Case Study
How Acanthus Cast Stone Grew Their Turnover from £1.3 Million to £2.8 Million in Four Years
From inconsistent enquiries to record turnover and profit – a four-year growth story
Acanthus Cast Stone are manufacturers of superior quality cast stone architectural and landscape products – pier caps, coping stones, porticos, balustrades and more. They make superbly crafted products. But four years ago, their marketing wasn’t reflecting the quality of what they do.
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The challenge
When Acanthus first approached Kimberley Davies-Phippen at The Marketing Hothouse, they were doing a decent turnover, but it wasn’t consistent. Enquiries were coming in, but inconsistently and often the wrong ones. The sales team was spending valuable time sorting through low-quality leads, which meant slower response times to the enquiries that really mattered.
The real problem wasn’t the product. It was the marketing. There was no clear strategy focused on attracting the right customers. And without that, growth was unpredictable and harder than it needed to be.
The approach
The starting point was clarity. Kimberley got under the skin of Acanthus’s business, their customers, and where the best opportunities lay.
Acanthus already had a digital marketing agency working for them, blogging and managing their social media. But looking at it honestly, it wasn’t working. The activity wasn’t connected to sales. Nobody was asking how the enquiries were going, whether the leads were any good, or what the marketing was actually delivering commercially. It was activity for activity’s sake.
Kimberley took a different approach entirely. The existing spend was redirected into a strategy built around one clear goal: generating high-quality inbound leads from buyers and specifiers with genuine intent. Not vanity metrics. Not social media posts for the sake of it. Just a disciplined, focused system designed to bring in enough of the right customers, reliably and predictably.
Staying close to the sales
What makes this partnership work isn’t just the strategy. It’s the commitment to results.
Kimberley checks in regularly to find out how sales are going, not just reviewing marketing metrics, but attending Acanthus’s sales meetings to hear directly from the team what kind of enquiries are coming in, which ones are converting, and where there’s room to improve.
Because ultimately, marketing is only working if it’s driving sales. That’s the only scorecard that matters.
The Results
Over four years, Acanthus Cast Stone grew their turnover from £1.3 million to £2.8 million – more than doubling their revenue while strengthening their profit margins at the same time.
That performance isn’t accidental. It’s the result of a clear strategy, great execution, and Kimberley’s constant focus on what’s actually working. Results are monitored and optimised continuously, because good marketing isn’t set and forget. It’s an ongoing discipline.
“With The Marketing Hothouse driving our marketing campaigns and strategies, we have achieved a record month and a record year for turnover – and most importantly, profit. Kimberley took the time to understand our business and products so we could achieve the best return on our investment. We love her upbeat attitude and motivational methods and look forward to many more years of partnership.” Liz Thornton, Acanthus Cast Stone, Alfreton, Derby
“Kimberley got to grips with our business and understands that we need a steady and reliable stream of good enquiries. She’s worked diligently on this, and every week wants to know how things are going, if the leads are there, and what we can do to improve.” Alan Smart, Founder, Acanthus Cast Stone, Alfreton, Derby
The work continues
Marketing never stands still – and neither does this partnership. With AI changing the landscape of search and digital marketing, Kimberley continues to monitor, adapt and optimise Acanthus’s marketing activity throughout the year, keeping them on track for their most ambitious targets yet.
Could this be your story?
If you’re running a good business but not getting enough of the right customers, reliably and predictably, this is exactly the kind of result Kimberley works towards with her clients.
Let’s talk
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