It hardly seems possible that we have come to the end of 2019, and what a busy year it was for us as a company. Unity Online has well and truly cemented its place as one of Suffolk’s fastest-growing full-service digital marketing agencies, committed to helping businesses across the eastern region to take a different digital path.

Let’s take a brief look back at some of the success stories of 2019 at Unity Online and what’s in-store for the company and its clients in 2020:

A growing team and client base

In the last 12 months, Unity Online has delivered 34 new websites, across a host of industries, some more niche than others. We have also been delighted to begin working with 83 new businesses across the UK.

In order to adequately serve these new clients and website projects, the Unity Online team has grown organically to follow suit. We are now an agency of 25 digital specialists, all of whom take the time to understand our clients’ business goals and how they can be achieved online.

The agency is delighted to have welcomed ten new team members in 2019, spanning a range of specialisms:

• Natasha Weston – SEO Consultant
• Ben Singleton – Project Manager
• Chris Braddy – Account Manager
• Aruna Jagroep – Account Manager
• Daniel Hughes – Digital Marketing Executive
• Scott Barton – Head of Business Development
• Nik Bayliss – Business Development Manager
• Tom Spink – Web Designer
• Rachael Robertson – Marketing Co-ordinator
• Millie Bartlett – Account Manager

The establishment of Unity’s client experience team

Given the agency’s significant growth in the last 18 months, we have since invested heavily in adopting a customer experience-led culture. This shape-shifting ideology has placed our clients at the forefront of everything we do, in a bid to maximise their online potential.

Earlier in the year, Georgina Day was appointed as Head of Client Experience, with a clear remit of reviewing the agency’s internal operations and fostering a client experience mindset across all departments.

A laser-like focus on all things UX

As user experience (UX) is fast becoming a key driver of success for online businesses, we’ve taken steps to championing the concept by creating a dedicated UX department. Christopher Nathaniel, a key figure in the agency’s design and development team since March 2015, was appointed Lead UX Architect earlier in the year.

As online brands increasingly recognise the importance of designing and launching websites that make lives easier for target customers, data-driven decisions are fast informing and optimising the way websites should work for users.

As Lead UX Architect, Christopher makes it his business to understand more about a brand’s customer base. This includes their pressure points and reasons to need a client’s products or services to connect and relate to consumers on a deeper level, thereby improving conversion rates and overall profitability for our clients.

Business development team taken to the next level

The agency has also taken huge strides to improve its connections and exposure across the eastern region. The appointment of Scott Barton as Head of Business Development, a professional with almost 20 years of digital marketing expertise, has enabled Scott and his three-strong business development team to recognise opportunities and recommend targeted digital strategies that have a genuine impact on clients’ bottom lines.

The expansion of the business development team has also enabled founder, Alex Pattenden to focus on other key growth areas of the business, such as the negotiation of a new, future-proof headquarters for the next stage of the agency’s growth.

2020: A game-changing year awaits

We’ve already briefly touched upon Unity’s new home for 2020, but we’re delighted to confirm that the agency will move into the Grade II-listed Needham Market train station building in January.

The building is currently undergoing significant interior renovation as it has stood unoccupied for over several years. The three-storey premises will enable the agency to create productive, feature-laden working environments that foster the development of our digital talent. All of this will benefit our output for clients greatly, as we seek to expand our workforce to a team of 35 by the end of 2020.

Aside from a new home, we will be working hard to develop our marketing services and our people to deliver exceptional client experiences. A new website is also on the horizon, allowing us to better position Unity Online as East Anglia’s leading digital agency for growing online businesses.

Alex Pattenden, founder, Unity Online, said: “It has been a hugely successful year for all departments of the agency. Not only have we been able to attract digital talent from across East Anglia, we are now well underway with our plans to instil a new client experience-focused culture in-house; one which champions our clients’ online potential at all times.

“But it doesn’t end there. Our hugely exciting office move into Needham Market’s historic train station will improve our agency’s accessibility for clients and staff alike. Whilst creating a state-of-the-art working environment that promotes creativity and personal development.

“I’d like to thank all our valued clients for their custom in 2019 and we look forward to helping you thrive online in 2020.”