Marketing for Hastings businesses
Hastings is famous for 1066, but its modern economy rests on the sea, visitors and a strong creative community. On the Stade, the town's beach-launched fishing fleet, often described as Europe's largest, still lands fish beside the black net huts, supplying fishmongers, smokehouses and restaurants. The Old Town's narrow streets are full of independent shops, galleries, pubs and restaurants.
Artists, designers, makers and small creative businesses have moved to Hastings and St Leonards-on-Sea in growing numbers, often working from home or shared studios. Hastings Contemporary sits beside the fishing beach, and the rebuilt Hastings Pier won the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2017. Makers and small brands selling online usually need:
- Instagram as the main shop window, with Reels showing work in progress
- Meta catalogue ads and Google Shopping for their online shop, kept small and focused on best sellers
- An email list with launch announcements and gift reminders before Christmas
- Simple Klaviyo or Mailchimp flows for new subscribers and abandoned baskets
Seafood businesses, smokehouses and restaurants benefit from Instagram, local Meta ads aimed at visitors and day-trippers, and Google Business Profile updates with menus and opening hours. Some sell smoked fish online and can use Shopping ads and email.
Tourism is seasonal, and holiday lets and guest houses compete with booking platforms. Branded search, Instagram content and email to past guests help them keep more direct bookings.
Hastings has a large charity and social enterprise sector, many of which may be eligible for Google Ad Grants. Industrial estates such as Castleham and Ponswood house light manufacturers, printers and trades, who get most enquiries from search ads. The Conquest Hospital is a major employer.
Who we market in Hastings
- Fishing and seafood businesses
- Artists, makers and galleries
- Independent shops
- Pubs, cafés and restaurants
- Holiday lets and guest houses
- Charities and social enterprises
- Light manufacturers and printers
- Tourism businesses
How it works for Hastings
We run campaigns remotely from our base in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, with targeting set to the towns and postcodes you actually serve. You see everything in accounts you own, with a plain-English report every month. dijitul has worked with UK businesses since 2006.
Prices for Hastings
All prices are "from" and exclude VAT. Ad spend is separate and paid directly to Google, Microsoft, Meta, LinkedIn or TikTok. Paid media management is from £150 a month or 10 to 15% of ad spend, whichever is higher. You own every ad account, pixel, audience and email list we set up.
Popular in Hastings
Nearby
- Brighton
- Reading
- Oxford
- Southampton
- Portsmouth
- Milton Keynes
- Canterbury
- Slough
- Guildford
- Woking
- Crawley
- Maidstone
- Basingstoke
- High Wycombe
Frequently asked questions
Can you help a Hastings maker sell more online?
Yes. We usually start with Instagram content and a small Meta catalogue or Shopping campaign on your best sellers, plus a welcome email flow. Organic social starts from £125 a month + VAT, and marketing automation set-up is £195 + VAT.
Do you market holiday lets in Hastings and St Leonards?
We do. Instagram content, branded search ads and email to past guests help win direct bookings. Email marketing starts from £95 a month + VAT, and we track direct bookings so you can compare with booking site fees.
Can a Hastings charity get free advertising on Google?
Registered charities may qualify for Google Ad Grants, which provides free search ads subject to Google's eligibility and account rules. We can check eligibility, set it up and manage it at £45 an hour + VAT.
Get a free marketing review
We'll look at your ads, social, email and tracking, and tell you plainly what we'd change. No obligation.