Wriggle Marketing is an apt name for this digital marketing company which has, with dogged determination, continued to grow despite the pandemic. Named after a dog, "Wriggles", this boutique business and its clients are most definitely onto the scent of success.
We thought we’d paws to catch up with Nick Gianfreda, the MD of Wriggle Marketing in Newcastle. Wriggle is a performance driven, boutique digital marketing agency that specialises in generating a genuine, consistent return on investment for their clients through the mediums of SEO, Google Ads, social media management and conversion rate optimisation. Wriggle is an established part of the region’s marketing landscape so Nick’s well placed to tell us what life has been like both for his company and his clients.
What were your plans for this year?
At the beginning of this year I was due to get married and 2020 was shaping-up nicely. Wriggle was making serious headway with a three year growth strategy we’d put in place in early 2019 with growth consultants Sphera Consulting. Within six months of them starting we’d increased turnover by over 30%. I was excited for 2020!
What happened in lockdown?
It was worrying when the first lockdown hit. We’d spent years building a solid client base…would it disappear overnight? How would the staff deal with working remotely? Was I concerned? Absolutely, there were lots of what ifs and variables we had to deal with as a business but the Wriggle team adapted to working from home. No account staff were furloughed. Marketing is often the first casualty during a downturn and, while we saw revenues decrease in Q2, we did not lose a single client. This is largely down to the way we operate at Wriggle and the dedication of the team, something with each team member deserves credit for. We see ourselves as part of our clients’ businesses….almost like an integrated marketing department. We’re always available to help them get to wherever they want to be, whether that’s from a standing start or building upon and accelerating their development.
“Wriggle and the team were there for us when we needed them and we’ll remember that. We knew we needed to accelerate our online strategy and adopt a mixture of channels (something which Wriggle had suggested months before). In eight months we have increased our yearly online turnover by over 165% and now use a blend of digital marketing mediums. It seems to me that this market is full of companies who are very good at charging the Earth and providing mediocre results, but with Wriggle I do feel that I am getting results and value for money.”
Martin Rye – GRS Footwear.
“Wriggle Marketing proactively developed a platform which allowed us to provide regular government and company updates to our workforce during this challenging and unprecedented period. Their support to us throughout the pandemic has been outstanding with all updates being completed within 24hrs. The team has been with us every step of the way.” Thompsons of Prudhoe.
A lot of businesses had to change. Has Wriggle Marketing?
We have a great work culture and ethos at Wriggle. There is a really friendly, positive vibe within the company and I know many of our clients sense that too. All staff receive perks like gym memberships (when they’re open!), flexitime, work from home days etc. This has continued during lockdown and the flexibility we give staff is even greater although more of the team want to return to the office. We have job applicants who’ve been working remotely for companies but now want ‘office positions’ as they’ve missed interaction. A new balance has to be struck.
So, how are things looking?
Despite everything, we look like achieving the majority of the targets we set for 2020 and, importantly, we’ll hit our retained income target as we managed to acquire new clients during the lockdown. It has been extremely hard work at every juncture and as Mitchell our Head of Digital Op’s said ‘this year has been like a dodgy internet connection’. Nevertheless we’re a team of 11 but are recruiting more team members across the board as we’re seeing businesses adapt to the digital environment. Firms realise an online presence isn’t an option anymore; it’s essential. We want to attract talent who see themselves developing along with the business. Over the last five months we have recruited four new team members and by the middle of next year we’ll have appointed another five in a mixture of junior and senior roles some of which are online now.
Will businesses change in 2021 and beyond?
Yes, although it’s difficult to measure. The younger generation is used to shopping, researching and interacting online so I think the biggest shift will be with the older generation. There’s been a huge realisation within this demographic of how easy and convenient online shopping can be. They’ve been forced to change and most have adapted to it one way or another.
