Each week we interview one of our members to find out a bit more about them and their work in the Greater Manchester digital sphere. This week we're speaking with Jane Hunt from JBH, a content marketing agency that has just opened a new Manchester branch.
What does your organisation do?
JBH is a specialist content agency, with a focus on developing online PR campaigns to drive and influence search visibility for our clients. We do this through the creation and implementation of thought leadership campaigns, positioning our clients as experts within their given sectors.
We create engaging content such as infographics, interactive content, articles, listicles and ebooks - often supported by national surveys to generate a completely unique hook for journalists. The content and campaigns we develop generate PR coverage and backlinks to support search marketing activity, drive traffic and drive relevant leads.
We employ tactics from traditional PR, link building and influencer marketing to develop campaigns that are PR worthy, sharable and build brand credibility and trust.
What do you think is currently the biggest issue facing the digital and tech industry?
A couple of things. Firstly, keeping up with the pace of change and understanding where to invest time and resource in educating and up-skilling current employees. Secondly, the scarcity of talented and experienced employees, especially in development, SEO and digital PR roles, all of which are central to brands remaining competitive online.
What is your organisation’s biggest achievement?
It’s hard to name just one, but I think I would have to say that winning awards for our content campaigns is one of our biggest achievements to date. We pride ourselves on our ability to create unique, compelling content for both B2B and B2C brands. As a young, boutique agency, we can afford to take calculated risks with our campaigns, on a test and learn basis and this is what makes us stand out from the crowd.
What would you consider to be your organisations biggest challenge?
It’s always been hiring - finding the right candidates to join the team that possess the skills and attitude we require to fulfill client work. It’s the reason why we’ve set up a second office in Manchester (the first is in Northampton) to attract the talent in the North.
We’ve invested heavily in creating a culture within the agency with benefits that reflect our focus on a good work/life balance for our employees.
What do you think the future looks like for Manchester’s digital and tech sector?
Exciting! With so much investment and regeneration going into Manchester generally and the number of media companies and agencies opening offices here, the future should be bright.
I hope this concentration of media in the North has a knock-on effect within higher education as courses tweak their curriculum to reflect the changing needs and pace of digital businesses in Manchester.
Tell us something we might not know about your company?
JBH is headed up by myself and two male co-owners and we all feel very strongly about championing women in business. I am particularly passionate about seeing the number of women in leadership positions increase, specifically within the design and marketing industry and also more visibility of women on panels and speaker lists at conferences across the UK.
I am also a public speaker and I’m available to speak as part of panels and conferences on the subject of content marketing and digital PR for link acquisition. In the past, I have appeared on panels and spoken at events for the CIPR, CMA and Charity Comms. If you’d like to get in touch, I can be contacted for speaking events here
If you would like to speak to JBH, you can contact them here. Would you like to see your business In The Spotlight? Contact thom@manchesterdigital.com to make arrangements.
