Catalyst

What Catalyst does

Catalyst Marketing Agency Ltd is a UK-headquartered, full-service digital marketing agency serving small and medium-sized enterprises across the UK, London, Dubai, and internationally. Founded in 2012 as an internal marketing function within Shire Leasing PLC before becoming independent, the company now operates from three offices (Birmingham HQ, London, Dubai) and is 100% owned by co-founders Sarah Groves and Paul Houston since January 2023.

The agency's offering is structured around seven integrated service pillars: marketing strategy and business growth audits; brand and proposition development; website design and development (templated, bespoke, and eCommerce); lead generation across SEO, GEO, AEO, PPC, content, social, email, digital PR, and CRO; CRM services spanning HubSpot (Diamond Partner), Salesforce, and Zoho; and AI-assisted marketing including AI Brand Packs. There is no proprietary technology platform; the stack is composed of industry-standard tools (HubSpot, Salesforce, Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn, Hotjar, WordPress, Shopify) deployed with proprietary methodologies such as the Growth Audit process. Core technology competency is methodological (auditing, channel orchestration, creative production) rather than software-driven.

Catalyst generates revenue through professional-services fees, project-based retainers, and recurring CRM/HubSpot engagements, priced via custom quotes rather than public rate cards. Its go-to-market is direct sales-led with inside-sales support (free audits as lead magnets), complemented by HubSpot partner-channel referrals and case-study-driven inbound demand. The customer base is horizontally diversified across SME end-markets with documented enterprise-adjacent logos (Civica, University of Cambridge, Parking Facilities) alongside mid-market accounts (FreshGround, Rhino Sensory, Procure Education, Leukaemia Care, Tonic). Following the 2018 turnaround by Groves and Houston, turnover has grown over 70% and FY 2021/22 delivered the company's highest-ever net profit, with the agency stating it is on track for record turnover in early 2026.

Name

Catalyst

Legal name

Catalyst Marketing Agency Ltd

Website

https://wearecatalyst.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Catalyst is a UK-based full-service digital marketing agency operating from Birmingham, London, and Dubai, serving SMEs with integrated marketing strategy, SEO/GEO/AEO, PPC, content, digital PR, branding, web design, and HubSpot/Salesforce/Zoho CRM services as a HubSpot Diamond Partner.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Marketing Strategy and Consulting Services: Fees for strategic marketing consulting, business growth audits, and ongoing marketing strategy development tailored to SME needs.
2. Digital Marketing Execution Services: Project-based and retainer fees for execution services including SEO, PPC, content marketing, social media, email marketing, digital PR, and conversion rate optimization.
3. Website Design and Development: Fees for website design, development, and copywriting services, including templated websites, bespoke websites, and eCommerce websites.
4. CRM and HubSpot Services: Fees for HubSpot onboarding, migration, integration, training, support, and ongoing CRM management services as Diamond HubSpot Partners.
5. Branding Services: Fees for brand strategy, proposition development, and visual identity creation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Catalyst is a full-service, commercially-driven digital marketing agency that sells integrated marketing strategy, lead generation, branding, website design, SEO/GEO/AEO, PPC, content, social media, email, digital PR, and CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho) services to UK and international SMEs. The agency operates specialist divisions and dedicated sub-brands (Catalyst PR, Catalyst Brand Arm), positioning itself as either a complete outsourced marketing department or an augmentation of existing client teams to deliver measurable ROI.

Product overview

Catalyst is a full-service, commercially-driven digital marketing agency comprising seven specialist divisions that deliver integrated growth services for SMEs. The agency operates as a unified platform combining SEO/GEO/AEO services, PPC and paid social advertising, content and digital PR, branding, websites, and CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho) management. Core offerings include marketing strategy development, business growth audits, lead generation campaigns, and conversion rate optimization, supported by a dedicated HubSpot division offering onboarding, migration, integration, training, and ongoing support services. The agency also incorporates AI-assisted marketing and AI brand packs as part of its service portfolio, leveraging artificial intelligence for content creation, strategy optimization, and campaign automation across all marketing channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Catalyst PR: Dedicated PR arm launched in 2025, led by Dean Enon, focusing on reputation-led growth, thought leadership, and media coverage.
• Catalyst Brand Arm

