Bootcamp Media is a results-driven SEO-based marketing and web design agency based out of Birmingham. In October, Bootcamp was recognised among the winners of the 2018 SME Business Enterprise Awards as ‘Birmingham’s Best Marketing & Web Design Agency’. We spoke to Jamil Shabir who, as Bootcamp Media’s Managing Director, has spearheaded the firm to the success it celebrates today.
Swift innovation has defined the modern age of business, driven by an unstoppable forward march of technological development. In the last decade, marketing has, more than most sectors, experienced a monumental shift when it comes to best practice. The definitive methods of yesteryear, billboards and newspaper ads for instance, have largely been replaced by online alternatives, as marketers change their methodology to better reflect consumer’s changing expectations and needs. In a world quickly becoming defined by an ease of access to information, consumers are learning to tune out the noise, and marketing agencies have had to adapt to thrive.
Ultimately, today’s digital marketers have had to become experts in optimisation. Campaigns are now carefully considered, and keenly adjusted to the specific needs of a demographic or audience. Blanket coverage doesn’t work anymore, and success pivots on a marketer’s ability to truly understand their clientele.
Since their inception, Bootcamp Media have established themselves as stalwarts in the internet marketing sector, providing best-in-class services catered to the very individual needs of their clients. To start the interview, we asked Jamil about the qualities that have defined Bootcamp’s success in this notoriously competitive sector. “We have a very honest relationship with our clients, engaging in open dialogue from the outset to establish what we can, and can’t, achieve for them. We don’t make spurious claims of success, and we don’t make promises we can’t keep. It’s important in this climate, with so much competition both in the region and nationally to create that framework to see what the client wants to achieve and how long it will take to get them where they need to be.”
“More importantly, we want them to understand that there are no guarantees with online marketing. It’s based on algorithms that are changed almost daily. It’s all about establishing those expectations – it’s not going to be easy. It’s going to take time, but the result, at the end of the day, will speak for themselves.” Where others might inflate or exaggerate the results of their work, Bootcamp remain focused on the deliverables – on achievable, realistic goals that are informed by years of heard-earned experience in the market. More simply, they know what works and what it takes to hit targets.
Jamil continues, detailing the plethora of clients that Bootcamp Media serves: “We deal with a cross-spectrum of industries; from solicitors, accountants, manufacturers, online retailers, and charities, alongside people who sell white goods, fireplaces, bathrooms – overall a fairly broad spectrum of industries and clients.”
As a business operating firmly within the technological arena, staying up to date remains an incredibly important tool in Bootcamp’s arsenal, as they look to capitalise on their expertise and offer cuttingedge advantages to their clientele. Jamil takes a moment to comment on Bootcamp’s efforts to stay, at all times, one step ahead of their peers. “We engage with the online marketing community on a daily basis. We understand that there are a lot of discussions and a lot of hot topics out there, and we try to look at things from a very logical point of view. To help achieve this, we also use google guidelines to make sure we adhere to them, whilst also ensuring our clients still get that crucial competitive edge in the marketplace as well. Finally, we also encourage the team – and myself – to engage with people on social media, to have access to a broader perspective on current events. On a more individual level, we make sure that team members regular undergo further training and professional development.” The conversation soon turns to Bootcamp’s staff, and the role that they play in the day to day running of the business. Jamil was keen to emphasise the importance of his team in forging the very foundations of Bootcamp Media. “The team are the bedrock of the company. They are the key to the success of the business. I have twenty years of experience in the industry, taught myself SEO in 2004 – when it was something that everybody was jumping on to – and recognised the importance of social media in marketing when that was becoming popular in 2006/2007. I could have started a company by myself and become a freelance, one-man band business but, I deliberately made it an agency because I didn’t want it to be all about me. I knew I needed a team to support me, and to pave the way to further growth down the road. The success of the business is certainly not down to myself alone but, is genuinely down to the people in my team. It sounds cliché, and yet, it’s true. At the end of the day, it’s their business as well: they take ownership of the clients and the problems. I know that I can go away for a day or two, and I don’t have to worry about anything. They are the key to the success of Bootcamp Media and I cannot state that enough.”
As we come to the end of the interview, Jamil discusses the challenges of working within the current market. “The biggest
challenge is talent, especially in the West Midlands. Talent tends to go down south in search of opportunities, more money or to gain experience in other areas outside of Birmingham (don’t know why). People do move on, and the biggest challenge is attracting the right talent and maintaining it. Overall, we’ve done quite well over the last six years. Our newest team member is an apprentice who has been with us for a few weeks now and, before him, is a team member that has been here for a couple of years. As one of our goals is to grow over the coming months, we want to make sure we have the right people onboard who meet our needs and internal culture. So, recruitment remains the predominant challenge in the industry, not just for us, but for our competitors as well.”
By all regards, the last twelve months have yielded a period of impressive growth and development for Bootcamp Media. We asked Jamil what the future had in store for Bootcamp as they look towards further expansion into new markets. “We are definitely going to be recruiting as we’re just getting busier and busier. This is only happening because of growth, and we want to make sure that we can keep serving our clients to the best of our ability, wherever they might be. We’ve recently opened an office in Cheltenham, and we’re imminently opening an office in Devon. Beyond 2019, we’re possibly looking at opening an office in London as well.”
Finally, Jamil speaks on Bootcamp’s more recent activities as they reinforce their status as pillars of their local
community. “In November, we hosted our business networking event, the Christmas Phoenix Business Lunch, which was in support of Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice raising over £4000. Bootcamp Media were also the headline sponsor for the Midlands Business and Community Charity Awards on the 3rd November. Later in the month, we sponsored the Birmingham Awards, which took place on the 24th November.” By all regards, 2018 has been a remarkable chapter for Bootcamp Media. It’s been a year of substantial growth as they look to serve clients outside of the West Midlands. Through Jamil’s leadership, and expertise in his craft, their success looks set to continue through 2019 and beyond. In the marketing arena, they remain the business to beat – an agency setting the pace for others to follow.
Contact: Jamil Shabir
Company: Bootcamp Media Address: 7 Mary Street, Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham, B3 1UD, United Kingdom
Website: www.bootcampmedia.co.uk
Telephone: 0121 630 2350
