In a year like no other, Gosforth-based Wriggle Marketing look back on a period that proved unpredictable to all and brought unique challenges to both the digital marketing industry and the wider business sector.
From the start of what turned out to be a year filled with uncertainty and complexity, Wriggle Marketing produced a record year, with a stream of client wins, team expansion, and tentative plans for further growth despite the ongoing circumstances. This year, Wriggle welcomed a multitude of new clients from the food and drink industry through to the legal sector and gained a strong reputation in the manufacturing industry. Through being proactive and focused on generating a consistent return on investment for its clients, while navigating the challenges of the past twelve months, has proved to be one of the brand’s most significant achievements.
Headed up by CEO Nick Gianfreda and MD Mitchell Harrison, 2021 has seen the business double its headcount with 14 team members bringing a wealth of expert knowledge in a range of different specialisms. To fully resource the new client roster, Wriggle installed a host of new faces; positioning the team as thought leaders and trendsetters in the industry. The expansion of this skilled workforce brought with it the necessity of increased space and so in September 2021, the business set to work renovating a neighbouring building to increase its regional footprint. The newly regenerated property now occupies a bespoke 2,000 sq. ft studio adding 40% additional space to the existing office.
As the world once again opened up it became clear to the team that the needs of both new and existing clients had changed. The media wildly documented the changes in consumer buying habits in light of the pandemic and the Wriggle team were quick to respond. The pandemic showed just how sensitive a shopfront can be and so many clients looked to digital to bridge the gap. The immediate nature of digital marketing meant that solutions could be found for customers that were now looking for 24/7 communication and easy access to information. Recognising such a shift, the team bolstered its offering providing digital solutions built to be reactive and adapt to consumer trends as well as offering bespoke support for those with more specialist requirements. To adapt, Wriggle continued to offer solutions from Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Pay Per Click (PPC), web design, and Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) as well as broader delivery across all digital platforms.
As part of the company’s growth strategy, the bespoke digital marketers are continuing their recruitment drive at pace with turnover set to rise by over 60% in 2022. The brand plan to strengthen the senior management team while also recruiting for specialist and generalist roles in a bid to increase the workforce to 20+ members by June/ summer 2022.
Building upon key learnings from the past twelve months, the senior team look to grow clients in a range of sectors with the aim of developing a robust and diverse business model. The expert skills of the team allow for such flexibility with a strong focus on adapting to different markets and adopting a conscious approach to avoid pigeonholing clients. Wriggle look to maintain a focus on SEO and have a strong desire to develop the overall service offering and stay abreast of developments in the digital landscape, without diluting what they are known for; bespoke SEO services.
Outside the walls of the new office, for 2022 the team look to continue their work with local universities and schools to inspire the future generations of digital marketers. Alongside this, Wriggle will also be selecting a local charity as its ‘Charity of the Year’ and will create a calendar of events to raise funds and generate increased awareness.
