 — Testing, Copy & Social Proof

What happens when two former corporate professionals turn redundancy into an 8-year photography business? 

In this episode of The Video Marketing Toolkit, Dan sits down with Adam & Julia from Jaxmore Food & Drink Photography to talk about photography, marketing, networking, authenticity, AI… and the time they nearly burned their studio down photographing a flaming Christmas pudding! 

From starting out after both of their careers were made redundant, to landing their first food & drink photography client through a chance networking encounter, Adam and Julia share the lessons, mistakes and marketing strategies that have helped them build their business.

In this episode:

- From redundancy to entrepreneurship – How two people over 50 turned a career setback into an entirely new business.

-The flaming Christmas pudding disaster – Why photographing food isn't always as safe as it looks!

- How networking landed their first major client – A brilliant story involving a bottle of gin, a printed portfolio and an unexpected meeting with the founder of Withers Gin

- The marketing channels actually working for them – LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, email marketing and why being B2B doesn't mean you should ignore visual platforms.

-Why you shouldn't network just to sell – The real value of building relationships and becoming someone people recommend.

- Stop the scroll – Why your photography needs to grab attention before anyone even reads your caption.

- Product photography tips you can use at home – Including why side lighting can transform your images and why those cheap lightboxes might not be doing your products any favours.

- AI vs authenticity – Why AI-generated food photography could be damaging customer trust when the real product doesn't look anything like the picture.

- Why the food in your photos needs to be REAL – No fake substitutes, no misleading customers, just the actual product styled to look its best.

- Is direct mail making a comeback? – Why sending something physical could help your business stand out in a world drowning in digital marketing.

- Who's More Likely To? – Find out who leaves the studio lights on, who lands the big contracts, who makes the biggest mess and who is most likely to walk away from a networking event with the most LinkedIn connections.

- The Photography Quiz – Can Dan beat the photography experts at their own game? 

This episode is packed with real business lessons, practical photography advice, marketing ideas and plenty of laughs especially if you're a photographer, creative, freelancer or small business owner trying to get more attention for your work.

00:00 Intro – Meet Jaxmore Food & Drink Photography

01:01 From 30-Year Careers to Starting a Photography Business

01:38 Made Redundant Over 50 – Turning a Setback Into a New Career

02:19 “Old Dogs Can Learn New Tricks”

03:08 From Luxury Property Videos to Food Photography

04:33 Who Does the Editing? The Couple’s Secret Weapon

06:19 Why Having Two People on a Shoot Is a Huge Advantage

07:33 The Loneliness of Being a Solopreneur

08:21 Why Every Business Owner Should Be Networking

09:56 The Reality of Work-Life Balance When You Own a Business

10:52 Taking a Laptop to Bed for “Business Inspiration”

11:19 When Your Business Becomes Your Hobby

12:07 WHO'S MORE LIKELY TO? – The Couples Challenge Begins

12:44 The Genius Alexa System That Reminds Photographers to Take Photos

13:20 The Stock Room With a Very… Interesting Alexa Command

14:29 Who's More Likely to Land a Six-Figure Contract?

16:05 Who Makes the Biggest Mess in the Studio?

16:17 The Flaming Christmas Pudding Disaster 

19:00 Who Gets the Most LinkedIn Connections?

21:42 Marketing Deep Dive Begins

22:11 How Did They Get Their First Food Photography Client?

22:45 Why Product Photography Is Completely Different

23:47 18 Months of Learning Lighting

24:40 The Bottle of Gin That Changed Their Business

25:41 The Networking Moment That Landed Their First Big Client

26:16 Meeting the Founder of Withers Gin by Pure Chance

27:42 The Career That Came Full Circle

29:44 Why You Should NEVER Expect an Immediate Sale From Networking

30:24 The Real Secret to Successful Networking

32:00 Their Marketing Strategy – LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook & More

33:14 Why LinkedIn Can Be Both Powerful AND Frustrating

35:13 The Surprisingly Powerful Platform for Food Photography

36:22 Why Personal Branding Feels So Uncomfortable

37:17 Why People Care More About PEOPLE Than Brands

38:39 The Marketing Channels They Want to Explore Next

39:46 Their Secret Weapon: Making Food Videos Just for Fun

40:31 Why Perfectionism Can Kill Your Social Media Content

41:16 Why “Over-Polished” Content Can Actually Lose Trust

42:29 Why Authenticity Is Winning on Social Media

42:41 Is Direct Mail Making a Comeback?

