Tag Archives: digital marketing

News

The SEO Works signals Digital Growth with 12 new hires

Award-winning digital agency, The SEO Works, have recruited 12 new team members in recent weeks. The decision to take on new staff comes as a result of continued client wins and a view of increased market demand, signalling the agency’s commitment to rapid growth over the next 12 months.

The new starters join different service teams across the agency, including SEO, PPC, Digital PR and Web Project Management, and bring a combined 48 years of digital experience to the established team.

Ben Foster, Managing Director said: “We’re delighted to welcome our new recruits to the team and are excited about what they will bring. We’ve experienced a strong start to the year, winning new flagship clients, after overcoming many challenges and supporting clients last year. We believe that the demand for digital will increase further in 2021, and have geared up to meet the exciting opportunities that lie ahead.”

Graham Jones joins as Web Team Lead with over 7 years of Web and IT experience at another tech agency. He said of the move: “I’m excited to be joining The SEO Works at such a pivotal time in their growth. The company culture and people were what really stood out to me and I look forward to being part of their dynamic and creative team.”

It’s going to be a huge year for The SEO Works, with a move to bigger and better offices planned to support the continued growth and development of the team. Further recruitment is also planned and The SEO Works are still hiring.

For talented digital marketers looking to step up to their next challenge, take a look at their careers pages: https://www.seoworks.co.uk/careers/

News

Creative Marketing Agency, Komodo, Launches New Platform to Support Influencer Business Ventures

Global influencer marketing agency, Komodo, has announced the launch of its sister agency which will work to create bespoke brands and products for influencers and celebrities wanting to start their own business venture.

 

The new agency, Runway, will work directly with select influencers to launch and elevate unique brands from the ground up, handling the entire end-to-end process on their behalf. Once partnered, the team will use their industry-leading expertise to bring business ideas to life, making for a seamless and stress-free experience for the influencers involved.

 

Runway is a product of global creative agency, Komodo, which specialises in influencer and social media marketing, having worked with some of the world’s biggest brands across the globe, including ASOS, Estee Lauder, Sony, Boohoo, Paypal and Jamaica Tourism Board. Founded and headed by four friends in 2017, the Komodo brand now has branches in London, Sydney, Los Angeles and Bangkok, which have collectively worked on over 500 successful influencer marketing campaigns across 30 countries.

 

Runway and Komodo Founder, Freddie Strange, said: “In the past few years we have seen a huge increase in the number of influencers and celebrities wanting to turn their passions into a profit and become entrepreneurs.

 

“At Runway, we have extensive experience in launching and marketing some of the most successful brands on the market, with brands like ASOS, Paypal and Sky trusting us day in day out. We know the amount of research, planning and technicalities that are required in building a successful brand, making this a natural addition to our agency offering.”

 

Joe Ellyatt, Founder and Director of Talent, adds: “With an already guaranteed consumer base and a highly engaged following, influencers already have the foundations for an extremely successful business. As a team, we immerse ourselves in cultural trends, meaning we know what customers really want, what engages them, evokes emotion, and gives them a reason to purchase.

 

“We’ve spent years developing an impressive network of top suppliers, fulfilment centres and web developers, and with the global influencer market expected to be worth $15 billion by next year, we feel now is the perfect time to share this.”

 

Runway has engaged the services of Harry Dixon, as Chief Technology Officer. Harry is ex Chief Information Officer of Boohoo group, where he helped to build and implement the infrastructure around the retailer’s meteoric growth and prior to that held a similar position previous at RentalCars.com. His role at Runway will be to strategise and implement the technology, data and logistics systems across the business, ensuring the smooth running of multiple brands across multiple verticals on a global scale.

 

Other key hires include Matt Cole, Natasha Benharoosh and Jonny Eckersley, who all bring a wealth of experience having held roles at Next, ASOS and The Hut Group. With backgrounds in branding and building e-commerce businesses from the ground up, these key hires are part of the company’s commitment to becoming the go-to business support agency for leading influencers and celebrities.

