Why MacInnis Marketing · Melbourne · Australia-Wide
Strategy first. Then the system that runs it.
AI is easy to buy. Knowing what to point it at is the hard part. After 25 years working with small businesses, the difference isn't the tools. It's whether the system is built around your customers, whether it moves the numbers, and whether your people can run it long after I've gone. Here's what real clients say, in their own words.
The system is only as smart as the strategy behind it.
Most AI advice starts with the tool. Mine starts with your business, your customers and why they genuinely choose you. The strategy comes first, then the system is built around it, so every automated email, post and report is pointed at the right thing.
The plan you finish with is something your team can actually run, paced to what you can absorb, and written in plain English.
“Love working with Dan, simple marketing systems that work.”Peter Mason · Google Review
“Down to earth and practical. Good marketing advice.”Lyndal Sterenberg · Google Review
“Specific, tailored and realistic advice for my business.”Catherine H · Google Review
Built to move the numbers, not fill a strategy folder.
A plan is only as good as what it produces, and so is a system. The work is built to move real things: leads, revenue, launches and recognition. When the system takes on the repetitive work, your marketer's time goes to the decisions that move those numbers.
“Danielle from MacInnis Marketing took my Strategic Marketing Plan to the next level. We have now entered the Telstra Business Awards based on our great results.”HiQA Geotechnical
“Helped me successfully launch a new range of products in under 3 weeks.”Mark Smith
“She's provided extraordinary marketing and digital focus, in difficult times, to get revenue results.”Sue Thorley
“Dan knows exactly what it takes to scale a brand and the care required to do so.”Joel Stevens · Google Review
You finish with a system you understand, not a service you can't end.
Plenty of agencies want you tied to the retainer, and plenty of AI tools are black boxes nobody on your team can explain. This approach is the opposite. Your marketer, or you if you're wearing that hat, owns the system and understands every decision behind it.
That doesn't mean doing it alone. Most clients keep working together long after the first build because they choose to, not because they have to.
“She did it all in a way to empower me to do it for myself, but I know that she will be the person I go to if I need to outsource that work.”Elise Lavers · Google Review
“Danielle explained as we went along in an easy to understand way.”Sheila Henley · Google Review
“Highly effective at finding the right solution for specific marketing needs. I would highly recommend her for all small businesses.”Anna Mitsios · Google Review
“Dan was an absolute pleasure to work with… she listened to our needs and added great value.”Josephine Kelly · Google Review
The system does the lifting. People make the calls.
Every system I build runs on the same four rules. They are what make it safe to hand the repetitive work to AI.
Fix the journey first
Automation amplifies whatever journey already exists. If the customer experience is broken, we map it and fix it before anything gets automated.
Your voice, not generic AI
The system is trained on your brand, your services and the way you actually talk to customers, so the output sounds like you.
A person approves what goes out
AI drafts, sorts, routes and reports. A person checks the facts and signs off anything your customers will see.
Count the audience before it sends
No automation goes live until who it will send to has been checked and the contact count confirmed in writing.
Small businesses aren't a side project. They are the work.
Tight budgets, lean teams, fast decisions. The system is built for a business with five people, not five hundred, and it meets you where you are: a new AI workspace, a new ecosystem on the platforms you already license, or the CRM and design tools you already pay for, finally working together.
Clients describe it as “so responsive,” “very responsive to an urgent request,” and “so quick to come back with any questions.”
You won't be chasing me to get the work done.
Start free. Go deeper when you're ready.
AI Opportunity Audit
A conversation about where your marketing is losing time, where AI could realistically take on the repetitive work, and whether working together makes sense.
Book a Free AI Opportunity AuditDeep Dive AI Audit
A one-off 90-minute working session that maps your marketing workflow in detail, with a tailored AI Opportunity Map, a starter prompt pack and clear follow-up recommendations.
Book a Deep Dive AI AuditQuick answers, plain English.
What is a marketing system that runs itself?
It's your content, emails, follow-up and reporting set up to run on AI and automation, guided by a clear strategy. The system carries the repetitive output. Your marketer reads the data, spots what's working and makes the decisions. It doesn't run without people. It runs without people doing every task by hand.
Do I need a marketing manager to work with you?
No. The system is built around whoever steers your marketing: a marketing manager, a coordinator, or you. If you do have a marketer, the aim is to give them their thinking time back.
Will AI make my marketing sound generic?
Not if it's set up properly. The system is trained on your brand voice, your services and your real customer questions, and a person approves anything your customers will see. I talk about this in the podcast episode Will AI make my business feel less personal?
Which AI tools do you use?
Whatever fits your business. That includes Claude, Microsoft 365 Copilot with SharePoint, and the AI already built into platforms like HubSpot, Klaviyo and Canva. We start with the tools you already pay for before recommending anything new.
What happens to my data and my accounts?
The work happens inside your own accounts, with your permissions. AI assistants are set up to read only the documents you approve, and nothing is sent to customers without a person signing off. We agree what the system can and can't touch before anything is built.
What is the AI Opportunity Audit, and what does it cost?
The AI Opportunity Audit is free. It's a conversation about where your marketing is losing time and where AI could realistically take on the repetitive work. If you want the full picture, the Deep Dive AI Audit is a 90-minute working session with a tailored AI Opportunity Map and starter prompts, for $595 + GST.
How much does it cost to work with you?
Monthly marketing support starts from $500 per month, depending on scope. System builds are quoted once we know what your business actually needs, usually after the audit. Quotes are transparent, with no hidden costs. See the packages.
What services do you offer?
Marketing strategy, customer journey mapping, and the systems that run on them: AI workspaces, Copilot and SharePoint hubs, CRM and email automation, content, social, websites and lead tools, plus training so your team can run it. See all services.
What makes you different?
Strategy comes before tools, and people come before technology. You get 25 years of senior marketing thinking, a system built around your customers rather than a tool, and a team that understands and owns what's been built. Human-centred, clear and reliable.
How much should a small business spend on marketing?
It depends on your stage, your margins and how fast you want to grow. How the money is split matters more than the total: strategy, lead generation and keeping the customers you already have all need a share. A system that takes on the repetitive work also means more of your budget goes to thinking and less to hours spent producing.
What does a marketing consultant actually do for a small business?
A marketing consultant brings structure, clarity and accountability to your marketing: clarifying your positioning and target market, building a marketing plan, auditing what's working, improving lead generation and aligning your messaging across channels. The focus is better decisions, not more activity.
Do I need a marketing plan if I'm already getting leads?
Yes. Many businesses grow despite their marketing, not because of it. A plan makes lead quality better, revenue more predictable and growth sustainable. It's also what a marketing system needs to run on.
Do you only work with Melbourne businesses?
No. MacInnis Marketing is Melbourne-based and works with businesses Australia-wide, in person or over Zoom.
What's it like to work with you?
Collaborative, honest and straightforward. You'll get senior thinking directly from me, not a hand-off to a junior team, and clear next steps after every session.
How do I get started?
Book a free AI Opportunity Audit, email dan@macinnismarketing.com.au or call 0400 507 037. You'll usually hear back within one business day.
Ready for marketing that runs on a system?
Book a free AI Opportunity Audit. No pitch. Just clear thinking about where your marketing is losing time, and what would actually move things for you.