All posts by : Matt Connelly

In a world where digital platforms often shape how we engage with critical issues, Youth Safety Matters (youthsafetymatters.co.uk) shines as a timely, powerful resource for schools, parents, and organisations. This essential hub offers guidance, insights, and tools, everything from safeguarding protocols to mental health support, to help educators and communities keep young people safe. But none of this impact could exist without the steady, creative hand of Black Cat Marketing Solutions, whose website development and marketing excellence truly made a difference.

From Vision to Reality, Website Development

When Youth Safety Matters approached Black Cat Marketing Solutions, they had a compelling mission, but needed a site that matched it. Over brief discussions and collaborative strategy sessions, Black Cat crafted a responsive, visually engaging platform that aligns with the brand’s core values, clarity, inclusivity, and usability.

Key improvements included:

• A clean, accessible layout, allowing educators and parents to swiftly find the resources they need.

• Strong mobile responsiveness, ensuring the site performs across devices, especially helpful for busy school staff on the go.

• A clear information hierarchy, with intuitive menus, calls to action, and a streamlined user experience.

• Built on a flexible CMS, empowering Youth Safety Matters to update content regularly, which is crucial in a field where guidelines and best practices evolve fast.

The result? A professional, modern, and user-focused digital hub that mirrors the organization’s purpose-driven ethos.

Amplifying Impact, Marketing the New Resource

Launching a site is just the beginning. Black Cat Marketing Solutions supercharged Youth Safety Matters with targeted marketing strategies, including:

• Email campaigns designed to engage school stakeholders and community partners.

• Partnership outreach, tapping into regional education networks and community groups to drive traffic and co-promote vital content.

Through consistent messaging and strategic promotion, Black Cat turned a promising digital platform into a potent real-world outreach tool, connective, educational, and truly impactful.

A Word from the Community

“Partnering with Black Cat Marketing Solutions has been a game-changer. They not only developed a sleek, user-friendly site that perfectly reflects our mission, but also helped us launch it with reach and resonance. School leaders, parent groups, and educators are already discovering exactly what Youth Safety Matters stands for thanks to their smart, targeted marketing. Their commitment, creativity, and integrity set them apart at every stage.”

Why It Matters

Youth Safety Matters is more than a website, it’s a digital lifeline for young people’s wellbeing. With Black Cat’s technical and marketing expertise, it’s no longer just a vision, it’s a vivid, accessible, and trusted resource in schools and communities across the UK.

Whether you’re aiming to boost reader engagement, elevate your brand’s trustworthiness, or deliver mission-critical content effectively, this collaboration stands as a prime example of what happens when creative vision meets marketing strategy.

In March 2025, Knife Crime Matters, together with Wythenshawe Black Belt Academy and West Wythenshawe Boxing Club, launched an integrated knife‑crime awareness initiative in South Manchester. The unveiling of a bold mural at West Wythenshawe Boxing Club on 28 March 2025 marked the campaign’s high‑profile launch. Alongside this visual statement, educational resources were distributed to all local secondary schools to reach young people with a clear message: knife crime is preventable and education is key.

Black Cat Marketing: Lead & Strategist

As the lead agency on this effort, Black Cat Marketing delivered strategic direction and hands‑on execution across all facets of the campaign:

• Email Marketing Excellence: Black Cat crafted polished, emotionally resonant email campaigns aimed at schools, community leaders, sponsors and local press. These emails achieved high open and engagement rates, and effectively communicated the mural’s significance and educational rollout.

• Collaboration with External Sales and Stakeholders: We worked closely with external sales partners to ensure messaging was aligned across media, press outreach and sponsor engagement. This multi-channel coordination ensured broad visibility and maximised campaign impact.

• Spotting Strategic Opportunities: A standout moment was identifying and securing involvement from local MP Mike Kane. Originally scheduled to unveil the mural, his participation lent political support and drew further attention from the community and media—even when replaced at short notice by Councillor Dave Marsh due to his unavoidable ministerial duties.

Campaign Impact
Thanks to Black Cat’s leadership, the Campaign succeeded in:

• Garnering strong support from local businesses (Morgan Sindall, Beacon Fostering, Wythenshawe Dental Clinic among others) whose sponsorship made the campaign viable.

• Delivering educational toolkits into every secondary school, equipping young people with important knowledge about the risks of knife and gang‑related crime.

• Creating a visible community landmark with the mural—a powerful artistic anchor that brought attention and served as a lasting visual reminder.

Why It Worked
Black Cat Marketing’s approach aligned directly with proven best practices for effective knife-crime awareness campaigns:

• Harnessing localised, community‑specific messaging (the mural, the real voices in schools), rather than generic fear‑based tactics or one‑size‑fits‑all outreach.

• Integrating email, media outreach, stakeholder collaboration, and educational delivery into a coherent, multi‑channel campaign.

Looking Ahead
With this campaign now live in Wythenshawe, Knife Crime Matters aims to replicate the model across South Manchester and beyond, combining visual impact, local engagement, and educational outreach. Black Cat Marketing stands ready to lead future launches by bringing the same creativity, coordination, and strategic vision which made this campaign such a success.

With so many additional costs and legislative pitfalls many small to medium-sized businesses face a common dilemma when it comes to their marketing: Should we hire a full-time in-house marketer or outsource the role to a professional? Let’s look at the numbers.

The True Cost of Hiring In-House

At first glance, a £35,000 annual salary for a marketing professional may seem reasonable. But the real cost to your business goes far beyond this headline figure. Let’s break it down:

• Gross Salary: £35,000

• Employer Pension Contributions (minimum 3%): £1,050

• National Insurance Contributions (approx.): £4,499

• Total Annual Cost to the Employer: £40,549

And that’s just the mandatory expenses. When you account for:

• Recruitment fees

• Training and onboarding time

• Holiday and sick pay

• Equipment and software licenses

• Office space and utilities (if applicable)

• Employee perks or bonuses

…the figure increases significantly.

The Flexibility and Savings of External Professionals

Compare that to hiring an experienced external marketing consultant or freelancer. Here’s what you get:

• No overhead costs – You only pay for the work delivered.

• Scalable support – You can ramp up or down based on your needs and budget.

• Expertise on demand – Get high-level strategic input without the high-level salary.

• No long-term commitments – Ideal if your needs fluctuate or you’re still testing the waters with marketing.

For example, working with an external marketing professional at a rate of £1,500 per month would total just £18,000 annually—less than half the cost of an in-house hire. Even if you spent £2,000 a month, that’s still just £24,000 a year, representing a saving of over £16,000 when compared to the £40,549 annual cost of an employee.

Quality Over Quantity

Outsourcing also means tapping into a pool of professionals who live and breathe marketing. They stay up-to-date on industry trends, tools, and tactics—and you don’t have to pay for them to learn. In many cases, an external consultant can deliver better results in fewer hours than a full-time employee still gaining experience.

Final Thoughts

When budgets are tight and results matter, outsourcing your marketing isn’t just a practical choice—it’s a smart one. By avoiding the hidden costs of full-time employment, you gain flexibility, expert support, and a better return on your investment.

If you’re considering marketing support but not sure where to start, let’s have a conversation. You might find that outsourcing is the key to moving your business forward—without the hefty price tag.