Member Article

Brett Jacobson from Mediaworks demystifies online marketing

In the four years since Brett Jacobson left Northumbria University, he has achieved rather a lot more than the average graduate.

Soon after graduating, Brett set up Mediaworks Online Marketing, specialising in providing search engine optimisation, conversion rate optimisation and search and social media marketing.

“I’d always known I wanted to work for myself, and after spotting a gap in the market, I was lucky enough to receive funding from a local entrepreneur at exactly the right time,” Brett explains.

Since then the company has grown rapidly, and Brett now employs almost 30 people and works closely with brands such a s Tommee Tippee, Traidcraft and Van Mildert.

“Through hard work and determination I managed to develop the business rapidly, and year on year the turnover has doubled, which has just been fantastic,” he continues

“By focussing on what visitors do on websites, rather than where they are visiting, we can help our clients increase the numbers of visitors to their site, and by dedicating ourselves to ensuring we are at the forefront of this industry, we’ve managed to retain the edge our specialist knowledge has given us.”

Launching the business in 2007 as the UK entered the recession cannot have been an easy decision for Brett, but in the long term he firmly believes it has been of benefit to Mediaworks.

“There is a fear of traditional marketing as often it is unquantifiable, so not something businesses want to spend on in hard times,” Brett explains. “ However, because our services are measurable, it means businesses are more inclined to spend with us because they can see the value of every pound and penny.

“While this puts pressure on us to deliver, its incredibly exciting to see how out services directly help online businesses improve sales.

Looking forward, Brett now has ambitious plans to expand the reach of Mediaworks from its North East base, and expressed hopes of increasing staff numbers to 50 over the next few years.

“I’m proud to be from the North East, and I believe that our USP is going down and kicking the backsides of our competitors in Canary Wharf.

“While I do have plans to open an office in London, our base will always be in the region. The region has always helped me, so now I want to play my part and help it back.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .