INAGH native Gillian Lafferty has launched a digital marketing company in response to the surge in online trading during the global pandemic.
Adept Digital Solutions is a full-service digital marketing company based in Inagh led by Gillian, who recently returned home from Australia after Coronavirus stuck early last year.
Finding employment as a non-citizen in Australia presented many challenges to Gillian as a deaf person – with government supports more difficult to secure – however as has been her way all her life, she overcame this obstacle and secured a digital marketing role in Sydney two months after her arrival. Immersing herself in the Aussie lifestyle, she was just four months into her job in Sydney when the global pandemic struck. Faced with a difficult decision, Gillian and her partner Brian decided to return to Ireland as global uncertainty loomed.
Since returning, prompted by the encouragement of friends and family, Gillian has set up Adept Digital Solutions (ADS). Gillian tells The Clare Echo, “Lots of people were saying ‘you really ought to set up your own company’ and do it yourself for about two years and I thought, why not? So many people are asking me to create websites for them. I love working on websites and doing website design so I just went for it. I love working with WordPress and digital marketing, I love helping start-up businesses or people who have had websites for a long time which are out of date, so I try and change them to become more modern.”
Reflecting on her return to Clare, Gillian admits that life could have taken a different path without the dedication of her family. Gillian attended the Holy Family in Ennis and credits her mother Marion for this, who set up the primary school deaf unit along with a secondary school unit in the Ennis Community College. “I don’t think I would be around Clare if my mum hadn’t set up the school for deaf people around this area, I would have had to have gone to Dublin which would have changed my life and my education would have been very different.”
Gillian took a business course courtesy of the Local Enterprise Office Clare which gave her “loads of advice” and equipped with her seven years of experience in the industry, she set up her business. ADS aims to assist businesses at all stages of digital development, from those just making the move to online, to those who wish to fine-tune and manage their online strategy. Services include creating or redesigning websites, getting businesses set up with e-commerce sites, digital marketing services, designing brochures, business cards, and assisting businesses to implement their social media plan.
Gillian, who won an All Ireland junior camogie title with Inagh in 2011, says any challenges presented by being deaf can these days be easily overcome thanks to technology. “The challenge for me is I can’t call clients but I’m really lucky that I have a new app for deaf people where you can access an interpreter, the new app is called Djanah, and that means you can access calling a hearing person at any time.”
Speaking about the current trading conditions enforced by the pandemic, Gillian believes her services are now more crucial than ever. “For the moment, I think I will attract people who are doing e-commerce because there are so many shops closed with Coronavirus, they can’t open so they’re relying on their websites to sell online. So any websites that need to be improved or include an e-commerce aspect… a lot of people are contacting me about that.” She notes that businesses can avail of the LEO Trading Online voucher when availing of her services.
Gillian aims to provide a cost-effective and holistic approach to digital marketing. Such is the competitive nature of the industry, the Clare woman hopes her advice-driven approach along with her greater understanding of social media platforms will help her new company prosper. “I’ve noticed a lot of companies provide clients with what they need, but I really talk with the clients to understand their needs and offer advice and tips on what else they could be doing, to help them make better decisions. I deliver a whole package.”
To get in contact with Gillian, visit https://adeptdigitalsolutions.com/, email info@adeptdigitalsolutions.com or whatsapp message 0877681303.
