Seabrook - Digital Agency Showcase

This is the fourth post in The Candidate's Digital Agency Showcase. There have already been great examples of work from Venn Digital, Online Ventures Group and R.O.EYE. The aim of the Digital Showcase is to represent digital agencies in the North, and highlight the wonderful work they have achieved from the past year.

It is now the turn of digital marketing agency, Seabrook to be featured in our showcase. Seabrook is based in leafy Chorlton, and was established in 2006. Since Seabrook's establishment it has worked with over 150 businesses. Seabrook are proficient in strategy, branding, website design, SEO, content, PR, social media, lead generation and analytics. They also completed Eric Bristow's website for his ITV appearance in I'm A Celeb! 

Recently Seabrook has undergone revised branding and they are in the process of completing a new and improved website.  Seabrook's team are quietly ambitious, and aim to become part of the top 5 digital marketing agencies In Manchester by 2014. 

 Seabrook's representative is Managing Director,

William Seabrook. 

William worked in the fashion industry for 6 seasons as a fashion illustrator. During his commute from Manchester to Birmingham he read a lot of business books, and following his creativity he decided that he needed a change of direction. He took the plunge to start up his own design company, in 2006 Seabrook was founded, and he has never looked back. 

 1. Hello, and thank you for letting us interview you for our digital agency showcase. What is your main job role and responsibilty within Seabrook?

As Managing Director my main responsibility is ensuring that Seabrook wins and retains clients, and therefore the business grows. The development of client relations is also a key concern of mine. I also make sure I have adequately researched the market to make sure that we provide clients with a service that is up to date, as digital marketing moves so quickly. In addition, I tend to oversee projects, but just to make sure the quality and standard is up to Seabrook standards. 

2. Please could you pick a case study from 2012, and explain why you have chosen this work to represent Seabrook? 

I have chosen to present HEaTED, which is a membership organisation dedicated to supporting Professional Development of Technical staff from all disciplines and specialisms in Higher Education and related fields. I have selected HEaTED because they are an essential service for higher education, and are an enterprise level client. The responsibility was very high, as their website is key to their business so it needed to be reliable, dependable and look professional. The project also featured some of the latest digital technologies, such as the responsive web design, and therefore highlights our work well. 

3. What brief were you initially supplied with, and what objectives did the Seabrook team devise when briefed?

The brief required us to bring the HEaTED website up to date, as it was three years old, and provide the site design with a refresh. We were also requested to take it to an open source platform i.e. Wordpress. There were some challenges to overcome, and these were managing data, as there was a lot of data in place on the old site and we needed to explain to the client the how the new website operated. 

4. How did Seabrook implement the campaign strategy?  

As a team, we had a group discussion and spoke of the challenges, optimum ideas and how a new system could work. We then developed designs, and provided the client with two designs, that were distinctly different and they confirmed which one they preferred. We then implemented the front coding, which was HTML, CSS and PHP, built the coding into word press, and then added the bespoke coding required by HEaTED.  The website then went live in a test server so that the client could learn how to use the system. Finally, we added the content from the old website and added new content as well. When everything as signed off, and we continued to support HEaTED and they are now signed up to a maintenance contract. 

5. Could you tell us what ressults were derived from the campaign strategy, and any positive feedback that Seabrook recieved from the campaign? 

The feedback was very positive. HEaTED were impressed that we have easily overcome the challenges presented by this project. The clients particularly enjoyed the look and feel of the site, and were able to manage the content much more efficiently. They were also impressed with the working relationship we maintained with them. The website users also gave positive feedback stating that the design was very strong and the site was easier to use.

6. Could you give a top tip to any perspective digital marketing Candidates who would like to work in an agency like Seabrook? 

My top tip would be to always have a thirst for knowledge, as this industry is constantly evolving, and you need to be a step ahead. In addition, even though you may be talented in this field, do not rely on your ego to make you successful.

Thanks to William for taking part in our Digital Agency Showcase.

The Candidate's Summary 

The Candidate is impressed by Seabrook's close working relationship with HEaTED. They were able to understand the need for a reliable website that users could work relatively easily, but to also make the design look revitalised.

The Candidate would like to congratulate Seabrook on a successful year, and wish the team the best for 2013.