Digital agency expands with Irish office

A North East digital marketing agency has expanded into Ireland after securing new contracts in the country’s leisure sector.

Darlington-based Myk Baxter Marketing (MBM) has opened an Irish office following a series of client wins, including a partnership with PALI – Play, Activity and Leisure Ireland, which represents more than 120 independent businesses.

Founded by digital entrepreneur Myk Baxter in 2010, the agency provides digital marketing, website development, SEO and technology services to businesses across a range of sectors.

Myk said: “The Irish office is really the result of relationships we've never been a business that has tried to win every piece of work going. 

“A lot of what we do comes through people we've worked with before, referrals and other agencies who trust us to deliver senior strategic work.

“When you do good work and build genuine relationships, you never really know where that relationship is going to take you, and Ireland is a perfect example of that.”

Its move into Ireland developed from work with Jungle Den, an indoor children’s play centre which initially appointed MBM to improve its website and online booking experience.

After reviewing the business’s existing systems, the agency developed a bespoke commission-free booking and venue management platform designed to reduce its reliance on third-party software.

The system is projected to save Jungle Den at least €9600 a year while giving the business greater control over customer data and revenue.

Myk said: “If we'd treated Jungle Den as just another website project, we would never have discovered the bigger opportunity, the important part was taking the time to understand the business. 

“You can't properly solve a commercial problem if you don't understand the people, the customers and the business behind it.”

The Jungle Den project subsequently led to MBM being appointed PALI’s preferred digital partner, creating opportunities to provide digital audits and strategic support to businesses across its network.

Services include SEO, website development, conversion optimisation, paid advertising, email marketing and digital strategy, alongside booking-system development.

MBM is also developing its own venue management technology specifically for the children’s leisure sector across the UK and Ireland.

Myk added: “We're not interested in being a faceless retainer, if we’re going to work with a business, we want to understand it properly – what the owner is trying to achieve, what their customers are doing, where they’re losing money and where the opportunities are.

“That takes time, and it takes a relationship, but that's how you build trust, and that's the ethos that runs through the agency. 

“Some of our strongest client relationships have developed over many years, and those relationships have ultimately led to some of the most interesting work we’ve ever done.”

The agency works across hospitality, fitness, retail, leisure and professional services, with clients having included OneGym, Tomahawk Steakhouse, Rio Brazilian Steakhouse, Babuls and Skins & Needles.

Myk adds the Irish expansion comes alongside another significant recent appointment for MBM. 

He added: “We’re also delighted to have secured a contract with Dalcroze UK, one of the world’s oldest music education charities, with a history dating back to 1915 and which has Annie Lennox as its patron. 

“We’re currently developing a new digital platform for the organisation, which is another great example of the calibre and variety of organisations we’re now working with.”

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