Two business professionals from very different backgrounds have teamed up to launch a new specialist B2B marketing agency to help SMEs generate more opportunities to increase their sales. Red7 Sales & Marketing has been established by the former Marketing & Commercial Director of The Celtic Manor Resort, Gareth Rees Jones and the former Managing Director and co-founder of IT software company, FD Systems, Geoff Thomas. It offers companies the ability to outsource their marketing and lead generation activities thus allowing their own team to spend more time in front of prospective clients.
Currently employing six people at their office in Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan, the agency has an in-house digital team specialising in inbound lead generation through search engine optimisation, pay per click, social media and web development. In addition it has a direct marketing team focused on generating leads through outbound marketing techniques including telemarketing, direct mail and email marketing. Red7 already work with clients across several different industry sectors including Caerphilly based bespoke printer, Pink Panther; leading Newport IT support provider, Certus IT; and Cardiff based media insurance specialist, Creative Risk Solutions, who have recently appointed the agency to spearhead the company’s drive to grow its insurance business within the UK television production market.
Rees Jones who previously worked for major advertising agencies in Dublin and developed communication strategies for brands including Standard Life, O2 and Nivea, returned to Wales in 2004 and was responsible for marketing The Celtic Manor Resort globally in the lead up to and during The 2010 Ryder Cup. Commenting on the launch of Red7 he said, “More and more companies are beginning to appreciate the need for a strategic and pro-active approach to their marketing in order to generate the right quantity and quality of sales leads. However many SMEs simply do not have the resources, time or expertise to do it effectively themselves.
Over the past few years there has been a significant change in the buying process within the B2B market, with most prospective customers now spending far more time doing online research long before they are ready to engage with a company. This means that it is now more important than ever to have a strategic and pro-active plan of both online and offline marketing activity so that your company comes to the attention of prospects early in their research process and to ensure that you are there when they are finally ready to make a decision.”
Thomas, a Chartered Accountant, co-founded the Cardiff Accountancy firm now known as KTS Owens Thomas, before leaving in 1997 to set up FD Systems, an IT and e-commerce company that went on to become Sage’s leading UK reseller and was sold to Aim-listed IT company, K3 in August 2011. Commercial Director at Red7, Thomas is responsible for advising its clients on their strategies, processes and CRM programmes.
He commented “The recession has had a major impact on the ability of companies to generate new leads and sales. Many now find that the once steady stream of incoming enquiries that they used to receive has dried up and the spend of their existing customer base has decreased significantly, with some of those key customers possibly no longer in existence. For many companies the natural reaction in this tough market has been to cut the amount of marketing activity that they undertake.
However, it is precisely during these challenging times that companies need to pro-actively market themselves to win new clients. Our team focuses on using data and technology to generate quality leads through a combination of outbound and inbound marketing. We believe that the key to success is in employing an integrated marketing approach that uses multiple contacts with prospects over time and following up all activity to pro-actively secure leads or appointment. Our specialist B2B telemarketing team know how to get through to and engage with decision makers to generate, qualify and nurture leads. Ultimately, our aim is to allow our clients’ sales teams to spend less time behind their desk and more time in front of prospects, making sales.”