McLellan Clothing has been a staple in Manchester and beyond, providing high-quality embroidered and printed workwear, uniforms, sports kits, and more. With their roots in rugby and cricket clothing, the business has grown and adapted over the years to meet the needs of a wider customer base. They serve Manchester, Salford, and clients across the UK.
We’ve been lucky enough to support McLellan Clothing with their social media marketing for almost four years now. Since January 2021, during the thick of the pandemic, we’ve seen first-hand how social media has helped them not only survive but thrive. From their first post to their biggest orders, their journey has been one of patience, growth, and strategy. We’re proud to have played a part in that.
Q&A with McLellan Clothing
1. Firstly introduce McLellan Clothing to our readers and tell us a potted history of your time with the business?
So, McLellan Clothing was originally started back as A&M McLellan by Andy and his son Mike in 1975. They specialised at the time in rugby and cricket clothing with customers across the country. This was a time before there were any real brands involved in those sports. Andy sadly passed away, but Mike kept things going and adapted over time. I joined in September 2009 at a point in my life where I needed to make a change, and Mike was looking to the future and his aims of retirement. After a few years learning the ropes of the business and how to run a business, I began to purchase shares until such a point as I could take full control of the company, which happened around April 2016. Since then, it has been a case of evolution, not revolution, as we look to build on our strengths, expand our customer base, and try new approaches.
2. You came to us because you wanted support with social media marketing. What did your social media look like prior to getting in touch with us?
Very haphazard and scattergun. No real focus. The odd post here and there on Twitter/X and sometimes other platforms.
3. There are over 6,000 social media managers in the Manchester area. Out of all the social media managers, why did you specifically pick us?
As a resident of Altrincham, I couldn’t not be aware of the guy they call Mr Altrincham. Despite initially having never met, we had communicated on socials a number of times and felt with similar interests and values on show, plus evidence of your work, then it was the natural choice—especially once we had an initial face-to-face chat to discuss our needs.
4. You told us earlier what your social media looked like prior to getting in touch. What does it look like now?
In a nutshell, much better. Images have improved, the schedule of posts is much better. The interaction with other people has grown. It could be better still, but it’s light years from where it was.
5. To set the tone for our readers, we always say social media marketing is about being patient. How long did it take to get your very first order from social media?
Ha ha. Ironically, not long at all. The first post went out on 21st January 2021, and on 1st February, we got an order for £1.1k from a brand new customer. This was particularly large and a great start.
6. And what is the biggest order value to date from social media?
Hard to say, as there is lots of repeat business, but one customer is now over £14k with their biggest order to date being for almost £5k. This customer is down near Northampton, so would never have just found us locally.
7. We started working together in January 2021 (the dark days of winter lockdown during the pandemic). Do you feel that social media helped you to bounce back?
It certainly did. It told the world we were still around and also possibly capitalised on the (sad) fact that some businesses didn’t make it through lockdown, and potential customers needed new suppliers.
8. Your Instagram audience is 10x bigger and LinkedIn audience 3x bigger, and yet it’s quality over quantity. Businesses think they need thousands and thousands of followers to build a business, but you were invoicing thousands of £££s worth of orders when you had less than 500 followers. What would you say to businesses are the real metrics for social media?
Being in front of the right audience is better than a large audience of people who don’t need your services at all. We prefer to build relationships that mean more. I definitely prefer quality over quantity.
9. How is it having someone in your corner that knows a lot of businesses?
Just amazing. There isn’t the time to be across social media constantly whilst running a small business and raising a young family. There needs to be some downtime to relax and switch off, which I like to do by hitting the gym, cycling or running. Knowing someone is keeping an eye on things and promoting the business whilst I can switch off is just huge and takes some pressures and stresses away.
10. We’re mainly talking about social media here, but it’s part of a wider mix. What other marketing do you do?
We are members of a local networking group called Monton Business Group, which is a great place to attend. Really local businesses, though with a wider outlook. A very sociable group with a nice varied mix of members, especially being quite gender-balanced, which is often rare for networking. Whilst there are lots of networking options, different styles suit different people, and there are groups that wouldn’t suit me in their style, and also for the commitment required when running a small, hands-on business.
11. For someone thinking of bringing in external social media support, what would you say to them?
It can definitely work and help with business growth, but you need to find the right person and the right strategy for you and your business. Don’t rush into a poor decision and the wrong company. Ensure they have your best interests at heart, and then your growth is their growth too. Obviously, I’d recommend Altrincham HQ, but it might not be right for you. Meet for a coffee and a chat. See if it’s management or just training you require, and don’t be afraid to change strategy.
For more information on McLellan Clothing
https://www.instagram.com/mclellanclothing/
https://www.mclellanclothing.com/
—————————————————————————————
NEED HELP WITH SOCIAL MEDIA TRAINING FOR YOUR BUSINESS
Looking for authentic ways to grow yours social media
Chat to us about Social Media Marketing for YOUR organisation , so we can better understand YOU and what will grow your organisation
We can chat about whether online or Face 2 Face is better for you
We can only find out what is unique to your business by chatting with you
Look at our Social Media Training and Social Media Management services
We offer Social Media Training on
* LinkedIn
* Instagram
* Facebook
* Twitter
* TikTok
* Blogging
We can do this
* 121
* Corporate Workshops
* Group Workshops
* Face to Face or Via Zoom / Skype
Please call Alex on 07806774279 or email alex@altrinchamhq.co.uk
