About
Hello, I'm Sarah Ward
A Chartered Marketer with more than twenty years in marketing, working with ambitious SMEs who want a plan they understand and progress they can measure.
Senior marketing, without the agency layer.
Why I work this way
I have spent my career in and around SME marketing, in house and agency side, which means I have seen both sides of why things stall. Rarely is it a lack of ideas. Usually it is no plan, no owner, or no honest read on what is working.
SLD Marketing exists so that smaller businesses can get senior marketing thinking without paying for an agency team they do not need. When you hire me, I am the person doing the work, and I am the person you speak to.
I am also the founder of Sync'd, a women's health brand, so alongside the consultancy I am building a business of my own. It keeps me honest about what it actually takes to market a small brand with finite time and budget.
I am a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and Vice-Chair of Events for CIM East of England, which keeps me close to the profession and to what is genuinely changing rather than what is simply loud.
Straight answers, properly evidenced.
Credentials
Qualified, chartered and always current
Marketing changes quickly. Being Chartered means committing to continuous professional development every year, so the advice you get is up to date as well as experienced.
What CFCIM means
Chartered Marketer is a professional status awarded by the Chartered Institute of Marketing. It has to be earned through qualifications and senior experience, and it is only kept by completing continuous professional development every single year. It is not a one off certificate.
Fellow (FCIM) is the highest grade of CIM membership, awarded for sustained senior marketing practice and contribution to the profession.
Put together, CFCIM means Chartered Marketer and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. In practice it means the advice you get is both experienced and up to date, and held to a professional code of conduct.
Chartered Marketer, CFCIM
The CIM's highest grade of membership, awarded for sustained senior marketing practice.
CIM Level 7 Marketing Leadership Programme
Postgraduate level study in leading marketing at board level.
CIM Level 6 Diploma in Professional Marketing
Strategic marketing planning, insight and brand management.
CIM Level 6 Diploma in Professional Digital Marketing
Digital strategy, channel planning and measurement.
How I work
Plain English, always
If a plan needs a glossary, it is not a plan. I write the way I talk, and I explain the reasoning behind every recommendation.
Evidence before opinion
I would rather spend a week on research than a quarter on a campaign built from assumptions.
Honest, even when it is awkward
You are paying for judgement. If something is not working, or is not worth doing, I will say so.
Built to be handed over
Everything is documented so your team can carry it on. No dependency, no mystery.
Common questions
Fancy a conversation?
No pitch and no obligation. Just a straight conversation about what your marketing needs to do next.