It’s about your business, not a list
Every email starts with research into your business: your website, your Google listing and what customers search for near you. Each one is written about one business: yours.
Got an email from me? Start here.
Hi, I’m Sean.The real person behind that email.
I run Sink or Swim Marketing from Greystones, Co. Wicklow. We’re a Google Partner agency building websites and running Google Ads, SEO and Facebook Ads for trades and local service businesses in Ireland and the US. If I emailed you, it was about your business specifically, and if it’s not for you, one reply stops it.
- Google Partner
- Registered Irish company, no. 745814
- No tracking in my emails
- Opt-outs done within 1 business day
Prefer to hear it from me?
Who we are, in 80 seconds.
Recorded for anyone meeting us for the first time. Captions are built in, so it works with the sound off.
Read the transcript
I just want to jump on here quickly and explain a little bit about who we are here at Sink or Swim Marketing. If you’ve landed on our page and you’re wondering what do we do, how can we help you, this video is for you. My name’s Sean. I’m the owner here at Sink or Swim Marketing, and we are a digital marketing agency. Really, we specialise in helping service-based businesses grow online. Growing online, getting more jobs, increasing profits, building systems within your company that will help you in your day-to-day operations: that’s what we specialise in. What that involves is everything from SEO, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, managing your campaigns and doing your website design. We are a full stack digital marketing agency. We handle everything. If you own a business or you’re thinking about starting a business and you need help, you need marketing support, you want to improve things, that’s where we can help you. I’m going to keep this video pretty short, but there’s lots of free guides and information that we put out every day. Additionally, you’ll be able to see we have a free checklist for service-based businesses. Whatever service-based business you have, we have a guide for you. Click on that link and follow through the process. You’ll have to enter in your email, and that will unlock our most recent helpful guide that we put together. Every week we put together a guide that’s up-to-date information, especially as marketing develops and grows and AI becomes more important. If there’s any questions, or if you need me to chat with you, then reach out and I can help you there as well. Thanks very much. See you soon. Bye.
The free checklist I mention is on our main website, sink-or-swim-marketing.com, under Resources.
Why you heard from me
Something about your business caught my eye.
Here’s how I do outreach, so there are no surprises.
Something useful, no strings
My first email aims to give you something of value for free: an idea, a finding or a free feature for your business. It’s yours to keep, whether we ever work together or not.
One reply and I’m gone
Not for you? Reply “no thanks” and that’s the end of it. You’re removed within one business day and I won’t email you again.
Sound familiar?
Most local businesses don’t have a marketing problem. They have a leads problem.
If one of these rings true, there’s a good chance it’s why I got in touch. We fix the whole journey: being found, the website, tracking every lead and following up.
- Enquiries come in waves, then dry up
Steady demand from Google Ads and local SEO
- Ad spend with nothing to show for it
Campaigns built around calls and booked jobs, not clicks
- Competitors showing up above you on Google
Local SEO and Google Business Profile work
- Leads that never turn into booked jobs
Fast follow-up and a simple CRM
- Missed calls while you’re out on a job
An AI receptionist that answers day and night
- No idea which marketing is actually working
Every call and form tracked to its source
Google PartnerSee our listing in Google’s partner directory
Google Ads certifiedSearch campaigns, certified by Google
- 440+
- online ads launched
- 2,000+
- articles and pages published
- 129+
- projects completed
- 2
- countries: we run campaigns for clients in Ireland and the US
Proof, not promises
Real results from real client accounts.
Numbers from our monthly client reports, Google Ads and Google Search Console. We name a client only where they already share their results publicly.
Google Ads
12 to 53
leads a month
Paving and landscaping, Ireland
Google Ads leads grew from 12 to 53 a month heading into peak season, split evenly between calls and web forms.
Google Ads
28
leads in month one
Mattress and storage retailer
A brand-new search campaign brought 508 clicks and 28 leads in its first month, 20 of them phone calls.
Google Ads
$111 to $80
cost per lead
Painting contractor, US
Cost per lead brought down from $111 and held at around $63 to $83 for five months running.
Google Ads
7 to 13%
of clicks become leads
Painting contractors, US
Typical monthly conversion rate across the painting accounts we manage.
Website
+212%
more enquiry forms
Painting contractor, US
After a website redesign with clearer calls to action and better content.
Website + Google Ads
10x
return on ad spend
Clare Dog Training
A new website, Google Ads and full lead tracking for a business with a great local name but no online pipeline.
SEO
#1
in local Google results
Tree surgeon, Cork
Local SEO, content and Google Business Profile work took a tree surgeon to the top spot for core services.
SEO
90
searches in Google’s top 3
Baby sleep consultancy
Including ‘sleep training consultant near me’ at about position 1.5, from a steady local SEO programme.
Reviews
16 five-star reviews on Google and Trustpilot.
Some of them, in our clients’ own words (trimmed for length).
“Got contacted [by] Sean from Sink or Swim earlier this year. We had a good chat about his services… It’s been 3 months since we got the ball rolling and I cannot thank Sean enough. I’ve never been more visible, highly ranked on Google and my new website looks amazing… best decision I’ve made in a long time.”
“Sean recently helped me redesign my entire website. He was a pleasure to work with, very professional and accommodating, even with my very specific and strict requirements. I would 100% recommend his services.”
“From our first consultation, it was clear that Sean clearly knows his stuff. His suggestions are practical, data-driven and tailored towards progress… a reliable partner across multiple projects.”
