Success for digital marketing firm as new clients expand The Herd

"We’d had this year or so of hyper-growth and were ready to move away from being seen as a ‘bedroom business’ to a brand which really represented our larger ambitions. “I felt being able to use the business models and frameworks on the course, and apply them to where we were at the time, would be really helpful.”

His predictions were proved right, and The Herd now has a much more distinct brand.

“The course really made us think about our positioning, compared to our competitors. We went back through our clients to find out how they were describing us and the same thing kept coming back – that people really valued the experience of working with us.” The result was the creation of The Herd Experience concept, which the company now applies to every touchpoint someone has with them - from welcome certificates for new clients, to jungle-themed emails and the sense of being part of The Herd’s community.

“From the point of someone first hearing about us to their whole experience of working with us, we want them to feel really valued.”

While the branding module was what initially caught Paul’s attention, the business has experienced numerous other benefits from attending the course. Not least, an expansion into global markets, prompted by Paul’s learnings about the Ansoff Matrix, a business model which looks at innovation and growth.

“There were a few lightbulb moments on the course, and that was definitely one of them. I remember sitting there thinking ‘I’m not going to sleep tonight because I’ve now got so much stuff I want to do!’

I went into the course thinking we were already quite innovative but it really opened my eyes.

I’d been so focused on domestic work, but I suddenly realised that there was literally a whole world of opportunity out there.” The revelation prompted Paul to get in touch with an International Trade Adviser from the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, who the business has been working with ever since, and has led to them exploring a wide variety of different markets. The advisor was able to help them identify growth areas in particular countries - including a rise in UK parents sending their children to private schools overseas after tax changes in the UK. Clients now include schools in Switzerland, Germany and Spain.

The company has also explored the growth in Padel across the world and is currently working with an operator in Dubai.

“We have clients in 13 different countries now, and it was the course that sparked those conversations and that way of thinking.”

The rebrand and subsequent focus on overseas markets has led to a higher number of larger clients, meaning more consistency for the business.

“Whereas before we had a lot of clients on rolling monthly contracts, we now have businesses that have signed up for 12 months or more, which really underpins the business in a more secure and foundational way.”

Revenue has almost doubled in the last year.

For Paul, the most useful aspect of the course was the pairing with a business mentor – something offered to all participants. He was matched with Ariana Cerrito, a business growth expert with a background in digital marketing. “It was such a powerful process having the course running alongside the mentoring sessions and being able to actively apply both things to what was going on in the business.

“Ariana was absolutely brilliant. We had regular one-hour sessions scheduled in the diary and, every time, my mind would be blown after the first 15 or 20 minutes!”

Paul’s advice for anyone considering Help to Grow: Management is to just go for it.

“I think one of the things it gave me is peace of mind. When you’re leading a business you can end up with a lot spinning around in your head. For me, learning how everything works together in models and frameworks was almost like creating a library in my mind and being able to put all my books on the right shelves.

“To anyone who does sign up I’d say make sure you utilise the mentorship element as well, because that’s the part where you can do a proper deep dive into what is going to be most right for you.”

The future is looking bright for The Herd, with two recent award wins: Best Digital Marketing Agency in Coventry at the UK Enterprise Awards, and the Start-Up of the Year award at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber Awards.

There are plans to launch a new arm of the business – The Herd Africa – in the summer too, in a bid to capture a slice of the fast-growing start-up market in South Africa, another insight gleaned from their work with the International Trade Advisor.

Long-term, the company has a clear goal to be a Top 100 Media Agency by 2028. “When we first wrote that goal it felt like a moonshot. There are a lot of hoops that we need to jump through to get there, but thanks to the course, we’re on track to do that, and to scale in a safe and secure way.”

Find out how the Help to Grow: Management Course can further your business here.