 

Taking a bespoke approach to partnerships, Runway will specialise in the apparel, beauty, fitness and tech sectors, offering a ‘white-label’ service to its customers in order to help reach their business goals.

Contract Wins, Marketing, PR and SEO, News

fourfivecbd appoints The SEO Works

Digital agency The SEO Works has been chosen to manage the organic search strategy for leading CBD brand fourfivecbd, co-founded by International rugby union players George Kruis and Dominic Day.

The Sheffield based agency will be responsible for delivering organic growth and a SEO strategy that helps cement fourfivecbd’s mission to make their CBD oils, capsules, drinks and topicals the market leading premium brand for professional athletes and those with an active lifestyle.

As well as the CBD website, The SEO Works have also been appointed to launch and promote their new fourfivenutrition website, specialising in the multivitamin market.

“We’re excited to see what The SEO Works can deliver having put together impressive proposals for both campaigns. Working with a team that is passionate about our brand and its potential was paramount in our decision,” said George Kruis, professional athlete and Co-Founder at fourfivecbd.

Alex Hill, Director at The SEO Works added: “It’s a fabulous opportunity for us to work with such an exciting brand, with so much more to achieve — so naturally, we’re very excited to work with George Kruis and Dom Day and their team. At the centre of their ethos is the pursuit of making CBD widely available, whilst increasing the awareness of its use in both amateur and professional sport, and dispelling any myths around safe use and its impact. We look forward to enjoying the future successes we’ll share with the fourfivecbd team.”

The SEO Works specialises in SEO, PPC, web and paid social advertising and has clients including; Decathlon, Rab, Mondaine, Weldricks Pharmacy, the NHS and Lowe Alpine.

Creative News, Marketing, PR and SEO, News

Online consultancy The Evergreen Agency offer business support to 67 websites in two weeks

Leading online marketing firm The Evergreen Agency has launched a brand new initiative to help support other businesses through the pandemic with a free, personalised video review of their online business.

Aaron Rudman-Hawkins, Managing Director of the Bicester-based agency, who specialise in SEO and PPC, has spent two weeks and 60 hours reviewing 67 separate businesses, who have each received their own video review, completely unique to their own business website.

Aaron, who has continued to provide SEO and PPC services to his full time clients since the beginning of lockdown in March, had the idea to provide free video reviews to businesses, providing expert SEO insight with a personalised touch. The videos include a review of the businesses website as well as invaluable tips to improve their visibility from an SEO perspective. The videos, which are available completely free of charge are aimed at businesses seeking support and expertise in bolstering their online presence. Aaron is pleased to be able to offer his support during times of need for all businesses across the UK.

“I’ve always aspired to help people in whatever way I can and with the lockdown, more time is being spent online with no one able to venture out and about. The knock-on effect is businesses relying more heavily on their website and online presence so we wanted to help as many Oxfordshire businesses as possible to ensure they were set up properly to do this. 67 businesses have now been able to see real actionable recommendations and act upon them.”

Aaron added: “Businesses have realised the important role their website and online presence plays. Businesses also know there is a lot of bad advice and mis-information out there. Just being able to provide short videos in plain-English where I can physically show the viewer what I am saying and recommending. It’s simple and businesses have loved it.”

Businesses all over the country have benefitted from this initiative and with so many people at home at the moment spending more time online, now is a better time than most to make simple but incredibly effective changes to your website.

Lisa Moon, PR Manager at The Somerset Toiletry said:
“As a very small (mostly self-taught) team, it’s challenging to excel in all aspects of digital marketing. Aaron highlighted various aspects which we are overlooking in terms of SEO along with areas of growth in terms of paid advertising”.

Lisa further added that:

“With costs being closely managed under the circumstances, the opportunity to gather some really helpful insight and gain a deeper understanding of ways to improve our website visibility has been greatly appreciated”.

