Leeds-based Visibilis welcomes new clients during lockdown

The agency, which was founded in 2011 by Ben Wolfenden, predominantly offers search marketing services and counts the retailers Kiddies Kingdom and Terrys Fabrics among its client base.

Visibilis’ new clients include the software companies Linaro and Kallidus. The agency’s headcount has grown with seven new members coming on board since lockdown began.

The business is very much a family affair. Mr Wolfenden’s wife, Daisy, is the firm’s managing director and they live in Bingley, West Yorkshire with their two children, Max, 6, and Ivy, 2

Mrs Wolfenden said: “We’ve seen enquiries spike from businesses who pre-pandemic were more reliant on their physical presence and offline activity such as events to make sales.

“We’ve been able to help them quickly adapt and diversify their marketing strategies to focus on their digital channels and this is really where Visibilis excels.”

Mrs Wolfenden added: “We’re an agile team meaning we can be responsive to changing business needs, and we really love working as though we’re a part of our client’s teams. A lot of our past experience is helping businesses to get started with digital marketing and helping them grow online across multiple channels.

She added: “We’re so pleased to have welcomed these clients in the past few months and we’ve no doubt we’ll enjoy strong partnerships with them. A third of our existing client base has been with us for over three years and it’s creating these lasting successful relationships with clients that sits at the core of why Visibilis was founded.”

Mr Wolfenden said: “Obviously no business knew what the immediate future had in store for them when lockdown began and it was a really worrying time for everyone.

“But our virtual pitches have really hit the mark and we’re pleased that we’ve still been able to demonstrate how we work as one cohesive unit despite not being in one room.

He added: “We absolutely put our success down to the unwavering determination and expertise of our team.”

Mr Wolfenden has overcome significant hurdles to build a successful business career. He suffers from cystic fibrosis and was moments from death in May 2019.

Early last year, Mr Wolfenden caught the flu and his health deteriorated so rapidly that by May, he was rushed to Harefield specialist heart and lung transplant centre. His relatives were told to prepare for the worst.

On May 8, 2019, a lung donor was found and he underwent a double lung transplant. He woke up in an intensive care unit a day later, on his son’s fifth birthday.

His road to recovery is far from over; like so many transplant recipients, the current pandemic has brought more challenges and risks to his health. Visibilis hit the £1m turnover mark as Mr Wolfenden started the long road to recovery.

“We’ve built such a talented and resilient team who’ve managed to help us grow significantly,” he said.

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