Marketing agencies provide essential services for businesses in any area, and Newton Abbot has many thriving industries that benefit from marketing. From community interest companies to manufacturers, there are plenty who need a team of specialists to get their names out there on a brand spanking new website.
R50 Marketing and Website Design is one of Newton Abbot’s most prominent marketing agencies, led by director Mark Amphlett, his son Will, and his daughter Jazz, alongside his team of experts. But how does one balance their work life with their home life in a family business? Mark and Will tell all.
Mark, what led you to start R50 Marketing?
Mark: Up until five years ago, I ran a manufacturing company here in Newton Abbot, which started off with a very small turnover of about £650,000, but we got it up to £3 million within about three years. However, the website was designed by an engineer rather than anyone in marketing, so I changed that to represent what we could do for our potential customers by making it look attractive, pretty and functional.
We implemented simple things like making sure people could contact us easily, having a button on the mobile version that people could press quickly, and a submission box for the website so we could receive inquiries. We also really bashed out the social media presence to make us a trusted partner within the manufacturing sector.
After my redundancy, I knew I could do an awesome job at marketing in the manufacturing sector, so that’s why I developed R50 Marketing as a business focused on that industry.
Will, how did you get involved with your Dad’s marketing business?
Will: I managed a pub in Kingsteignton for a year, which I learned a lot from, and stayed within the alcohol industry when I moved to London, selling brands like Jack Daniels, Absolut Vodka, and Malibu.
When I made the decision to move back to Devon after two years, Mark and Jazz offered me a good opportunity because their business was growing. They believed the skills I developed in London would bring significant value to the agency, and now I’m excited to be part of the team.
How do you work as a family to run R50 Marketing?
Mark: The foundation of it being a family business was quite an interesting one. When I started R50 Marketing, the business became busy quite quickly with just myself, and I needed an extra skill set to do the business. Jazz had completed a digital marketing courses in Exeter College, so her skills and interests in the design side for the web has really pushed that forward, and her ability to create aesthetically pleasing and functional websites is superb. Will has also helped generate more inquiries and sales now he’s involved with us.
Their work ethic and determination has proven that I’m employing them because of their abilities to deliver an amazing job. Another reason Will and Jazz are integral to the business is their expertise in emerging platforms like TikTok and Facebook Reels, keeping the agency ahead of the curve.
Working as a family could’ve either ruined the relationship or embraced it, but family is important to me, so we try to keep work separate from our evenings, weekends, and holidays together.
Will: It’s been really good working together. Jazz worked at the pub I managed for a bit, so we’ve always gotten along well and had the ability to work together and get along well outside of work. It builds our relationship stronger.
How are you helping local businesses in Newton Abbot through your marketing?
Mark: We’re in the process of designing a 450-page website for a manufacturer, so there’s a lot riding on it for them as a business. We’ll have a soft launch for them first, then we’ll be well ahead of their schedule to get the entire project on time, on budget, and hopefully better than what they anticipated.
Alongside marketing within the manufacturing sector, other local businesses come to us about website design, social media marketing, SEO and Google Ads because they want to see what we do and have a local business support them. Our skills in making an awesome-looking website that works for the back end and the marketing side of things are transferable and don’t need to be industry specific.
One thing I’m always wary of is how we’ve got a lot of manufacturing in the South West, but everyone thinks of us for beach holidays, nursing homes and tractors, so by promoting local manufacturers and building the websites for them, we’re doing a good thing for them.
What have been the difficulties of running R50 Marketing?
Mark: One main hurdle we faced was starting R50 Marketing three days before the first lockdown. That was a very difficult time where the world was obviously a different place, but we did the right things during lockdown, came out of it stronger, and have had the ability in that time to upskill everybody within the business.
We’re now in a very strong position to keep moving forward and hopefully become THE digital marketing agency to go to in Newton Abbot.
What are your future aspirations for R50 Marketing?
Mark: My goal is to build a great platform for Will and Jazz to grow on. We have our core skills, but who knows where the digital landscape will move to next? A lot of the younger generation uses TikTok to search for things on the internet, so I need the rest of the team to keep ahead of the game.
Will: The hope is to keep growing the business, work for as many industries as we can, and see what else we can do that’s different to just digital marketing. Doing more work globally would be very interesting and cool as well.
Have you got any advice for anyone wanting to start their own marketing agency?
Mark: It takes time and dedication, but we’re doing it to help businesses stand out and promote their brand in a crowded market. If you’re doing it for the right reasons, then that’s key.
All digital marketing agencies specialise in different areas as well. We know what we’re good at with the marketing and the networking we do. If someone’s not necessarily right for us, we can pass them on to another digital marketing agency that may be able to do a better job for them.
We know how we can exceed the customer’s expectations, so striving for those five-star Google reviews, winning those awards, and getting amazing feedback from the customers is what drives us.
Will: For us, helping the local community is a great cause. As long as you’ve got a passion for something and it’s making you happy, then give it your best shot and see what you can do.