Here is a brief, overall description of what The DM Lab does…
The DM Lab, The Digital Marketing Laboratory, is a multi-award-winning design and digital marketing agency based in Hereford. The DM Lab covers all aspects of both online and offline marketing. From PPC and Google Ads campaigns (which they are recognised as Google Partners), to inbound and email marketing. In an ever-changing digital world, we are constantly reading and learning new techniques. Ensuring we are always top of our game. We identified a gap in the market locally back in 2014 and we knew we had a valuable service to offer businesses.
Focused, quality marketing to complement our existing web and graphic design skills.
The DM Lab help clients grow their online presence, website traffic, social media following and most importantly their leads. We’re employed as a ‘white label’ marketing department (we remain anonymous). Working on a retainer model, we can at any time adjust the budget to suit clients and their business needs. We are so confident in their ability to deliver that they never tie in clients with contracts. Clients are free to come and go as they please. However when they see results and see their business growing they are always willing to reinvest in The DM Lab to grow further with a bigger budget. As they grow, The DM Lab grows. It’s brilliant marketing made simple!
What does The DM Lab specialise in?
The DM Lab specialise in digital marketing. A data driven company they uses our knowledge and experience to glean insights for clients to improve multi-channel marketing. We spend the time not only to fully understand how our clients’ businesses work, but how customers interact with their clients. Understanding customer behaviours and journeys, identifying touch points and how to be visible.
This is achieved using various services that include:
Search Engine Optimisation – the ability to make a brand or business more visible through various search engines, using technical SEO and off page strategies. Our Certified Google Partner status assures clients that their budget and spend is in safe, qualified hands.
Paid advertising – this could be targeted ads through social or through search. The DM Lab have delivered many successful campaigns all over the world with various budgets, also achieving Google Partner Status
Web development – understanding where a website fits into a business is key, more importantly its understanding how it will be used to achieve results. The DM Lab use their knowledge to design user friendly websites that are engaging and highly converting.
Email Marketing – a service that has become even more important these days. With the changing landscape of search, driving successful, focused campaigns through a customer list is crucial to generate awareness and business.
Design & Print – There are many visual facets to excellent and compelling marketing. The DM Lab have a qualified designer so offline marketing can be undertaken.
Training – As touched on, we prefer to use WordPress. A big factor in why this is, is because of the user-friendly CMS that the platform offers. The DM Lab encourages clients to take a hands-on approach to their web management and marketing alike. They want to empower clients with knowledge. So that they can learn the basics and help themselves until they need to take their marketing efforts a step further.
What makes The DM Lab successful?
The DM Lab see ourselves as an affordable asset to every company they work with. Hire our agency instead of key individuals that form a marketing department. Do this for a fraction of the cost by way of a retainer. Our transparent approach to working with clients helps them build a successful relationship from day one. We identify what can achieve results within a specified budget. We do this because they want their clients’ business to succeed as much as they do. As success means reinvestment into The DM Lab’s service (digital marketing) to then achieve even more.
Growing side by side together.
Ourclear goals, objectives and regular communication allows clients to track progress. The DM Lab gives clients confidence that the service they offer them is bespoke and tailored to them alone. If their online presence, leads and sales are improving, The DM Lab are succeeding. It is a mutually beneficial relationship and regardless of sector or business type, The DM Lab want them to grow. They accommodate budget changes and situations, for example seasonal changes. There is no generic offering and we spend a considerable amount of time researching and strategising for each individual client. The DM Lab are selective in taking on clients. We do not take on similar businesses looking to achieve the same goals. The DM Lab want to be effective as they can and competing clients against one another is not what we do.
We know we have high quality standards, management processes and a very high rate of customer satisfaction. The DM Lab is a results-driven company and The DM Lab delivers these results.
We were fast becoming recognised as a company that other businesses wanted to work with. The DM Lab’s success was recognised at the 2017 Herefordshire Business Awards where they won ‘Growing Business of the Year’ and ‘Entrepreneur / Business of the Year’ at the Sunshine Radio Pride awards also in 2017. The DM Lab has set-up a client base of over 160 that stretches worldwide and covering many different sectors. We are also accredited with being a Google Partnered agency, working with clients with all kinds of budgets and needs. We have established a long-term partnership with Manchester based company UKFast to offer premium hosting services since September 2013.
The DM Lab were also named as one of Small Business Saturday’s Small Biz 100, as well as being finalists at the Best of Britain Awards and ‘Creative Business of the Year’ at the Herefordshire Business Awards. All these strategic partnerships and The DM Lab’s achievements at local and national awards have helped us earn the confidence and trust of potential and existing clients, assuring them we do not stop striving for the best for them which in turn they are rewarded for.
