Co-founded in 2016, the Backroom Agency was born with the aim of offering high-end creative combined with excellent client support. unLTD’s Chris Coates spoke to the men behind it.
Long-term colleagues Andrew Brown and Stephen Delaney founded the Backroom Agency with one main ethos – to take an honest, up-front approach and deliver ideas in an inspiring and coherent way.
With a combined 35 years of industry experience behind them working with top brands across all sectors, Andrew and Stephen set up the Backroom Agency to deliver marketing and design for clients in a different way – one which the client felt part of.
Andrew said: “Right from the start, we knew that we didn’t want a big operation with loads of staff. We wanted to maintain direct, day-to-day contact with all our clients, rather than delegate it to account managers.
“Instead, we cautiously developed collaborative relationships with the most talented creatives in the city. That meant when our clients started asking for print, photography, copywriting, animation and more, we had a trusted network that we could call upon to deliver. It’s a strategy that’s worked for us ever since.
“We’re big believers that people work with people which is why maintaining a healthy working relationship with our clients is paramount to everything we do.”
The pair admit that, like many business owners, they have learned some valuable lessons during the pandemic which will undoubtedly help them to move the business forward as the world begins to return to normality.
Stephen said: “Staying lean was central to our survival. Not having extra staff meant that our overheads were low enough for us to pull through relatively unscathed. Our strategy of partnering with the best in the business seemed to pay dividends. We may not have grown our head count, but our network has expanded exponentially, enabling us to adapt, be flexible and meet whatever requirements our clients may have.
Looking back on the past six years, Andrew and Stephen have no regrets and are proud of what they have achieved.
Andrew said: “In some ways nothing has changed since we first started out in 2016. We’re a bit older, a bit greyer and hopefully a little bit wiser! But we still have the same passion and approach to our work, and our relationships with our clients are still central to everything we do.
“The saying goes that if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. In all honesty, the last five years have been very hard work at times. But they have flown by, and we’ve absolutely loved every minute.”
To find out what the Backroom Agency
could do for you, visit www.thebackroom.agency
How THE Backroom How THE Backroom AGENCY helped Macalloy EVOLVE
Macalloy are global leaders in the manufacture of threaded tension steel bars. Their products are used throughout the construction industry and have been featured in many prestigious global landmarks including Russian World Cup stadiums, the Burj Al-Arab Hotel in Dubai, Marina Bay Sands in Singapore and Jubilee Bridge in London.
Following a strategic review in 2020, the Dinnington-based company took the decision to update their branding and website to ensure that their visual identity was in keeping with their innovative nature, and to coincide with their centenary year.
Andrew said: “We were approached by Macalloy following a recommendation from an existing manufacturing client and quickly set up a meeting to find out what they hoped to achieve.
“The project kicked off with a series of workshops with senior managers, delivered mainly during lockdown via Zoom calls across several countries – a process which was new to all of us!
“We identified the key messages and values and worked together to develop a compelling brand proposition which resonated with staff, provided a platform for building the brand, and drove the visual style of the new identity.”
With the new brand and direction of travel agreed, the Backroom team turned their attention to Macalloy’s website, macalloy.com.
Stephen said: “Drawing on our extensive network of contacts, we established a new photography style to showcase the use of their products in iconic, global landmarks. We also refreshed the copy, developing the tone of voice to make the company offering clear and easy to understand.
“During the planning process, we identified the need for a live chat facility on the site to improve communication with customers. Macalloy can now monitor activity across the entire customer journey, see which team member responded to a customer last and maintain a complete conversation history. Since launching the live chat, Macalloy has seen a significant increase in online enquiries.”
The Backroom Agency also implemented ‘Contact Agent’ tracking tags within the site for email and telephone links, allowing for a more accurate look at conversion data.
In-depth keyword research done by the team has given Macalloy insight into the most searched phrases across the steelmaking industry, allowing content to be tailored which targets these traffic driving terms. A resource hub was also established, allowing architects and engineers to download product specifications and manuals.
A concerted push on SEO has helped improve visibility in the organic search results, while keyword tracking has been put in place for various countries to allow us to monitor international rankings. This work will be enhanced in the Spring with multiple language options being added to the site.
The new brand has brought Macalloy’s identity up to date and in line with the evolution of the company, while the new website and analytics tools have enabled the team to better understand the customer journey and develop client relationships. This ultimately means data informed decisions can be made across all aspects of the business.
Organic traffic to the site has already grown by 74 per cent compared to December 2021, and the new brand identity is currently being rolled out across multiple communications, including product brochures, brand guidelines, animations and online presentations.
