Manchester DM returned last night for round two – and it was another packed evening of smart ideas, honest conversations, and some very enthusiastic chat about content, strategy and social search.
Hosted again at the Feel Good Club, the second event kept the same laid-back format: three sharp talks, good people, and free drinks and pizza to keep things moving. It was great to see so many familiar faces back, along with plenty of first-timers.
The Talks
Aimee Jones – “Creating an SEO Strategy and Roadmap That Factors Business Priority, Seasonality, and Search Opportunity”
Aimee kicked things off with a practical, grounded look at building SEO strategies that don’t sit in a silo. She walked through how to prioritise activity based on real business goals, seasonal trends, and genuine search demand — not just gut feel or keyword volume.
Ray Saddiq – “Diversify Your Organic Traffic via Social Search”
Next up, Ray dived into the growing influence of platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube Shorts on organic discovery. He made a clear case for treating social search as a serious part of any traffic strategy — especially for brands seeing stagnation in traditional organic channels. A real eye-opener for anyone still on the fence about whether Gen Z really does use TikTok like Google.
Ellie Wraith – “Why SEOs & Digital PRs Must Prioritise Content Quality to Protect Brand Identity”*
Ellie closed the evening with a sharp, thoughtful talk on the role content quality plays in long-term brand health. From SEO copy to reactive PR pieces, she showed how cutting corners for quick wins can cost more in credibility than it’s worth. A great reminder that content isn’t just a vehicle for links or rankings — it’s how people meet your brand.
The Atmosphere
As always, the vibe was open and down-to-earth. No sales pitches, no corporate fluff – just three thoughtful talks and a room full of people who care about doing better digital marketing.
The Q&A sparked some great follow-ups, with questions covering how to actually get buy-in for content improvements, ways to measure social search performance, and what a “realistic” SEO roadmap looks like in a fast-moving team.
Afterwards, we stuck around for another hour of networking – with chats ranging from tech stacks and agency life to what people are testing right now. The pizza was, once again, gone within minutes.
What’s Next?
Manchester DM exists to bring the digital marketing community together – to learn from each other, share what’s working, and keep things real. We’ll be running these events every two months, with new topics and new speakers every time.
If you missed this one, don’t worry – we’ll be back soon. And if you’ve got an idea for a future talk, we’d love to hear it.
Thanks again to everyone who came along, asked questions, and made the second event even better than the first. See you at the next one.