Why name my business Wild Meadow Marketing?

Choosing a business name that reflects my business’s values, and my own.

I was recently asked by a lovely local businesswoman, whom I met on a training course, why I decided to call my business Wild Meadow Marketing. 

Now, if you’ve met me in real life, you’ll know that I’m reasonably chatty, but as a small business owner, I tend to clam up. There’s a funny thing amongst many of us marketers; we’re great at marketing other people but dreadful at talking about ourselves. So, as I attempted to answer her question, I ended up feeling a bit of a fool. It felt as though I took forever to give her the reasons, and there was a good gap between each. It was as though my brain had seized up. I wasn’t expecting the questions. My mind was completely blank.

When I got home and reflected on this, though, I decided to let the worry go. My somewhat stilted response showed I didn’t have any patter. I didn’t have an elevator pitch ready to roll off my tongue. I wasn’t poised to dive into self-promotion at the earliest opportunity.

And that reflects the essence of my business.

I don’t work to a shiny script. I don’t take a cookie-cutter approach. I look at and answer each question on its merits. I don’t believe in 'one size fits all'.

Anyway, to go back to her question - why did I choose the name Wild Meadow Marketing? 

Well, there are three main reasons. And you may need to forgive me here because I do love imagery and metaphor…

My first reason is that, for me, wild meadows are restful, relaxing spaces. They’re spaces of calm and peace. 

When I imagine going to a meadow, I envisage lying out in the countryside, in touch with the earth. (Perhaps on a blanket so I don’t get damp.) There are butterflies and bees buzzing around. I’m surrounded by the muted colours and shifting shapes of beautiful grasses and meadow flowers. There’s a soft, warm breeze blowing across the landscape, stroking the grass and creating a gentle swishing sound to accompany the bird song. The sun is warm and I feel relaxed and at peace. 

For me, that feels like the opposite of how many people find marketing to be - “frenetic”, “hectic”, “overwhelming” - and I want to bring a little more calm and relaxation to their businesses.

The second reason is that wild meadows are industrious. There’s always something going on.

In the spring and summer, insects are buzzing around, pollinating the flowers while other creatures are creating homes, grazing and nibbling on the grasses, seeds and berries that grow in the hedgerows. When the meadow fades in the autumn, old vegetation drops into the soil to nurture future seasons. Then, in the winter, when everything appears to have died, there is still growth going on under the soil's surface through the mycelial network and the tiny creatures that call the earth home. 

As quiet and still as a meadow looks, it is never truly inactive. For me, that reflects marketing. 

There are times of the year to be visible, busy, active, sharing campaigns and trying to generate connections - rather like pollination. 

There are times when your marketing can be a little quieter, just ticking along, as you harvest the rewards of your work. 

And there are times when marketing scales right back to business as usual. This can be the time when it may appear there’s not a lot going on - perhaps you’re taking a break, or you have other priorities - but there’s still structure, there are still networks beavering away, sometimes hidden, to keep your mission and objectives alive.

And the third reason for calling my business Wild Meadow Marketing is that, for me, allowing organic, natural spaces to work the way they were meant to and not be over-engineered is something the world should be doing more of. 

Creating spaces for honesty and authenticity rather than performance and show brings greater connection. We could go into the meadow and mow it. To many people, it would look neat and tidy. The grass would look as grass “should” - manicured and managed. 

If we allow the grass to grow, though, that’s where we find the diversity. That’s when new plants pop up which attract birds and insects. Mown grass is pretty stale. But a wild meadow, well, that’s full of variety, of textures, tastes, smells. It’s rich in value, aesthetically and nutritionally. 

For me, marketing needs to have authenticity and value. It isn’t always about presenting what we want to present. Marketing needs to create a space that attracts our audience and offers what they're looking for. To do that, we need diversity of thought and intrinsic value.

So, I think that sums it up.

The name "Wild Meadow Marketing" is a name I considered for a long time after it revealed itself to my other half while we walked the dog (ironically, in a meadow near our home.) It means a lot to me at a deep level. It’s a name that holds my values as well as the values of my business. So for me, at the moment, it’s the perfect name.

I hope you like it too.