Reflecting on our journey as a dynamic force in the digital marketing landscape, Wildcat Digital takes immense pride in our remarkable achievement of securing not one, but two nominations at the prestigious 10th Northern Digital Awards. This acclaimed regional ceremony serves as a spotlight, shining a light on the outstanding work and achievements within the digital marketing sphere.
Continue reading to learn more about these esteemed awards and our perspective on what constitutes an award-worthy campaign.
What Is The Northern Digital Awards?
The purpose of the Northern Digital Awards is to celebrate the thriving digital industry of the North of England. Regardless of the size of the agency or campaign, the awards are dedicated to highlighting remarkable innovation and creativity. Judged by top industry experts from across the United Kingdom, the adjudication process is conducted in an ethical, transparent way.
For Wildcat Digital, this recognition is more than just a validation of our talent; it’s a testament to our unwavering commitment to excellence and boundary-pushing endeavours. With each nomination, Wildcat reaffirms its position as a frontrunner in the ever-evolving realm of digital marketing. As a team, we take immense pride in knowing that our hard work and creativity has been acknowledged by leading industry professionals.
Our Journey As a Business
Headquartered in the steel city’s cultural, creative and digital hub inside the Showroom Workstation, our team has grown exponentially in size and client numbers since it was formed in 2018 by founder and MD Will Hitchmough. Will made his first hire in October 2020 and the team has expanded from a headcount of one to nineteen in just three years. His ambitious growth plans for the next five years include growing to a 250 person agency. This reflects the recent growth in our client portfolio, working with 65 brands ranging from regional businesses to nationally recognised, household names.
Having established ourselves as digital marketing leaders within the North, our agency is on the brink of achieving its first million-pound year in 2024. Setting our sights on national level success, our vision is to become recognised as the best digital marketing agency in the UK.
The North – Digital Marketing Powerhouse
In the world of digital marketing, the North of England has made significant strides. As a Sheffield-based company, we take great pride in our regional identity. Whilst we serve a diverse clientele, we particularly enjoy partnering with businesses in our community. Collaborating with esteemed local businesses like Jackson Woodturners and Samuel Staniforth fills us with pride, knowing we play a part in their growth and achievements. As we navigate the ever-changing digital world, our commitment to fostering Northern innovation remains resolute, empowering our region’s growth in the digital era.
Award Worthy Campaigns
So, what made our campaigns award worthy? At Wildcat Digital we believe that the key to creating an award winning campaign includes:
- Audience Engagement – Delve deeper into your audience’s interests and motivations, moving beyond mere demographics like spending habits and age. In today’s digitally-driven world, it’s essential to adopt a human-centric approach.
- Adaptability: Master the art of swift campaign adjustments to suit evolving circumstances; agility is paramount.
- Innovation & Ingenuity: Strive to pioneer novel approaches. To achieve exceptional outcomes, explore uncharted territories, uncovering fresh perspectives and untested strategies.
- Outcome Orientation: Demonstrating positive results is pivotal in showcasing campaign efficacy.
Best Low Budget Campaign – Wildcat Digital & Flagmakers – Royal Performance on a Budget
During our campaign with Flagmakers, we identified a strategic opportunity to leverage significant national events where flags would be popular, including the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and King Charles III Coronation. Our goal was to secure top rankings for Flagmakers in search engine results pages for keywords related to flags and bunting associated with these events.
Since June 2022 we achieved:
- An increase of £21,600 in revenue in the 3 months leading to King Charles’ Coronation.
- An increase of £14,500 in revenue between August 2022 and September 2022 to commemorate the Queen’s death.
- 38,000 organic users in May 2023 in the lead up to the Kings’ Coronation
- 72 first page rankings for the Union Jack Page during May 2023, and 22 Top 3 Rankings.
We have been able to build on a previously good performing B2B campaign, enabling Flagmakers to add significant new revenue streams during 2022 and 2023. Our agile way of working on a small budget enabled Flagmakers to achieve maximum ROI on our SEO services and the continued good performance of B2C pages means the website is well positioned for the next event of national significance.
