Harrogate-based media and profile agencies Appeal and GBM have posted a record quarter of £175,000 in sales, up by 54% on the previous three months.
The media and lead generation specialists, which are sister organisations, have offices in Harrogate and Boston, USA, have appointed two new senior consultants to help the growing team deliver a raft of new projects for a range of firms, from regional software and technology businesses to professional services organisations.
The record growth follows six-figure investment in R&D and software during lockdown to boost capacity and assist with the delivery of combined B2B media relations and inbound lead generation campaigns globally for firms, regions and government bodies.
Experienced PR consultant Caroline Joynson has re-joined the team where she started her career in PR in 2001, and internationalisation consultant Frances Sinclair has been appointed to help the businesses develop new overseas campaigns for export clients.
“In 2020, we launched new services, leveraging our media coverage to generate inbound sales leads online for growing SMEs, and that has helped us expand the US work as more and more firms strive to get a foothold in the North American market,” said founder Paul Snape.
“We are continuing to see a rise in demand for guidance in the US market, especially from dynamic technology firms, but we have also seen growth in regional and national PR accounts and from some former clients who are returning to us, wanting to generate new relationships online, which is exactly the area in which we’re focusing.
“There’s no doubt that people have been planning new projects and businesses during the lockdowns and these are now coming to fruition, and that’s giving us the opportunity to grow in 2022.”
Based on Montpellier Street in Harrogate, Appeal and GBM now employ eight consultants across the UK and US, and plan to make further hires in 2022.
“We’re aiming to build on the momentum we have, and we’re looking for digitally-savvy media and content specialists, and digital marketers to join the Harrogate team and help maintain the growth we’ve seen in the last few months,” concluded Snape.