Take a look at our client testimonials here.
What kind of clients do we serve and how do we approach them?
The DM Lab is able to work for any business, any size, in any sector…Anywhere! Our online project management tool enables clients to track progress and involve themselves as much as they wish to. Every client is approached differently and respectfully. Clear achievable goals and objectives are communicated early on to ensure there are no surprises along the way. Everything we do is traceable and quantifiable. As we achieve what we set out to do allows trust and confidence to build with the client. To the point where we have proved our worth and if we are continually reinvested into, together the client and The DM Lab can grow together. This mutually beneficial relationship is both proven and successful. The DM Lab’s satisfaction comes from seeing our clients flourish from their work.
What role we, the staff, play in the success of The DM Lab?
The DM Lab strives to be the go-to digital agency locally. After identifying a gap in the market in 2014 and establishing ourselves for 5 years, we’ve seen a number of other web design agencies recently recognise the importance of digital marketing and add the service to their business. The DM Lab, however, understood this almost 5 years ago. So now we are in a strong position to be considered as local market leaders which was always our intention.
The DM Lab have shown, and have a proven track record, of client success from a high standard of work.
We want to build on this and have taken steps to achieve these goals. The team here understands the brand and the ethos. Work hard for our clients and The DM Lab will grow alongside their success. We’ve relocated into the city centre. This has added to the credibility of the business while giving us the space to increase the size of their team. Previous efforts of recruitment proved difficult, so we were encouraged to try offering a placement for an apprentice. Having considered the option and quickly realising that the right person wasn’t out there, we would create an opportunity for a young and enthusiastic apprentice themselves.
As well as educating and training the apprentice, we are moulding him into an important asset to the business. We’ve increased the number of projects we can handle. We’re growing the fastest we have ever grown while maintaining a high standard of work. We will be recruiting another apprentice in the very near future now that we’ve seen and experienced the benefits for ourselves!
What are our plans for 2019 and beyond?
After establishing in 2010, the following 4 years were a learning experience for The DM Lab. After realising where the directors wanted to take the company, between 2014 to 2016 the foundations were laid. The client base was built and the team continued learning and developing skills. This paid dividends in 2017 when The DM Lab won two awards because of our work. In 2018 the business was taken a step further, relocating to the city centre and recruiting an apprentice. This addition to the team has allowed us to take on more work – both with existing and new clients.
It has been a new experience for us, having run the business between just the two founding directors for 8 years. However, it’s proved very successful and we’re already looking at recruiting another as the business continues to grow. With a projected turnover this year of over £200,000, we’ve added impetus to push the businesses further. With space for additional team members and a continuously growing client base, we’re already planning for the future with regards to accommodating new clients while continuing to service existing clients to an impeccable level. Increasing the workforce is paramount to our future plans and have been really pleased with the aptitude and enthusiasm of their first apprentice.
Corporate Social Responsibility
On a corporate social responsibility level, The DM Lab are looking to continue to help local grassroots sports clubs, events and organisations. Having success within the business enables us to apply our expertise, passion and interest in areas that benefit the local community.
Our charity and community work was recognised at the Midlands Business Awards in March where we were finalists in the ‘Midlands Corporate Commitment to the Community’ category. Our many involvements include volunteering on the Board of Trustees in a not-for-profit local art gallery Canwood Gallery, that The DM Lab has worked with since they began. We sponsor and assist with the digital presence of 4 local grassroots rugby clubs, 2 football clubs, a cricket club as well as the helping the Herefordshire Branch of the National Autistic Society. Most recently we are supporting the Be The Change awards, an up and coming new initiative for the social impact sector, recognising ethical & sustainable brands with a powerful impact story to tell.
The DM Lab are also planning on continuing our work supporting the local business community too.
Having held seminars of our own, Marketing Director Chris has been invited to speak at local business networking events and expos. In addition to this, after The DM Labs history of success and support at the Herefordshire Business Awards the previous two years, MD Chris has been named as one of the judges. His insight and experience of knowing what it takes to run an award-winning business and his passion for supporting local businesses makes his appointment invaluable to the awards and the county itself.
And finally…
It hasn’t all been plain sailing to get where they are today! Having set up in the height of the recession (out of necessity due to a compulsory redundancy) and surviving it, the directors know how to negotiate the tough times. Our perseverance and will to create something lasting and valuable to the local businesses and community initiatives alike!