“I recently worked with Sean on my Facebook and Instagram ads, and I’m delighted with the results. He helped me reach the exact audience I’d been aiming for and made the whole process feel simple.”
“My business improved dramatically in just a couple of weeks and I’m now number one on Google.”
“I approached them with scattered bits of information and some unstructured ideas and they turned it all into a cohesive marketing campaign. And most importantly it still felt like my brand.”
“Attentive and forward thinking. Monthly meetings easily scheduled and informative.”
“They recently launched our website, and the result is simply amazing… Communication was top-notch throughout the process, making it a stress-free experience.”
“They understand small business.”
“Sean was great to work with. Very responsive, took on board what I needed and added some too. Very happy.”
Read every review: search “Sink or Swim Marketing” on Google or Trustpilot.
Who we work with
Some of the businesses we’ve helped.
What we do
Everything a local business needs to win work online.
We manage SEO, Google Ads and Facebook Ads campaigns for clients in Ireland and the US. Most start with a website or Google Ads, then add the rest as they grow.
Website design
Fast, mobile-first websites and landing pages built to turn visitors into enquiries.
Google Ads management
Search campaigns aimed at people ready to buy, with every call and form tracked.
SEO
Get found on Google and Maps for the searches that bring in work.
AI receptionist and automation
Calls answered day and night and follow-ups sent for you. Ring (01) 960 9250 to hear ours.
CRM and lead generation for trades
Every enquiry captured, followed up and tracked from first call to booked job.
Facebook and Instagram ads
Paid social campaigns that put you in front of the right local customers.
Social media marketing
Regular, on-brand posts that keep your business visible.
Content writing
Website copy, service pages and articles written to rank and convert.
Email marketing
Newsletters and automated emails that bring customers back.
Branding and brand identity
Logos and brand kits that make a small business look established.
Partnerships and affiliate marketing
Partner and referral programmes that send new customers your way.
Marketing strategy
A clear plan for where your marketing budget should go, and why.
How it works
From first call to first booked job in under 21 days.
- Week 1Audit and game plan
We dig into your market, your competitors and your current set-up, then show you where the leads are and what they’ll cost.
- Weeks 2 to 3Build and launch
Pages, campaigns and tracking built and live, with every call and form tagged to its source from day one.
- OngoingOptimise and scale
Weekly tuning, a plain-English report every month, and budget moved to whatever brings the cheapest booked jobs.
- The resultA pipeline you can rely on
The phone rings, the diary fills, and you can see what every job cost to win.
Follow along
We post practical marketing tips most days.
@sinkorswimagency_: short videos and tips on websites, Google Ads and getting more enquiries, made for Irish businesses.
Questions
The questions people usually ask me.
Is this a sales email?
Partly, and I’d rather be straight with you. I run a marketing business and I’d like to work with you. But my first email leads with something useful for your business, and you’re under no obligation to reply.
Is the free thing really free?
Yes. No card, no contract and no catch. Use it whether or not we ever work together.
Why did you email instead of ringing?
Because I don’t cold call. An email lets you decide in your own time, and it’s easy to ignore. I only ring people who’ve asked me to.
Are you a big agency?
No, and that’s the point. We’re a small Irish company based in Greystones, and you deal with me directly, not an account manager.
Do you work with businesses outside Ireland?
Yes. We manage SEO, Google Ads and Facebook Ads campaigns for clients in both Ireland and the US.
Am I tied into a long contract?
No. We work month to month, with no setup fee to get started. We’d rather keep your business by delivering leads than by locking you in.
How did you get my email address?
From your business’s own public listing, such as your website or Google Business Profile. How I found you
How do I stop hearing from you?
Reply “no thanks” to any email from me and you’ll be removed within one business day. Opt out
Your details
How I found you, and what I keep.
Public business information only, and as little of it as I can.
- Where it comes from
Your own website, your Google Business Profile, business directories where you list yourself, and the Irish companies register (CRO).
- Which email address
Only the contact address your business publishes for enquiries, and only to write about your business.
- What I keep
Your business details, that email address, where and when I found it, and our emails. Nothing about you beyond your work.
- For how long
If you don’t reply, your personal details are deleted within 6 months of my last email.
- No tracking
My emails have no tracking pixels and no tracked links, and this site sets no cookies.
Opt out
Not interested? One reply does it.
No forms, no links, no logins. Just reply to any email from me.
- 1Reply “no thanks”
Or “stop”, or “remove”. Any wording works.
- 2Removed within 1 business day
From every inbox I send from.
- 3Never contacted again
I keep a short do-not-contact note so it stays that way.
Prefer the phone? Ring (01) 960 9250 and leave a message saying you’d like to opt out.
Check I’m real
Don’t just take my word for it.
Good instinct. Here’s everything you need to check us out for yourself.
Search company number 745814 on the Companies Registration Office register at core.cro.ie, check our Google Partner listing, or look up “Sink or Swim Marketing” on Trustpilot.
- Company
- Sink or Swim Inbound Marketing Limitedtrading as Sink or Swim Marketing
- Registered
- Ireland, company no. 745814
- VAT number
- IE4222670AH
- Registered office
- 70 Charlesland Wood, Greystones, Co. Wicklow, A63 AE79
- Director
- Sean Willekens
- Google Partner
- View our listing on Google
- Phone
- (01) 960 9250Answered by Sarah, our AI receptionist, who passes every message to me.
- Reply to my emailIt comes straight to me.
- Main website
- sink-or-swim-marketing.com