SME News Q4 2018

10 SME NEWS / Q4 2018 , BootcampMedia is a results-driven SEO-basedmarketing 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 BootcampMedia’s Managing Director, has spearheaded the firm to the success it celebrates today. An Agency Defining the Future of Digital Marketing 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 The definitive methods of yesteryear, billboards and newspaper ads for instance, have largely been replaced by online alternatives, as marketers change their methodology to better reflect consumer’s changing expectations and needs.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 cutting- edge 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 Oct18295 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