Friday Agency was founded in 2014. The agency’s specialisms include digital strategy, UX design, web development, content and SEO. Graham Carroll, business director with Friday Agency, says times are good for the business. He explains why below

What is driving the increased business activity for Friday Agency?

A nice mix of new and existing clients is driving activity. With new clients, there’s an educational side to communicating how we work, and when they understand the opportunity, we work in partnership with them to build and execute their strategy and support them into the future.

Our existing clients know us and have lived the journey with us. When they see the results of our approach, it naturally helps to drive activity too.

Why is integration important for brand marketing?

We often see a disconnect between brand message and experience, and particularly online. Most organisations typically use different agencies to help them across digital channels. For example, agencies that are PPC specialists but have little experience of content and web are unable to integrate the customer experience and journey. This has a negative impact on strategic goals and conversion.

Forward-thinking businesses understand the importance of having a strategy that ties the experience across all channels. At Friday, we can fully plan and devise tactical, integrated marketing strategies for clients to get the attention of users, drive traffic, convert and close the gap where those disconnections lie.

More than this, we help to ensure the experience is consistent. This means the right people see the right message in the right places and that their needs (as well as the brands’ needs) are met.

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How does customer experience fit into effective digital marketing?

Too often, marketing goals and objectives are set from executive level without enough consideration for the audience’s needs. It’s important to get the full picture early, which will save time and money later. Business objectives, market research, data and competitor analysis are all important, but organisations need talk to their customers and users too.

Focus groups, surveys, usability testing – once you get the full picture of the needs and goals of all stakeholders, you are in a position to execute a strategy that will engage and deliver. Robin, our creative director, puts it well: “If I want to make you laugh, I don’t tell you that I’m funny; I’ll tell you a joke.”

What are your thoughts on the recently enacted GDPR regulations?

The nature of our business means we need to understand GDPR and be able to support and give guidance to our clients. Our work with the Data Protection Commissioner’s office has been a real advantage.

For many, GDPR is an inconvenience but for consumers it is welcomed because it puts control back in their hands. I think organisations should see GDPR as an opportunity to build trust with their audiences. By actively demonstrating that you take consent and privacy seriously, it puts you at a clear advantage.