Freshbat is a dynamic strategic communications agency offering comprehensive marketing services including social media management, email marketing and web content.
With a dedicated team of five full-time employees and three freelancers, Freshbat is committed to helping growing professional services companies develop and implement effective content marketing strategies. By emphasizing a structured, strategic marketing approach, Freshbat helps clients transition from reactive to proactive marketing, resulting in less stress, more satisfaction and significantly better results. Their unique worry-free marketing system leads companies in a manageable and structured way, ensuring sustainable growth and success.
What is the main problem you solve for your customers?
Many companies lack the expertise to carry out their own marketing activities. We support growing service companies by developing and implementing content marketing strategies that effectively reach their target group. Our strategic approach helps small businesses move away from stressful, reactive marketing and toward a more structured and enjoyable marketing experience. We support you in key content areas such as blogging and SEO, email marketing and social media, ensuring a comprehensive and effective marketing strategy.
What motivated you to start your company – did you want to change the status quo or was it a gap in the market that you could fill?
As a marketing manager, I have worked with various marketing agencies — some excellent, some terrible. I wanted to provide affordable and effective strategic marketing support to SMBs that could benefit from senior marketing expertise but couldn’t afford a full-time marketing team. In addition, I wanted to offer marketing services that are closely linked to sales. Often, marketing and sales compete rather than work together to achieve business results. At Freshbat, we act as an outsourced marketing team, collaborating with our customers and becoming an extension of their sales and marketing teams.
What are your brand values?
Our brand values are summarized in the acronym FRESH: fun, relationship-oriented, eager to learn, socially responsible and honest. These values are central to our business and shape the way we interact with our customers and our team.
Do your values determine your decision-making process?
Absolutely. Relationship orientation is crucial to our success. We ensure we work with clients who share our values, which keeps our team motivated and engaged. This approach helps us build long-term relationships with our customers. We also value working with clients who are open to learning and trying new things, as marketing is a constant test that requires flexibility and innovation.
Is team culture an integral part of your company?
Yes, culture is at the heart of how our company is built and grown. As a remote work company, we place special emphasis on our culture to support our team and build effective relationships with our customers. Our open, honest and supportive culture fosters trust within our team and our customers, allowing us to integrate seamlessly into their organizations and deliver powerful marketing solutions.
Our team independently described our culture as “connected” during our content day in late 2023, which is a testament to the strong culture we have built. We strive to maintain and develop this culture by meeting in person more often, meeting regularly online, and aligning team member development plans with our FRESH values.
What are you doing to show your team that you value them?
We offer various perks to show our appreciation for our team. Every employee receives a free day off for their birthday and we provide an annual salary increase based on inflation and not performance. We also have a two-week quiet period over Christmas where everyone can rest and recharge, as well as an annual Christmas meeting. We also offer flexible working hours and have recently introduced a work abroad policy, allowing team members to work from different locations if desired.
Do you believe you are speaking directly and clearly to your consumers when it comes to your messaging?
Transparency is key to building positive partnerships with customers. We ensure clear communication by telling our customers the truth, even when it is uncomfortable. We are straightforward about our plans, processes and results. Regular update meetings and an open door policy help maintain transparency and trust with our customers.
What are your views on inflation and interest rates – will you pass this on to your customers or will it take a hit on your margins and reward customer loyalty in these tougher times?
To ensure fair salaries for our team and the continued success of our company, we incorporate an inflation increase into our customer contracts. This approach is transparent and allows us to maintain high standards of service while rewarding our team appropriately.
How often do you evaluate the data you collect and address your KPIs and why?
We evaluate our Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) weekly during our Monday team meetings. We use a scorecard to track important metrics such as profitability, sales pipeline and utilization. This transparency ensures that the entire team understands the health of the company and the reasons for our decisions.
Does technology play a much larger role in your day-to-day business?
Yes, technology plays a crucial role in our operations. We use a robust tech stack for onboarding, project management, time tracking and content creation. CRM systems and email marketing software help us and our customers optimize value and efficiency, allowing us to focus on strategy and performance analysis.
What is your attitude towards your competitors?
Although there are many marketing agencies, we believe there is enough work for everyone. Each agency attracts different clients based on its values and specialties. We focus on providing the best possible service rather than competing, and continually improve our offerings and customer relationships.
Do you have any advice for someone starting out in business?
Set goals but remain flexible as you learn more about your company and your market. Surround yourself with people who excel in the areas where you need growth. Learning from a business coach and industry groups was invaluable. Understand imposter syndrome and allow yourself to develop as a business leader through challenging experiences.
Being the key decision maker in the company can be lonely and stressful. What do you do to relax, recharge, and sharpen your focus?
I practice short morning meditations, incorporate more movement into my day, and enjoy socializing with friends and family. In order to gain new perspectives and ideas, regular vacation days and time off from business are essential.
Do you believe in the 12-week working method or do you develop much longer planning strategies?
We implement the 12-week working method within Freshbat. Setting quarterly priorities helps us make significant progress throughout the year without feeling overwhelmed. Each team member is responsible for contributing to these goals to ensure mutual progress.
What is your company’s environmental strategy?
Because we are a fully decentralized company, we have minimal emissions compared to office-based companies. We work paperless, save work remotely and prefer public transport or electric cars to get around. The environmental impact of our business activities is a central aspect of our business model.
What three things do you hope to implement in the next 12 months?
1. Expanding our service offering to include branding, employer branding, advertising and pay-per-click services.
2. Specializing in the technology, healthcare and finance sectors to improve our expertise and marketing approach.
3. Established the first member of a management team to support company growth, building on the recent addition of a Fractional MD.
Through strategic vision, commitment to values and focus on building strong relationships, Freshbat continues to grow and evolve, setting new standards in the marketing industry.
