In a recent Zoom catch-up with far north Chamber member TopGate Marketing, the Chamber team were impressed with how this small marketing agency has gone from strength to strength given director and owner Abbey Duncan Hughes was a relative newcomer to the region, living rurally and operating a largely remote office model. We talked to Abbey to find out about some of the experiences and thinking that has caused their growth over the past two and a half years.
The disruption caused by COVID-19 changed the way many Northland businesses view and value their marketing. The emergence of increased digital marketing needs in the region was clear with businesses across all industries seeking assistance to become more visible online, communicate with customers or clients virtually and crucially create business continuity.
The need for creative problem-solving strategies due to changing consumer behaviour rose to the top of TopGate Marketing’s service enquiries, with a strong emphasis on the importance of staying up to date with trends and supporting businesses to modify their marketing strategies to adapt and flex with change. TopGate Marketing had to adapt their own new business structure as demand for their services increased and the business experienced unexpected growth. Abbey has been able to recruit additional experienced marketers from across the region taking her team to five. With a priority on work-life balance this new structure allows for employees to continue to work in an industry that they love but in a virtual working environment.
This has brought together a unique combination of skill sets and knowledge from across Northland with a combined marketing experience of over 30 years. Abbey attributes the flexibility of their virtual work ecosystem as a reason for being able to secure talent that historically would have remained in corporate or big city work environments. The team flourishes with virtual meetings and client workshops, leveraging cloud project management software and digital tools. Delivering end to end marketing excellence to clients across the region Abbey and her team have their focus on the future and continuing to support businesses to thrive post pandemic and beyond. www.topgatemarketing.co.nz
