open road west norfolk
MARKETING CONSULTANCY | CONTENT CREATION | SOCIAL MEDIA SUPPORT
ABOUT THE CLIENT
Open Road West Norfolk is an alternative education provision based in King’s Lynn, offering hands-on vocational training in mechanics and construction.
They work with young people who are at risk of being excluded from mainstream education, creating a space where they can build skills, confidence and a renewed sense of purpose.
I supported the team with marketing consultancy and content creation, helping them strengthen how they share their story online and prepare for the launch of a new centre in Thetford.
THE CHALLENGE
Unlike many organisations, the challenge wasn’t around demand.
Open Road West Norfolk was already at capacity, with strong referral pathways and clear need for their services. The real gap was in how their work was being communicated.
There were powerful stories happening every day. Young people re-engaging with education, gaining confidence, and finding a path that worked for them. Families seeing real change and relief.
But very little of that was being shared online in a consistent or accessible way.
At the same time, the team was small, with limited time and resources to focus on marketing. Any approach needed to be simple, realistic and easy to carry forward, especially with the upcoming launch of their Thetford centre.
THE WORK
I carried out an audit of their current marketing activity, looking at what was working, what wasn’t, and where there were opportunities to improve. From there, we shaped a clear and practical marketing plan that the team could actually use day to day.
A big focus was on content.
Rather than creating something overly polished, the aim was to capture the reality of the space and the people within it. I worked with the team to run an interactive content session, giving young people the chance to be involved in the process.
This meant:
capturing authentic photo and video content in the workshop environment
involving young people in how their stories were told
creating content that reflected real experiences, not staged moments
building confidence and curiosity around content creation within the group
Alongside this, I created a set of simple social media templates and guidelines to make content creation more accessible for the team moving forward.
Everything was designed to be easy to pick up and continue, without needing specialist marketing knowledge.
THE IMPACT
The result was a much clearer and more confident approach to marketing. The team left with a practical plan and a set of tools they could use straight away, making it easier to share their work consistently and with purpose.
Content became more reflective of the organisation itself, showing real moments, real people and real impact. This helped make their work more visible to partners, supporters and the wider community.
The marketing plan also provided a strong foundation for future growth, particularly with the opening of the Thetford centre. New team members were able to step in with a clear direction, rather than starting from scratch. More widely, it helped shift how the organisation viewed marketing. From something that felt like an extra task, to something that could support their long-term sustainability, partnerships and visibility.
Some of this work was delivered pro bono through the Norfolk Community Foundation’s ProHelp scheme, supporting local charities and organisations. A big part of Create Joy is making sure those organisations have the support they need to show up online.