Due to the value, expertise and insight received by the websites who took part in the video review initiative, Aaron plans to continue this offering to help businesses get back on their feet. As restrictions begin to lift across the country and businesses resume activity there will be plenty of scope to improve their current online business models.

Coronavirus, Hospitality, News

Stampede launches free managed gift card service to help hospitality businesses recover lost income

Stampede, a Leith-based start-up offering digital growth services for the hospitality sector, today launched a free managed gift-card service for businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to help them recover lost income quickly and create a continuous new revenue stream.

Stampede gift cards is a fully managed service, which means that a traditional pub or small local café with no ecommerce functionality can launch a website, create and issue gift cards to their customer database, and start accepting payments immediately through Stampede. The buy now/use later vouchers are designed to be a more sustainable alternative to crowdfunding options that have proved popular during the pandemic, giving business owners a new way to boost revenues and improve cash flow issues during this time of uncertainty. The service also helps businesses stay in contact with customers and provides them with more security for the future – guests are certain to redeem their vouchers after the shutdown ends and likely to spend even more money when they visit.

Crowdfunding campaigns have become a popular way for restaurants, pubs and bars to recover lost income while closed, in a bid to avoid job losses and bankruptcy. However, these kinds of campaigns are often a short-term solution and do not fix the longer-term cash flow issues created by COVID-19. Stampede gift cards allow businesses to compete in the market once again and tailor offers and services for their local customers. Stampede believes that this is a more dependable solution to cash flow issues in the long term, rather than being solely dependent on charitable donations via sites like GoFundMe.

Stampede gift cards are powered by fin tech services Stripe and Connect, meaning that Stampede clients need no technical expertise to launch their gift card campaign and start taking payments. The fully managed journey was an important consideration for Stampede, who understood that hospitality businesses do not have the time and resources required to build extra online/payments functionality during such a difficult time. The gift card service was created by the team in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, and follows discussions with hospitality customers about how best to recover their lost income.

“Businesses that make their money by bringing people together have been hit hardest by COVID-19 and social distancing policies,” said Stampede founder, Patrick Clover.

“Many businesses are struggling to survive, and while donations via sites like GoFundMe are a great quick fix, no business owner wants to be dependent on charitable donations as their main source of income. We know that the general public want to support their favourite local businesses during their hour of need, but they don’t want to get takeout every night, nor can they order a pint for delivery from their local pub. We wanted to create a solution that would let people give their financial support to struggling local businesses, while empowering those businesses to start taking money again on their own terms.”

Bristol, Marketing, PR and SEO, News

Armadillo – Bristol-based CRM agency – joins The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising

Bristol-based customer relationship marketing (CRM) agency, Armadillo, today joins The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising. Armadillo will connect with 266 agency members, as the IPA represents the very best of UK advertising and marketing in all its forms. The agency helps brands unearth profitable connections with their customers and works with big-name brands including McDonald’s, Disney, Carnival UK and hotels.com.

With 25 years of industry experience, Armadillo’s IPA membership acts as a further indicator of the agency’s success within the marketing and advertising space, and demonstrates their commitment and professionalism within the sector. Armadillo joins IPA member agencies which are responsible for over 85% of all UK advertising spend.

Armadillo will seek to support staff development with the industry-recognised CPD and training available through the IPA, therefore enabling its 45-strong team to develop their skills and progress in their careers, whatever their level.

Patrick Mills, IPA Director of Membership and Professional Development, comments “We’re thrilled to have Armadillo back in IPA membership, and joining our thriving South West and Wales community. We very much look forward to working with them.”

James Ray, CEO at Armadillo, comments “Once the preserve of a select type of agency, the term advertising is wide-reaching today and reflects great work that resonates and has an impact on its audience. We’re extremely pleased to be joining an organisation that supports and celebrates the best in the industry, and are keen to aid and enable our team to develop themselves professionally and personally through our membership with the IPA.

For more information please visit https://armadillocrm.com/

Appointments, Marketing, PR and SEO

Wiltshire Agency Branches Out To All Corners of Great Britain

Dentons Digital, Marketing Agency of Wiltshire, welcomes two new Business Development Managers, based in Scotland and Wales, in order to provide its local service on a national scale.