44:53 Should You Send “Lumpy Mail” to Get Noticed?

46:45 The Cleverest Direct Mail Trick for Photographers

47:20 How to Take Better Product Photos at Home

47:47 Why Your Smartphone's Auto Mode Can Ruin Product Photos

48:33 The Lighting Trick That Makes Products Look Better

49:30 NEVER Flood Your Product With Light

50:35 The Simple Test to Know If Your Food Photo Actually Works

51:26 Why Your Website Photography Matters More Than Social Media

52:23 AI-Generated Food Photos – Are They Destroying Trust?

52:50 When AI Food Photos Look NOTHING Like the Real Thing

54:43 The Crazy Tricks Photographers Used Before AI

55:15 Why Jaxmore Refuse to Fake Their Food Photography

56:31 Why They Now DELIBERATELY Leave Crumbs in Their Photos

57:34 The Photography Quiz – Can They Beat ChatGPT?

59:38 60-Second Photography Quiz Challenge

01:00:43 They Get EVERY Question Right! 

01:01:40 Dan Takes the Photography Quiz

01:02:54 Dan's Score Is… 

01:03:33 What Is Chiaroscuro?

01:04:16 Final Thoughts & Key Takeaways

01:04:47 How to Contact Jaxmore

01:05:14 Outro

Hiring Your First Employee? Watch This Before You Do.

Going from solopreneur to employer is a huge! But what do you actually need to know before hiring your first employee? And can you hire your friend? ( spoiler, I did!)

Karen shares practical HR advice from 18 years of experience, including:

How to hire the RIGHT person, not just someone who ticks every box

00:00 — You can't grow alone

Tom shares his personal journey of leaving a high-pressure career as a network architect to follow his passion for psychology and neuroscience. The conversation provides deep insights into why we feel "Sunday scaries," how to handle negative self-talk, and practical, science-backed techniques to build confidence on camera.

00:00 Overcoming the fear of social media and the unknown.

01:06 Introduction: Meet Tom Price, hypnotherapist and mindset coach.

02:04 Tom’s journey: Transitioning from a 20-year IT career to hypnotherapy.

07:34 Moving from technical roles to strategic ones and losing the "love for the role."

11:51 The reality of building a business vs. just getting a qualification.

14:42 Understanding "Sunday scaries" and the cycle of work-related anxiety.

15:45 Documentation over perfection: Finding enjoyment in creating content.

17:41 Flipping the script: How to manage negative self-talk and focus on the outcome.

19:04 A practical exercise: Writing down thoughts to externalise fear.

23:45 Why communicating online feels more threatening than face-to-face.

25:22 Battling Imposter Syndrome and the impact of high stress on anxiety.

26:24 The "Singing Technique": Leveraging neuroscience to de-stress instantly.

32:00 Managing overthinking: The power of the Reticular Activating System (RAS).

33:15 Evening Gratitude: Training your brain to notice the positives.

36:39 What is Hypnotherapy? Dissolving unwanted habits through "Developer Mode."

38:38 Debunking Myths: Why hypnotherapy is not mind control.

41:05 Ask the Expert: The Hypnotherapy and Mindset Quiz.

46:39 Final thoughts and where to reach out for support.

In this episode of the Video Marketing Toolkit, I’m joined by Aimee Elsey to break down how to build a marketing strategy that is practical, measurable, and actually gets used.

We talk about why most businesses fall into “random acts of marketing”, why a proper audit is the best starting point, and how to build a simple plan around what your customers actually need to see (not just what you want to post).

We also run through a real example strategy for launching a local café, covering content, reviews, trust, and how to stay consistent when you are busy.

Chapters

00:36 Marketing strategy, where to start (and who Aimee helps)

03:55 Why a marketing audit comes first

06:06 The common mistakes businesses keep repeating

08:02 Batching content without losing quality

11:34 Value-first marketing (stop the hard sell)

15:16 Positioning and winning your first clients

19:25 Example strategy: launching a local café

22:27 Make content about people, not the brand

27:39 Organic content, and why ads are changing

33:24 Consistency, measurement, and 90-day goals

If you want people to stay on your website longer (and actually take action), this episode is for you.

