Executive Summary
When Ellis & Co, a chartered accountancy firm with offices in Chester, Warrington and Wrexham, exhausted marketing plans and fads, they decided to turn to Spectra Media, a marketing agency in Chester. Since signing with them in 2024, this outsourced digital marketing team flipped the script from vanity metrics to tangible outcomes. The result: robust online performance, ranking 24th nationally, and business growth across the North West and North Wales.
Refreshing the Brand and Owning Search Across the North West & Beyond
Established, authoritative and unapologetically client-first, Ellis & Co runs on a simple but powerful premise. And that’s being more than just accountants, as businesses need a proactive growth partner, not just a once-a-year number cruncher.
But translating that hands-on, “trusted adviser” magic into a digital lead-generation engine required a fresh approach. Which is exactly where Chester-based marketing agency, Spectra Media, stepped in. The strategy was stripped-down genius: ditch the dry financial jargon, spotlight the firm’s true value as strategic business consultants, and launch highly targeted campaigns across the North West to capture business owners actively looking to scale.
Every piece of content? Engineered to build instant trust. Laser-focused on generating high-quality, actionable leads.
The accountants? Freed up to do what they do best, backed by a pipeline that never stops moving.
And here, the whole partnership runs on a rare combination of deep-rooted financial expertise and modern marketing execution that proves even the most established B2B firms can completely rewrite their growth story. Both on the balance sheet and beyond.
The Challenge: Cutting Through the Fluff and Vanity Metrics to Win Real Search Visibility in The Region
From the get-go, Ellis & Co approached us with some very clear problems. While they had an excellent reputation in Chester, Wrexham and the surrounding areas, their brand wasn’t attracting high-value business clients or next-generation Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The firm realised early on that they needed to ditch the clichéd ‘accountant’ image and revamp their look.
Which they successfully did with another brilliant agency that specialised in rebranding. However, they soon came to realise that a rebrand wasn’t enough, as they also needed a solid SEO strategy to improve local search visibility and win new clients across the region. Having tried different marketing agencies and strategies, they only received fluff and vanity metrics, rather than tangible results.
And this is where Spectra stepped in.
The Strategy: How Our Chester Marketing Agency Turned a Regional Accountancy Firm into a Local Search Heavyweight
With our no bullsh*t frame of work, Ellis & Co signed with Spectra to work as their full outsourced marketing team. And that meant aligning brand, search and day-to-day marketing activity around real business goals:
Visuals & Creative
Technically speaking, the existing branding was engaging high-value businesses or the modern SME. However, in the background, there was a clear disconnect between the firm’s expertise, the technicalities behind the scenes, and their visual identity. Thus, we adjusted the codes of the creative and visual side of things to ensure that their expertise and quality of work shone through.
- Visual Identity: We continued to refine the brand and tightened up graphic design in all areas. This included creating new web pages and ensuring content was displayed appropriately.
- Photography & Videography: Generic stock imagery and outdated photos were swapped out for bespoke photography and video. Right away, this gave the firm a warmer and more approachable feel.
- Website Optimisation: The site’s backend was given a restructure, with an emphasis on simplifying the user experience. We moved the main server onto our own secure mainframe, whilst ensuring APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) were adjusted to maintain smooth frontend interaction.
Search & Advertising
With an optimised backend in place, our next focus was on improving visibility. The goal was to drive more relevant traffic with search and advertising to ensure that Ellis & Co appeared in front of the right people. So here’s how we did it:
- Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Strategy: Ellis & Co wanted to dominate local search results across North West England and North Wales. Instead of chasing national rankings that cost a fortune and rarely convert, we targeted the regions that matter. We prioritised ‘near me’ searches and location-specific terms within copywriting and the backend. This meant that the firm was one of the first names local people saw when they needed accountancy help. So much so that Ellis & Co began to rank in the top 30 nationally.
