Client profile First Line IT, Oxford
Oxford based First Line IT provides computer and telecoms services to small and medium sized businesses around Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey and London. | | |
Company background
Founded in 2001, First Line grew to a client base of 35 companies before being sold to a group of Oxford based investors in 2005.
The investors recognised that for SMEs, the supply of IT services can be fragmented, with many small providers offering services of varying quality. Such businesses are often started by engineers who, whilst having the technical skills, may not have the business or client management experience to succeed.
The opportunity therefore was to develop First Line to a position where it was beating the competition through experienced management combined with consistently high service standards. | | Online marketing
Marketing at First Line has increasingly converged towards online channels and Ned Wells (read Ned's profile here) was involved from the very start.
The business currently spends 2.5% to 3.5% of turnover on online marketing and receives four to five new sales enquiries, on average, per month. |
First Line today
The business has grown steadily, with a few dips and turns as the team has developed their understanding of client needs, the competition, marketing channels and sales strategies.
Today, First Line provide a complete IT and telecoms service to small and medium sized businesses. Services include IT support contracts from 'pay as you go' to full maintenance, as well as supply and installation of new hardware and software.
The company has a particularly strong track record helping clients to develop cost-effective IT strategies: working out what they need from their IT to support business growth.
And more recently, First Line has begun to market its telecoms services for SME businesses, including broadband, telephone lines and complete telephone systems.
Read about online marketing at First Line. | | Website performance improvement
A central part of online marketing at First Line has been to develop the site to support the differing needs of two distinct audiences: existing customers and prospective clients.
The site has evolved through a process of getting to understand the needs of both groups over time. And it has gradually become more relevent, more helpful and easier to use for each type of visitor.
Content has been regularly added to and updated through regular technical bulletins, and more recently a blog, which have then been communicated to clients and prospects through email marketing.
And happily, all these activities are key factors in optimising a website for search engines.
Search engine optimisation
The First Line website holds top spots on google.co.uk for a range of highly relevant local keywords. Click these links to see how it's doing:
Pay per click advertising
First Line's google Adwords 'paid search' campaigns are geo-restricted to a radius of about 30 miles from Oxford. The company's target clients are all local, so there was little point spending marketing budget on prospects outside this region.
Additionally, the sponsored ads are set to run during office hours only as this is when serious prospects are most likely to be searching for IT support.
So if you're over 30 miles from Oxford and / or reading this in the evening or at the weekend, you won't see First Line's paid-for ads. |
