A growing digital marketing agency ended 2023 with its busiest month in its eight-year history – kickstarting a recruitment drive which will see the company double in size.
ROAR Digital Marketing experienced unprecedented demand for its specialist Search Engine Marketing (SEM) services in December 2023, with inbound leads and subsequent onboarding of clients quadrupling on average months.
The agency, which helps businesses get found online and converts website clicks into customers through strategic SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising, has recently been appointed by seven new clients across a wide range of business sectors to get their 2024 off to an incredibly busy start.
To cater for the sharp increase in demand for its services, ROAR will double its number of employees to 10 by creating job roles specialising in PPC, SEO, content writing, project management, and business support.
Michael Knowles, the founder and Managing Director of ROAR, said: “We have been blown away by the recent interest shown in our specialist SEM services, and our team was certainly kept busy in the lead-up to Christmas with unprecedented inbound leads and the onboarding of new clients.
“Typically, November through to January are extremely quiet months for most businesses so the spike in interest over the festive period was a pleasant surprise. It’s testament to the excellent team we have here who strive to ensure clients see a healthy return on investment.
“A client even signed a contract with us on Christmas Eve so there was definitely no Christmas lull, and the signs point to things only speeding up as positive conversations about working with new clients continue in the new year.
“In the week before Christmas alone, we had discussions with 12 prospective clients which far surpasses our weekly average. My team and I are really excited about what 2024 holds and how we can help businesses grow by improving their visibility to wider online audiences and helping them convert more leads.
“It’s rewarding as a business owner to see my current team members flourish, and to be in a position where we can create new job roles to help ROAR develop as a business.”
Michael attributes the growth in success in part to empowering team members to take ownership of their respective channels and allowing them to implement strategies that would improve the effectiveness of the business’ operations as a whole.
He said that staff responded extremely positively to being entrusted to stamp their own authority on business operations, and allowing individuals to lead in their specialist field has reaped rewards for the wider business.
“One thing I’m extremely passionate about is the professional development of my team members, and I have full faith in their capabilities, so we held a strategy session where I encouraged them to assume responsibility within their specialism,” said Michael.
“Encouraging all staff, including the youngest and most inexperienced members of the team, to contribute to business discussions has boosted their confidence and made them all feel valued in the decision-making process.
“While some of my team may be young in age and be relatively new to the business world, they are extremely knowledgeable and keen to develop their learning within their field. Add their high levels of enthusiasm to the mix and it is a great combination to fuel business growth.
“Having a fresh pair of eyes on matters can have a huge impact on business matters and harness positive change as it is something new to the ways you have always conducted your business, and the input from the wider team has really brought about refreshing new ways of thinking.
“They all responded in a positive manner and took the bulls by the horns, and the excellent results we are seeing is down to their efforts and passion to do the best for ROAR, and all businesses we work with.”
Joshua Lee, a Senior SEO Executive at ROAR, was shortlisted for two awards in 2023 as he was identified as one of the most promising marketers in the North East.
He said: “Having the full trust and confidence of your boss really inspires the team at ROAR and having that right mix of independent working and ongoing training within the company has allowed myself and other team members to develop rapidly.
“This is what spurs us on to deliver the best possible results for all our clients, and why there is a happy team doing all it can to grow ROAR and help more businesses improve their online visibility and ultimately win more clients.”
To ensure businesses are receiving the highest quality of service, ROAR Digital Marketing successfully attained Cyber Essentials Certification, a Government-backed programme awarded to companies which can evidence their IT systems are protected against cyber attacks.