- Print Advertising: In addition to digital search, we also tackled the firm’s physical touchpoints. This included everything from updated business cards and direct mail to targeted placements in local magazines and newspapers, like the West Cheshire & North West (WCNW) Chamber of Commerce.
Content & Engagement
A common problem for financial services is that they can come across as ‘staid’ or ‘dull’. And we seriously wanted Ellis & Co to stand out by taking a human-first approach. Pivoting them away from solely a ‘box-ticking’ mindset.
So our goal was simple: position them as a partner who actually understands their customer pain points and the pressures of running a business. As their slogan says, they’re more than just accountants. And here’s what we did:
- Copywriting: We got rid of heavy, technical jargon to make the firm’s tone feel human and reassuring. With AI sweeping across search engines, we pushed ahead with SEO strategies. Ensuring their tone of voice came through and the content was always relevant. And after settling this, we created brand guidelines to keep everything consistent, whether it was on-screen, social media or in print. This was backed by a fresh content strategy that replaced run-of-the-mill ‘filler’ content and focused on SEO-targeted content that answered specific business queries.
- Social Media: As mentioned above, in addition to website and print copy, we also applied the firm’s refreshed tone of voice across their social media channels, primarily LinkedIn. Instead of typical dry, corporate updates, we shifted to shareable content that grabs attention and showcases the real people and experts at Ellis & Co. From networking and team building to free resources and tax reminders, this helps build a real connection before that first email or phone call happens.
Strategy & Management
- Overall Marketing Strategy: By acting as a marketing consultant, we ensure that campaigns always align with the firm’s long-term goals, vision and mission. With a personalised strategy, we regularly dig into tangible data to make sure the budget is working as hard as possible, and that content always meets current search demand.
- Full Outsourced Marketing: Spectra took the reins on the firm’s marketing. This includes everything from campaign strategies that target businesses in local areas, producing branded downloadable resources, to social media management and monthly leads and data reporting. Therefore, ensuring that the marketing always evolves with the business needs.
The Results
What started as a digital and visual overhaul has transformed Ellis & Co from a traditional compliance firm into a highly visible, modern growth partner. Spectra Media’s targeted, human-first approach delivered measurable impact across the firm’s brand perception, search dominance, and bottom line.
- Top 3 organic ranking secured for “Accountancy Firm Chester,” placing the team instantly in front of high-intent local business owners the second they search.
- 137.4% surge in organic website traffic in the last year, driven by a pivot away from ‘filler’ posts to high-value, authority-building content.
- 80.4% jump in targeted local enquiries, proving the new messaging is actively reaching (and converting!) the right audience.
- Top 30 national search ranking achieved, pushing a local North West firm into the heavyweight category without sacrificing their community focus.
- Complete brand modernisation, replacing a disconnected, technical content with a warm, approachable and unified visual identity across every single touchpoint.
With the above in mind, we can say that the results speak for themselves. We’ve proved that a human-first approach can transform even the most traditional sectors.
But if you’re still not convinced, here’s what Ellis & Co’s director, John Farrell, mentioned:
“Spectra have been amazing and exactly what we need…. Close attention to detail and the helping hand means we can get on with our business and know everything with Spectra is ticking along nicely…. Recommend many times.”
How to Grow a Professional Service in the Northwest & Beyond Digitally: Lessons from Ellis & Co
By focusing on refreshed visuals, stripping back the corporate lingo and targeting local businesses, we’ve helped Ellis & Co stand out amongst their competitors. For us, the real win is seeing the shift in quality enquiries for the firm, which has allowed the directors to step back from the marketing and prioritise business growth.
Whether you need to shake off a “traditional” image, dominate your local search rankings, or finally build a digital presence that reflects your actual expertise, our outsourced marketing team in Chester knows how to drive real growth.
So are you ready to stop being a best-kept secret in the North West?
Or if you’re still hesitant, take our free mini strategy, and we’ll show you exactly where your biggest untapped opportunities are.