Impression

Impression, a digital marketing agency in Nottingham, was launched in November 2012 by Aaron Dicks and Tom Craig.

The company specialises in a complete range of digital marketing services including SEO, PPC, digital PR, content marketing and website design and development.

Speaking of his decision to base his business in Nottingham, Aaron said: “I moved to Nottingham with work and saw immediately the potential for businesses here. It’s an exciting city and Tom and I saw the investment in growth and regeneration as a strong signal of Nottingham’s future growth. We wanted to be part of it so we based our business here.”

Impression has grown substantially since its incorporation and remains based in the heart of Nottingham’s Creative Quarter. The team of 2 has increased to 15-strong in 3 short years and the company is on track to deliver impressive financial growth, too. Their portfolio of clients includes ecommerce, FMCG, tourism and professional services brands, here in the East Midlands and nationwide.

The company remains very proud of its Nottingham roots. In the last year alone, 2,138 businesses launched in Nottingham (according to data from Nottingham-based data company Company Check), so they are clearly in good company amongst other entrepreneurs who’ve set up here.

Impression is a high growth business from a headcount and a financial perspective. Speaking of the support available in the area, co-founder Tom Craig said: “We’ve been very grateful to receive financial support from local grants and initiatives such as the Growth 100 Scheme, which have helped us to invest in tools and technology which make it easier for us to do our jobs and to attract local talent.

“There are so many people willing to help new businesses here too. From the Council to the universities to other local businesses and press, we’ve seen an abundance of people willing to provide support in various ways, be it helping us to find graduates, promoting us to their contacts and helping us to feel part of the local business community. I don’t see us getting that anywhere else and have no intention of moving from Nottingham.”

This pride in Nottingham means that the Impression team actively seek to support local growth in any way they can, supporting local initiatives such as Nottingham Means Business, the Creative Quarter, local networking events and partnering with the local universities in various ways.

They also work with a variety of local clients too and due to the economies of working with local people, are always keen to explore what they can do for local businesses looking to grow online.

When asked what differentiates his agency from others in the local area, managing director Aaron Dicks is very clear in his vision. He said: “For us, it’s all about delivering exciting results through our clients through technical excellence and creative expertise.

“We have invested a lot in attracting and retaining the best talent in the area and developing a working culture that encourages collaboration and pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved, through existing and new technologies.

“Our approach differs to that of other agencies in our dedication to technical excellence and our ability to produce world-class content marketing campaigns. Part of our vision is to develop our offering to include products as well as services, and we already have a variety of tools which make it easier for our clients to work with us and also optimise the external tools available to them.”

Impression has already made an impact here in Nottingham, being a finalist in the Nottingham Post New Business of the Year award and recognised in the Creative Class, an initiative run by the Creative Quarter to reward businesses which excel in creativity and entrepreneurship. The agency is continuing to recruit and looks forward to further growth in the coming months.

Go to Impression's website.