Last week (03/02/2020) Danielle John, based in Wales, and David Buchanan, based in Scotland (respectively), joined the Dentons Digital team. Both have strong digital and sales backgrounds, whilst sharing Denton’s core value of giving unbiased and honest advice.

These recent recruitments will allow Dentons Digital to continue providing its high level of costumer service to clients who are further afield. Dentons Digital already has a number of clients further up the country, as well as in the USA and Europe, but this expansion gives the company more of an opportunity to get to know its clients on the personal level that they would like to, in order to give their clients the exact outcome that they wish for.

Danielle John, New Business Development Manager, said:

“I’m so excited to be part of the Dentons Digital team. Having spent a few days at their offices in Westbury, Wiltshire last week, I already love the way the team works. It’s great to know that I am selling a genuinely great service to businesses that can really benefit from it. Reach out to me in Wales, where I can map out your digital future for you and may even throw in a Welsh Cake or two!”

Robin Denton, Managing Director of Dentons Digital, said:

“Dentons Digital has never restricted the area to which we offer our services, however we are always keen to provide the absolute best level of service possible. Having both Danielle and David based in Wales and Scotland will mean we can continue to deliver impeccable customer service to those who want a more personal experience in these areas.
They both have great knowledge of the industry, but more importantly, they are keen to help support small businesses. A goal which has always been at the centre of everything Dentons does.”

Marketing, PR and SEO, Research

Over 2 in 5 young adults (18-24s) swayed by online personalisation

18-24-year-olds (44%) are more likely to be influenced to buy a product or service online if they’re given a personalised offer, compared to those aged over 55 (24%), research has revealed.

However, while it’s been established that the younger generation is influenced by a more bespoke approach, a shocking 57% of all those surveyed agree that the offers they receive online are ‘mostly irrelevant’. And with 63% of all adults saying that they find irrelevant offers ‘annoying’, this perhaps signals that a turning point is needed in the way brands interact with their online audiences.

YouGov research used a nationally representative sample of over 2,000 GB adults – commissioned by customer experience optimisation specialist Boostify – which uncovered the roles personalisation and relevance play in driving sales.

In an evolving digital era where online purchases are rising, high-street stores are dwindling and marketplaces are becoming increasingly crowded, it’s never been more important for marketers to truly know their shoppers and their digital behaviours.

But it’s emerged that it’s the older generations businesses are really failing to understand, with 61% of over 55s agreeing that the offers they receive are mostly irrelevant.

Irrelevant offers annoy 64% of this older demographic group – which is more than the 59% 18-24-year-olds who feel the same.

Interestingly, there is a gender divide surrounding companies that do and don’t ‘get’ the importance of offer relevancy to their audiences. There’s almost a 10% difference in how much brands know customers based on their gender – with 62% of men versus 53% of women agreeing offers they receive online are ‘irrelevant’.

It isn’t just the age and gender splits which are apparent in the findings though, there are also clear differences when it comes to geography.

People in the east of England are more annoyed at receiving irrelevant offers (75%), compared to Londoners (55%). Adults in Yorkshire and the Humber (72%) followed by those in the North East (68%) also find these offers annoying.

In addition, adults (68%) in the East Midlands say they receive mostly irrelevant online offers, more than any other government region.

Commenting on the research, CEO and founder of Boostify Jonathan Thirkill said:

“We’re in a society where content relevance is key for enticing savvy shoppers. It’s no longer enough to blast out universal messaging to all customers, instead it is vital brands harness the individuality of each consumer.

“Getting under the skin of how users interact and behave online allows companies to deliver clear, relevant offers at just the right moment – instead of bombarding shoppers with numerous online offers which will never convert.

“As the research indicates, non-personalised offers can leave customers feeling annoyed, and that’s just one of the many reasons today’s brands should be using customer data to make every online experience a pleasant and profitable one.”