The Story of First Touch Marketing

First Touch Marketing started in a university seminar.

In February 2021, I was studying Football Business & Marketing at UCFB when we were given a project; create your own marketing agency. At the time, I didn’t really know what a marketing agency was. But something about the challenge sparked my interest. For the first time in my degree, I felt genuinely invested.

What grabbed me wasn't just the marketing side; it was the ownership. I liked the idea of building something from the ground up. Something I could shape, grow, and take full responsibility for.

The Name

First Touch Marketing, or FTM, came naturally. In football, your first touch can define everything. In marketing, it’s the same. You don’t get much time to turn someone into a customer. First impressions matter. First touch points matter. That moment someone comes across your brand, sees your product, lands on your website — that’s what counts. That’s where the name came from.

The Early Days

FTM officially launched on February 19th, 2021. I was still at uni, running it on the side, and the first service I offered was Instagram overhauls. A lot of accounts looked tired or dated, and I saw a clear opportunity to make them sharper and more engaging.

My first real break came through The FUSE Collective: a local design agency who gave me the chance to invoice through FTM and gain hands-on experience. I still work with them now.

In those first few months, I didn’t have a lot of confidence; but I had consistency. I wrote blogs. I posted on social. I chipped away at it. I hadn’t learned Adobe yet, so I built everything in Canva. It was simple, but it got the job done.

Going Full-Time

FTM became more serious once I finished uni. On the day of my final exam in May 2023, I sat the paper in the morning and started working full-time in the afternoon. That was it.

The first major moment came about a month later when I signed my first retainer client. That was when it clicked; this was a proper business.

Since then, it’s been a case of improving bit by bit. Learning more. Offering more. Sharpening how I work and what I deliver.

What FTM Stands For

FTM is about helping people grow their businesses and build something they care about. When I market someone’s business well, it gives them time back. Time they can spend inside their business, doing what they love, while I handle the outside.

It’s built on honesty, open communication and a proper interest in the people I work with. I’m still early in my journey, which means every client matters. That’s reflected in the way I work — lean, personal and always transparent.

I don’t believe in unethical marketing. Everything I do is clean and clear. I won’t work with businesses who cause harm to people or the planet. That’s non-negotiable.

Lessons Along the Way

There have been mistakes. One early client didn’t like the website I made for them - which is fair. But they didn’t offer any feedback, even though two rounds were included. They pulled the plug and didn’t want to pay. I hadn’t set up a proper contract, and it left me exposed. We reached an amicable agreement in the end, but it taught me a big lesson.

Another moment that stung was back in the early days, I used images from Google in blogs. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, especially as it started as a uni project. But once it became a business, that oversight cost me £3,000. Won’t be making that mistake again.

Where Things Stand Now

FTM now offers services across four key areas:

Advertising

Audio, brochures, business cards, e-books, editorials, flyers, guerrilla campaigns, leaflets, newspapers, outdoor, posters, press, radio, sales presentations, whitepapers.

Branding

Brand design, development, identity, strategy, guidelines, logo creation, naming, product packaging, tagline development.

Content

App design, blogs, community management, copywriting, email marketing, Google Business Profile management, influencer outreach, landing pages, social media management, UGC, website design and maintenance.

Strategy

Campaign planning and execution, competitor analysis, content strategy, marketing strategy, event strategy, social media audits, planning and training.

I keep the operation lean. I’ll sometimes bring in trusted freelancers if I need to, but only people I know personally and trust professionally. That way, the work stays consistent and high quality.

Looking Ahead

I’m not trying to scale FTM into a huge agency. I like the size it’s at; lean, focused, close to the work. That said, I’m open to wherever it goes. I’m not rigid about the future.

What matters is that the work stays exciting. That the clients I bring in are people I want to work with. And that FTM always reflects the values I started it with - honesty, care and doing things properly.

Final Word

Running FTM gives me purpose. It’s changed how I see my career and what I’m capable of. I still see friends. I prioritise family. I stay active. I build in downtime. But right now, I’m in deep work mode; this business is growing, and I’m all in.

What motivates me most is my family - especially my girlfriend and our cat. I want to build something solid that gives us the freedom to live well. That’s what drives me every day.

🫡 Your Brand Deserves Better

First Touch Marketing

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