The communications firm with only one thing on their mind. Honesty. It's very easy to assume that every company has an accounts department, HR department, sales, IT, etc etc. The list goes on and on. But for most of you reading this, that won't apply.
For many of you the business will be…you…and possibly just you. The majority will be classic SMEs who need to cut their cloth accordingly and only have people where they’re absolutely necessary.
So, what about marketing, PR and design which can be grouped under the communications heading?
You might have a great product or a wonderful service, but are you letting people know about it?
It’s a tricky one. However, there is an answer.
You bring in an external communications agency who will, in effect, act as your PR, marketing and design departments.
Which is precisely how Resolution in Stockton operate.
“We become part of our clients’ firm, we build relationships and discover what they are trying to achieve,” says founder Sharon Starkey. “Our clients are companies who are achieving great things but don’t have the luxury of an extensive team of people looking after their communications, even though they realise how important it is.
“A classic example occurred last year when the MD of a company contacted us to help with his expansion plans. As a business, his company was hugely successful with almost 90 per cent of the UK market, but he was struggling to enter new markets and particularly wanted to gain traction in Europe. He also couldn’t devote sufficient time to investigate what he needed to do. Consequently, he brought us in and we’ve worked closely with his team to develop a strategy that aligns with the business plan. Our in-house team of creatives manages the communications and they concentrate on running the business.”
And that was really how Resolution started almost ten years ago. Sharon had a background of working in PR and marketing roles, representing well-known brands, and was forging a successful career path.
But then she suffered a serious illness.
She decided that the time had come to move from being in a comfortable position to being a risk taker. She’d gained vast experience in communications and wanted to apply what she had learnt to smaller businesses where strategy could have a real impact.
“I’d previously worked with lots of large organisations and really enjoyed the strategy of working closely with them to find solutions to marketing, PR and design problems. I really believe in the power of marketing and when it’s considered and aligned to business targets, great things happen.
“Resolution was built on the foundations of honesty and remains so today. We’ve got really good at knowing what we are great at and never promise something to a client when we know we can’t deliver it. Don’t mistake this for us not achieving, we do amazing work which I am continually proud of, but we don’t make promises we can’t substantiate. If part of a campaign calls for something outside of our skillset, we say so. And then we refer or collaborate every time, never asking a supplier to white label anything. Credit where credit is due.
“As an agency, our values are strong. We choose not to work with two clients who operate in the same sector, believing we can’t fully represent them if we are also creating campaigns for their competitors. If we can’t deliver excellence…we won’t do it. Excellence is our baseline.”
Sharon is steadily expanding her team at Resolution which includes copywriters, content creators and graphic designers. Would she move from Teesside? The answer is a definite no. She’s passionate about her home town (her seven colleagues also live in the Tees Valley) and she can’t think of a better place to do business.
“Teesside is filled with fantastic people who have a real tenacity. I feel incredibly lucky to be operating in this region and Resolution wouldn’t be what it is without the amazing Teessiders within the team. Every person understands their role and knows what they are working towards, and we recognise their commitment. I am surrounded by people who are masters of their craft and am amazed, but not surprised, at what we achieve collectively.”
If you would like to find out more about how you can take your business forward, the best idea is to have a chat with Sharon.
Any firm which has excellence as its baseline has got to be worth talking to.
You can contact Sharon at the Resolution offices in Stockton by calling 01642 061000 or emailing info@resolutioncomms.co.uk
You can also find out more details via their website www.resolutioncomms.co.uk
