A new Widnes start up agency, 125 Social, has launched to give tradespeople and small firms a UK team that writes, designs and publishes their social media posts for a fixed, affordable monthly fee.
The launch follows research published by Markel Direct in July 2026 (Censuswide, How small businesses are using social media in the UK, sample of 501 UK tradespeople and small business owners), which found that 77% manage their own social media and 65% have never had any social media training, even though 84% say it brings them work.
125 Social is based at Cheshire House on Gorsey Lane, Widnes, and was founded by Luke Hilditch, who previously spent three years at Hot Web Design before launching his own, Liverpool-based web design, branding and marketing agency, Think Mad, in 2020.
Monthly plans start at £62.50 +VAT a month during a half-price launch pilot for the first 50 businesses, or until 31 October, with no long-term contract required and the ability to move between the Starter, 125 Social and Growth plans as needed – all plans are included in the launch offer.
Founder Hilditch said: “Nearly every tradesperson I speak to knows they should be posting, but it’s the first job that slips when they’re busy. We built 125 Social so a plumber in Widnes or a salon in St Helens can have consistent, professional social media for a fixed price, without being tied into a year-long contract.”
Businesses that sign up with 125 Social will complete a short onboarding so that the team can learn its services, area and tone, after which the UK-based team writes the month’s posts, and on the £125 and £250 plans also designs branded graphics and publishes them.
Every post is approved by the business before it goes out, and clients can cancel at any time with 30 days’ notice.
The agency also promises monthly performance reports “in plain English” so that customers can see which posts are winning and where audiences are actually coming from.
