Published by isobel.regan@dontpanicprojects.com
Published Date 01.09.2022 
What does success actually look like for a B2B marketing agency? Ask 20 different businesses and you’re likely to get 20 different answers, but for us, it’s sustained and consistent growth as we continue maturing.
We are driven to be recognised as the leading international full-service marketing & communications partner of choice to B2B companies, and this permeates everything we do. As our results to date show, we are a well-established business that is well on its way to meeting that vision.
A talented and young B2B communications team, bringing colour to the market and something new to the table – how do we encapsulate what makes us…us? Ahead, we break down why PHD is a business on the rise and why we’re so proud to enter the UK Agency Awards for the first time.
Proud of our roots
When PHD Marketing was founded in 2014 by Jo Stephenson, we began the way many businesses do – a founder with a dream and the desire to become the full-service partner they wish they’d had.
Starting life with a modest number of clients in the very specific print and packaging industries, PHD has grown at a rapid pace and is still aiming for the stars.
Growing at scale
So, where are we today? PHD is now home to a headcount of 22 account managers, digital specialists, copywriters and account executives. Our client roster has swelled to more than 40 clients, including some of the largest and most established names in their respective fields.
While keeping that important print and packaging focus, the business has built a solid reputation further afield in biosciences, life sciences and technology. The business is flourishing – and we’re ready to take a step back and celebrate.
Recognising our success
Entering the UK Agency Awards is another enormous step forward for the business and as they say, just being nominated is a real honour! With an outstanding team in place, enormous growth in our client roster and a hard-fought reputation in our core market, we are competing on the world’s stage – and we’re excited to show what we can do.
While making our case for B2B Agency of the Year, we focused on sheer growth, where we have bucked many industry trends over a volatile period. Despite the challenges of Covid-19, we saw 30% YOY growth from 2020/21. We also included details of our approach to relationship management, which has given us excellent client retention rates of 5.6 years on average, with many of our original clients remaining with us to this day.
Knowing our strengths
PHD Marketing is not your average B2B agency next door, our strength lies in knowledge and strategic, joined-up thinking. In a market rife with volatility, our clients rely on us to understand not only their industry, but the trends shaping the market, their competitors, challenges and suppliers. We have created a culture of excellence that values the individual and plays to the strengths of the team.
We don’t believe that siloed or isolated work drives real value, and that ideas must be connected and cohesive. As such, our services cover a wide (and ever-growing) range of disciplines across digital and traditional PR, social media, email marketing and SEO.
We have the pleasure of supporting many of our clients from a top-down strategic level, and we pride ourselves on always viewing campaigns through the lens of commercial strategy. Copywriting and strategic technical and commercial content are our core strengths.
Whether a technical white paper, a sales-led website landing page or a long-term social media campaign, words shouldn’t just sit feeling lifeless. They should leap off the page and capture the imagination and attention of the market. At PHD, we refer to that as when a piece really ‘sings’.
Plus, with a talented multi-disciplined team that creates content to inspire through this fully integrated and connected approach, we are not pumping out content that clients could get from any content mill or AI programme, we are orchestrating a beautiful, colourful and cohesive symphony of strategic content. That’s the PHD way, and it always will be.
Many agencies claim to act as a member of their clients’ team – that’s not lip service for us, we live it. We walk in their shoes, we understand their industry language, and use insight to connect directly with the needs of their customers. PHD makes the difference!
Looking ahead
Simply, no other agency is doing what PHD Marketing is doing. There are many things that make PHD unique in its market, and now situated in a larger office facility at Nostell Estate Business Park, the business is still expanding at a rate of knots.
Operating fearlessly, investing in its team, and letting the work speak for itself has brought the business to where it is today, now a midsize industry specialist with a strong reputation across its key sectors.
To the team at PHD Marketing, being recognised by industry peers at the prestigious UK Agency Awards means more than additional ‘silverware for the cabinet’ – it’s real, tangible proof that with the right business attitude, an empowered team and a true hunger for change, every agency has the capacity and potential to excel on the world’s stage.
We’re in great company, the B2B Agency of the Year category features a diverse selection of fellow B2B communications agencies that we admire, all doing their own thing and shining in their own way. A great message to the market is that the future of business-to-business communications is looking very bright. From all of us here, we’d like to sincerely thank the UK Agency Awards for shortlisting us in the B2B Agency of the Year category.
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