About Sustainable Marketing Services
Making Sustainable Growth Achievable
A strategy-led marketing partner for owner-led businesses
We make your marketing clear, deliver it reliably and build it to last, so you can grow with confidence.
Who we are
We do both the strategy and the work
Sustainable Marketing Services works with owner-led businesses across Brisbane, the Redlands and South East Queensland. Since 2008, we've helped over 300 businesses grow.
We work with two kinds of business: manufacturers and distributors whose products take real understanding to explain, and local trade and service businesses that want steady enquiries in a crowded market.
Most of our clients don't have a marketer in house, so we become their marketing team. We work out the strategy, then we do the work, from your brand and website to your digital marketing, month after month. Better marketing, not just more of it.
Smartcool Australia's sales cycle went from 12 to 18 months down to 3 to 6 months after we repositioned its brand. K&G Automotive has grown its team from 7 to 13 since 2018, with calls from Google up more than 150%.
Meet Maria
Maria Anderson founded Sustainable Marketing Services in 2008. She is a Certified Practising Marketer and a Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute, with more than 25 years in marketing.
Maria leads every account. The people you meet at the first meeting are the people who do your work, and there's no handover after it. You have the same main contact from start to finish, so you never have to explain your business twice. When the work needs a specialist, we bring them in and manage them, so your marketing says the same thing everywhere and you only deal with us.
Why "Sustainable"
Maria grew up around her family's business, Anderson Camera Repairs, started by her grandfather and carried on by her father, with her mother working alongside him. Maria worked in it too. It showed her what a business built to last looks like, and that is what Sustainable means to us: growth that lasts, for you and for the long term.
We look after our own footprint as well. We have been an ecoBiz partner since 2011, and we offset our carbon footprint through Greenfleet's native reforestation.
Our promises
WHAT YOU CAN COUNT ON
Clear. Reliable. Built to last.
Three things our clients count on, and say about us in their own words.
Clear. We listen first and get to know your business before we recommend anything. Then we explain everything in plain English, so you know exactly what we're doing and why.
"Our current and potential clients now clearly and simply understand what we offer..." Scott Gregson, Smartcool Australia
Reliable. We do what we said we would, on time and on budget, for a fixed price. We keep you informed, reply within 24 hours, and take the load off you, so the risk of your marketing failing goes down.
"Maria has taken all of the headaches away and has been able to complete the full package of branding, website, e-mails, and marketing. A true one stop shop that enabled my new brand to take effect." Mark Davies, Compass Fire and Safety, Google review
Long-term. We work as part of your team, year after year, and build foundations that keep working: your positioning, your brand and your marketing plan.
"Sustainable Marketing Services started work with the Model Aeronautical Association of Australia (MAAA) in 2014 and worked as our marketing team for over 7 years." Tyson Dodd, MAAA, Google review
The result: clients often come to us nervous about marketing and leave confident.
"Being my first serious internet advertising investment I was very nervous about the whole process but Maria made me feel comfortable." David Nicol, Google review
How we work
HOW WE HELP
A clear path, one step at a time
We don't start with tactics, and we don't ask you to trust a magic wand. You see every step.
1. We learn your business first. We take the time to understand your business, your customers and where you want to go, before we recommend anything.
2. We give you a clear plan. Your positioning and a practical marketing plan, in plain English, set out step by step: what to do now, and what comes next as you grow.
3. We do the work, reliably. We run your marketing every month, or deliver a project over three to six months, and keep you informed along the way.
4. You see the results. Each month you get a report showing what was done and what it brought in: calls, enquiries and sales. Then we keep improving what works.
Human-led, AI-assisted. We use AI to work more efficiently, so we spend more time on your strategy and on getting your marketing right.
Marketing Growth Plan. A clear, practical marketing plan for your business, so you know exactly what to do next.
Fractional Marketing Leadership. We lead your marketing as your senior marketer, setting the direction and priorities every month.
Marketing Growth Partnership. We run your marketing program every month, so your marketing turns up consistently.
We provide the leadership and the program together, ongoing every month, or as a project over three to six months to deliver brand positioning, a marketing plan, a new website or a capability document.
Meet Susty
Susty, our chameleon, has been part of Sustainable Marketing Services for years, and he tells the story of working with us. Clients come in grey, when their marketing isn't working for them yet. They get the pink experience of working with us. They leave green, set up for long-term, sustainable growth.
Let's make your marketing do-able
Tell us where your business is now and where you want it to go. We'll start with a conversation, not a sales pitch.
Awards
- Winner
- 2020 & 2019 & 2018 Honour Roll Business of the Year, Redlands BaR Awards
- Finalist
- 2016 Redlands Hall of Excellence Business of the Year
- Finalist
- 2016, The Australian Small Business Champion Awards (Business Services)
- Finalist
- 2015 & 2014 Redlands Hall of Excellence Business of the Year
- Hall Of Fame
- 2013 Best Small Business
- Winner
- 2012 Best Small Business
- Winner
- 2012 Best Professional & Business Support Services
- Winner
- 2011 Best Small Business & Highly Commended for Professional Services
- Winner
- 2010 Best Small Business
- Winner
- 2009 Best Emerging Business, Redlands Business Excellence Awards
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We work out where your marketing should go first, then do the work to get it there. For most of our clients we act as their marketing team: setting the direction, running the activity every month and reporting the results.
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A clear reason for customers to choose you, a simple plan, and doing it consistently. Most businesses don't need more activity. They need the right activity, done every month.
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Yes, but it doesn't need to be long. A good plan tells you what to do now, what comes next, and how you'll know it's working. For smaller local businesses we keep it short, so you get to the marketing sooner.
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Maria leads every account. The people you meet at the first meeting are the people who do your work, and you have the same main contact from start to finish. When the work needs a specialist, such as a web developer, we bring them in and manage them, so you only deal with us.
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Yes. We are human-led and AI-assisted. We use AI to work more efficiently, so we spend more time on your strategy and on getting your marketing right.