Do your own marketing – I'll teach you how
You know your business, your customers and your offer better than any agency. What's often missing is knowing which levers actually matter. I'm Pieter Hogenbirk, a Dutch digital marketer with over ten years of experience working for entrepreneurs and brands such as ALDI, Montblanc and De Telegraaf. In hands-on sessions I teach you to run your own marketing – not with theory, but on your own accounts. So you can keep doing it yourself afterwards.
Who is marketing coaching for?
- Business owners and freelancers who no longer want to depend on an agency
- Marketers or staff who've been handed Google Ads, SEO or Analytics
- Teams bringing agency work in-house who want to do it right
How does it work?
- Intro call – we discuss your goals, your channels and what you're already doing.
- Sessions on your own accounts – we work in your own Google Ads, Search Console, Analytics or Meta. You're in control; I watch, guide and explain why.
- A fixed rhythm – you get a clear list of what to check weekly and monthly. Doing it yourself rarely fails on knowledge, but often on consistency.
- Safety net – if you get stuck later, we schedule a refresher session.
How many sessions do you need?
That depends on your advertising budget, the marketing disciplines you want to learn and run yourself, how quickly you pick things up and how much time you have. That's why we plan the programme together. Sessions can be online or on-site; length and frequency are agreed with you.
What will you learn?
- Google Ads – structure, keywords, budget and bidding, and which numbers really matter
- SEO and GEO – getting found in Google and in AI assistants like ChatGPT and Claude
- Measurement – setting up GA4, Tag Manager and conversions properly, so you know what works
- Meta ads – advertising on Facebook and Instagram without getting lost
- Working smarter with AI – copy, analysis and automation
What to watch out for: 7 mistakes I see most often
- You're not measuring what you think you're measuring. A link click counts as a "conversion", or every sale gets the same fixed value – and Google optimises your budget on the wrong numbers.
- Your tracking is switched on, but doesn't work. Tags are paused, or only fire after cookie consent without you realising it. You end up comparing apples and oranges.
- Your campaigns get in each other's way. No negative keywords, or several campaigns bidding on the same terms – so you pay twice or compete with yourself.
- You send traffic to a slow or unclear page. A great ad won't help if your page takes seconds to load on mobile or doesn't tell visitors what to do.
- Your audience gets worn out. A retargeting list that's too small keeps seeing the same ad; costs go up and results go down.
- Settings are left half-finished. An unfinished verification, a billing setting that never saved, a conversion in the wrong account – your ads stall without you noticing.
- You never look at your search terms. If you don't check which searches your ads actually show for, you're often paying for clicks that never become customers.
What people say about learning from Pieter
Over several sessions, he walked me through the accounts … he explains complex topics clearly.
I've hired him several times to train (new) people from our team … the reactions of our people were very positive.
He took the time to teach and mentor me, of which he was very good at.
Everything was made clear and understandable, allowing us to adjust things ourselves in a relatively simple way.
He is someone who is happy to make time to help others reach a higher level.
Pieter's working method is great, and you can learn a lot from him.
Why learn from me?
- I still do this work every day, for small businesses and big brands. So you learn how it works now – not how it's described in a textbook.
- I've been passing on knowledge for years: onboarding new colleagues, mentoring junior marketers and starting freelancers, and handing over ways of working to in-house teams.
- At Sales Marketing Coach I've trained new team members in Google Ads several times. Through Sales Marketing Coach I also deliver agency services together with other specialists from the network – useful if you'd rather outsource one channel after all.
- With a background in journalism and communication, I explain complex things clearly.
Ready to take your marketing into your own hands?
Book a no-obligation intro call and we'll look at what you want to learn and how to approach it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I do my own marketing without any experience?
Yes. We start with the basics and build up step by step, on your own accounts. You don't need to be a marketer; above all you need to know your own business and customers – and you already do.
What is the difference between marketing coaching and a marketing agency?
An agency does your marketing for you. With marketing coaching you learn to do it yourself: you're in control, the knowledge stays in your business and you no longer depend on an outside party.
How many sessions do I need?
It depends on your ad budget, the channels you want to learn, how quickly you pick things up and how much time you have. We tailor the programme together.
Can I really do all my marketing myself?
Often, yes. Sometimes it's smarter to outsource one channel – and I'll tell you honestly when that's the case.
What does marketing coaching cost?
That depends on the programme. Get in touch for a tailored proposal.