Best Integrated Campaign – Wildcat Digital and Your Sexual Health – Testing The Limits of Digital Performance
Our campaign with Your Sexual Health aimed to recover their sales and traffic to pre-pandemic levels and, beyond that, put them in a position to achieve a seven-figure turnover. Since June 2022 we achieved:
- Record revenue for June, July and August and passed seven figures during a 12 month period well ahead of schedule.
- Average 20% increase in organic revenue per month
- Gained 66 new top three rankings and 2920 total new rankings
- Achieved eight 80DA+ backlinks including iNews, The Daily Star and Yahoo News
- PPC spend has increased by 55% (£144K) over the last 12 months and Conversion Value (£434K) by 50% during Sept 2022 to August 2023 (vs Previous Year) whilst achieving ROAS target.
Operations Director, Paul Marks from Your Sexual Health said,
“We’ve been working with Wildcat Digital for over 3 years and they continue to adapt and innovate on our campaign. When we thought performance might be about to peak they found another gear and we continue to hit record returns. They manage our SEO, PPC and now Digital PR and we wouldn’t want to go anywhere else.”
Although we didn’t secure any awards on this occasion, the valuable feedback provided by the judges will serve as invaluable guidance to propel us towards success in the future.
Words From The Founder
Will Hitchmough, founder and MD says:
“I founded Wildcat Digital to be an award-winning agency, so being shortlisted for campaigns year on year is a fantastic achievement. Over the last 12 months we’ve continued to grow our client base and these nominations spotlight the quality we have achieved in our work.”
Will adds, “It’s a testament to the skill and hard work of every team member to be in the running again. I’m extremely proud of the team we have here and excited to see what the future holds for Wildcat Digital.”
What Makes a Digital Marketing Agency Award Winning?
So, what should you be looking out for when choosing a digital marketing agency?
When it comes to digital marketing agencies, this question holds immense significance. It’s crucial to carefully weigh various factors before choosing a company. At Wildcat Digital, we’ve streamlined these considerations into six key factors:
- Testimonials, reviews and case studies
Unfortunately, lots of agencies claim that they are experts when it comes to digital marketing, when this is simply not the case. This is why it’s so important to check what experience they have. It’s worth taking a look at their case studies to see what work they have completed. These case studies should outline results. You should also be able to see testimonials and reviews from their previous clients.
- Openness and honesty
Transparency is a cornerstone of our ethos at Wildcat Digital. An unmistakable indicator of an agency’s credibility lies in their capacity to establish realistic expectations. This includes disclosing the timeframe for results and accurately forecasting the outcomes they can deliver for you.
- Communication skills
Evaluating an agency’s communication skills is vita. This is because communication is always at the centre of digital marketing. How a company communicates can give you an idea of how your business needs can be met. Take a look at their website, blogs and social media to see how they interact with their users.
- Innovation
When you are searching for an agency, you want to find a company that knows and understands the latest trends in the digital marketing world. Find out whether they integrate the latest technologies and digital marketing tools.
- Team
Take the time to look through the agency’s website to gain insights into their team members and specialised skills. It’s important to recognise that behind every marketing strategy lies a dedicated team committed to crafting the solutions necessary to achieve your desired outcomes.
- Goals
Ultimately, your decision will be determined by your business objectives and budget. The agency you choose should comprehend the most effective strategies aligned with your goals, ensuring they are feasible within your budget. A reputable digital agency may even encourage you to establish more precise goals tied to profitability and growth.
To read more about how to choose a digital marketing agency, take a look at our insightful article, ‘12 Essential Questions to Ask a Digital Marketing Agency’.
What’s To Come
As we approached the end of 2023, we rolled out our ambitious five-year plan and company vision. By 2028, our aspiration is to emerge as one of the biggest and best digital marketing agencies in the UK. We aim to have 250+ clients at any one time and over 100 members of staff working on award-winning campaigns.
Get In Touch
If you’d like to get in on award-worthy SEO and PPC campaigns, get in touch with our friendly team today! Take the first step towards success by scheduling a complimentary consultation to explore your specific needs and objectives.
Let us guide you on the path to achieving your digital marketing goals.
Rachel Davies
Senior SEO Executive