I’m joined by Matt Johnson (Jono Designs), a web design and development freelancer, to break down what really keeps visitors on your site, from UX and trust to headings, structure, video, and clear messaging.

We also chat about the realities of going freelance, why onboarding is everything in a web project, and how small design choices can either build trust or send people bouncing.

Plus, we finish with our Ask the Expert quiz, web development edition.

Guest: Matt Johnson (Jono Designs)

If you have ever thought, “I know I should be posting… but I do not want to be the face of the business”, this episode is for you.

In this conversation, I sit down with Jayne Hume (Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, Small Business Academy) and Neil Betts (Go True North, creator of Vision to Venture) to break down why visibility matters, what people are really scared of, and how to start showing up without making it a big dramatic thing.

We get into the reality that most business owners are not actually scared of being on camera, they are scared their content will look “bad” and they will be judged, especially around editing and posting.

Jayne also shares why the Chamber kept seeing the same blocker come up whenever the word “marketing” was mentioned, and why visibility is something you cannot afford to ignore if you want to be found.

In this episode, you will learn:

Why “being visible” is not about being an influencer, it is about being findable What people are actually afraid of (and how to remove the friction).

How to make consistency realistic, even if it is once a week.

Why “everyone is a creator”, and what that actually means for business owners.

If you found this useful, subscribe for more episodes of Video Marketing Toolkit and share this with a business owner who is stuck in the “I should post… but…” loop.

What does it really take to sell with confidence and make your first £10k in business, without feeling like a pushy salesperson or hiding behind jargon?

In this episode of the Video Marketing Toolkit, Dan sits down with sales OG Hugh Cochrane from Creative Folks to break down how he went from “no clue after uni” to building sales functions, launching a business just after lockdown, and now leading growth for a digital agency.

Hugh shares honestly about failed ventures, terrible management, awkward pitches, and why most businesses get sales totally backwards. Together, Dan and Hugh unpack a simple, human process for winning work, building trust and actually closing deals.

You will learn:

How Hugh fell into sales after uni and why that first role shaped everything

What launching a business just after lockdown taught him about risk, resilience and reality

Why so many agencies are “cowboy” and how to spot the red flags

Why outreach beats waiting for enquiries if you want your first £10k

How Hugh uses LinkedIn voice notes and video messages to stand out in crowded inboxes

A simple flow for outreach → discovery call → proposal → close

How to scope work, price properly and avoid giving away your profit

Why confidence in yourself always comes before confidence in your product

How to turn a client’s bad past experience into a long term relationship

Why selling is not B2B or B2C, it is human to human

There is also a quickfire quiz at the end where Dan and Hugh go head to head on sales and business questions, powered by AI, with plenty of laughs and a bit of chaos.

If you are trying to get your first £10k in consistent sales, this episode will help you see that you do not need fancy scripts or endless training. You just need a clear process, a bit of bravery and the willingness to show up as yourself.

Dan Dennis - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-dennis-815a74172/

Hugh Cockrane - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hughcochrane-creativefolks/

In this episode of the Video Marketing Toolkit podcast, I sit down with Leicester estate agent and creator, John Ghent, to break down how he has built a hyper engaged local audience by talking about streets, pubs, underpasses and storm drains.

We talk through his journey from traditional estate agency to short form content machine, how one simple nightlife video exploded to over a million views, and how that attention now turns into real instructions and high quality leads.

You will learn:

How to spot viral local story angles in everyday life

Why nostalgia and local history are gold for content

John’s simple content workflow for long form and shorts

How often you really need to post to stand out in your city

The mindset shift from “perfect video” to “post more”

Perfect for any local business owner, estate agent or creator who wants to become the familiar face in their town or city.

In this episode of Video Marketing Toolkit, I sit down with entrepreneur and YouTube creator Neil Betts, the founder of Go True North and creator of the Vision to Venture startup programme.

Neil recently passed 100,000 YouTube subscribers, and in this episode, we unpack the full story of how he used video and YouTube to find his audience, test his business idea, and build trust online — without the need for perfection.

We talk about:

The power of “fail fast” thinking in business

Why every video is a learning opportunity

How to use YouTube as a trust wall to grow a brand

Turning long-form interviews into shorts

The mindset shift needed to show up consistently

The secret sauce behind real community building

Whether you’re just starting out or growing something new, this episode is packed with honest insights, laughs, and practical advice on how to use video to bring your idea to life.