Products and services

• Marketing Strategy Data-driven marketing strategy development for SMEs, including discovery, competitor research, audience profiling, channel selection, and budget allocation mapped to ROI.
• Business Growth Audit Comprehensive market research and analysis process used to understand a client's operations, revenue objectives, competition, and growth opportunities before strategy development.
• Branding Services Brand strategy, visual identity development, proposition creation, and brand guidelines to position businesses as distinctive and ready for growth.
• Website Design and Development Design, build, and copywriting of websites including templated, bespoke, and eCommerce sites built for lead generation, SEO/GEO optimization, and conversion.
• SEO Services Search Engine Optimization services to improve organic search visibility and rankings, driving qualified traffic and leads for SME clients.
• GEO Services Generative Engine Optimization services that structure and optimize content for AI-powered search platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity, making content discoverable by AI citation systems.
• AEO Services Answer Engine Optimization services that target featured snippets and direct answers on search engines, complementing SEO and GEO efforts.
• PPC Management Pay-per-click advertising management across Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Google Shopping, and Performance Max campaigns for SME lead generation.
• Paid Social Paid advertising campaign management across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok with audience targeting, creative optimization, and performance reporting.
• Social Media Management Social media strategy and content management across platforms, combining organic and paid social campaigns for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok.
• Content Marketing Content creation including blogs, whitepapers, website copy, and sales collateral designed to build authority, support SEO, and nurture prospects through the buyer journey.
• Digital PR Reputation-led growth, thought leadership development, and earned media coverage delivered through Catalyst's dedicated PR arm to improve online visibility, authority, and search performance.
• Email Marketing Email campaign creation and automation workflows designed to nurture prospects, educate audiences, and drive conversions through targeted email communications.
• Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) Optimization of website performance and user experience using behavior analytics (e.g. Hotjar) to improve conversion rates, reduce bounce rates, and maximize ROI from existing traffic.
• Lead Generation Strategy ROI-focused lead generation strategies combining SEO, PPC, content, social, landing pages, and automation to drive qualified leads that convert for SME clients.
• Sales Enablement Creation of sales collateral including brochures, presentations, one-pagers, case studies, and proposal templates to support conversion and reduce friction in the sales process.
• CRM Services CRM management and optimization across HubSpot, Salesforce, and Zoho platforms, including implementation, migration, integration, training, and ongoing support.
• HubSpot Onboarding and Implementation Guided setup and onboarding of the HubSpot platform including CRM, Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, Service Hub, Operations Hub, and CMS Hub.
• HubSpot Migration Migration of data from spreadsheets or legacy CRM systems into HubSpot, with proper data mapping and validation.
• HubSpot Integration Technical integration of HubSpot with existing software ecosystems such as WordPress, Shopify, and other platforms via native integrations or custom APIs.
• AI-Assisted Marketing AI-powered marketing services leveraging artificial intelligence for content creation, strategy optimization, and campaign automation across marketing channels.
• AI Brand Packs AI-generated brand assets and creative materials produced using artificial intelligence tools for SME marketing campaigns.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1400% increase in website enquiries
• +11 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration15 records

AI capability9 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• HubSpotcoreTechnology or IntegrationHubSpot Diamond Partners, providing comprehensive HubSpot services including onboarding, migration, integration, training, support, and ongoing CRM management. As official agency partners recognized by HubSpot, Catalyst provides implementation and optimization services across HubSpot's full stack (Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, Service Hub, Operations Hub, CMS Hub).

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The SEO Works: UK digital marketing agency specializing in SEO, PPC, web design, and CRO for SMEs across multiple sectors. Comparable to Catalyst in UK SME focus, full-service model, and ROI-driven case study positioning.
• WebFX: US-based full-service digital marketing agency offering SEO, PPC, web design, and CRO to mid-market and SME clients. Comparable to Catalyst in full-service integrated offering, SME/mid-market focus, and ROI-driven positioning.
• Brainlabs: UK-headquartered data-driven digital marketing agency offering SEO, PPC, paid media, and analytics at scale. Comparable to Catalyst in UK base and digital marketing services, though typically serving larger enterprise clients than Catalyst's SME core.
• Builtvisible: UK SEO-led digital marketing agency offering technical SEO, content, and digital PR services. Comparable to Catalyst in UK SME focus and emphasis on organic search and digital PR as core service lines.
• Hallam Internet: Nottingham-based digital marketing agency providing SEO, PPC, paid social, and web development to UK SMEs and mid-market brands. Closely comparable to Catalyst in target customer (UK SMEs), service mix, and agency size bracket.
• Babel Quest: UK HubSpot Diamond Partner agency providing inbound marketing, HubSpot implementation, and digital strategy to B2B SMEs. Highly comparable to Catalyst as a UK HubSpot Diamond agency serving similar SME/B2B segments.
• Croud: UK-founded digital marketing agency offering paid media, SEO, content, and programmatic through a global network of 'Croudies.' Comparable to Catalyst in UK origin and full-service digital marketing, with a more international and enterprise-leaning client base.
• Impression Digital: UK-based full-service digital marketing agency serving SMEs and mid-market clients with SEO, PPC, content, and CRO services. Comparable to Catalyst in size, geography (Nottingham/London), and integrated service model, with similar SME focus and ROI-led positioning.
• Klood: UK-based digital marketing and HubSpot solutions partner offering SEO, content, and CRM implementation. Comparable to Catalyst as a UK HubSpot-credentialed agency with overlapping CRM and inbound marketing services.

Broad incumbents

• Jellyfish: Global digital marketing agency within The Brandtech Group offering media, SEO, content, and creative at enterprise scale. Comparable to Catalyst as a digital marketing agency with overlapping SEO/PPC/content services, but serves much larger enterprise clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/catalystGDM
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/wearecatalyst
• Facebookfacebook.com/CatalystMarketingUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/we-are-catalyst
• Instagraminstagram.com/wearecatalyst

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments7 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Catalyst