Proud to be a Great British Business

FirstWord is one of just six companies celebrated in a new campaign run by the Daily Telegraph

It’s just over four years since FirstWord opened up shop to help clients think and act like publishers. Drawing on our experience as journalists and editors at some of the world’s most respected media outlets, we help clients grab and keep the eyes and minds of their customers in an increasingly noisy marketplace.

Not only have we succeeded for our clients, but in doing so we’ve also grabbed the attention of the Daily Telegraph.

This month we are one of just six companies to be included in its Great British Business campaign, which celebrates success and innovation. The only marketing company on the bill, we were chuffed to be identified as a leading light in the world of content marketing. The result is a short film on the Telegraph website, as well as an advertising campaign that will run on Channel 4 next month.

To prove that here at FirstWord we practise what we preach – if you’ve got something to say, just say it – we’ve made the full video available above as well as on our YouTube channel.

The fact that content marketing in general and FirstWord in particular caught the attention of the Telegraph for this campaign highlights how important the sector has become. The explosion of platforms carrying self-published content along with the diminishing ability of PRs to secure media coverage for their clients is behind that change. As a result, the content industry is showing healthy growth year-on-year.

According to the Content Marketing Institute’s 2017 trends survey, UK companies last year spent on average 30 per cent of their marketing budget on content marketing, while 45 per cent expected to increase their content spend in 2018.

But successful content marketing isn’t just about self-publishing; it’s about being read – and that has never been harder. Well-crafted stories that inform rather than sell are a must. They help companies make real connections to their audience and this is our bread and butter. That’s why we’re at the forefront of content marketing. Quite simply, we are among the very best storytellers out there.

Our writers have each clocked up more than 10,000 hours in the most exacting newsrooms – including the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, the BBC – honing their craft. We draw on this experience to help companies find the stories their audiences want to see and then we present them in the best possible format – blogs, listicles, interviews, infographics, videos, speeches, features, thought leadership, photography. We bring all the rigour of a newsroom to meet the needs of the boardroom. Quite simply, content marketing in our hands isn’t marketing, it’s journalism. That’s why FirstWord is the last word in content marketing.