08. Megaphone
The founders of Megaphone are an entrepreneurially-minded bunch with a passion for problem solving, who saw an opportunity for growth in social media marketing.
Revenue: $9.8 million
Growth: 354.9%
Founders: Lauren Oakes (30), Maxwell Hertan (32), Josh Gowing (27)
Head Office: Melbourne
Employees: 120
Industry: Digital Marketing Agency
Website: https://www.megaphonemarketing.com.au
Year Founded: 2012
How it started
The founders of Megaphone are an entrepreneurially-minded bunch with a passion for problem solving, who saw an opportunity for growth in social media marketing.
The agency isn’t focused on any other specific platform, but focuses on whatever will best support growth for the individual client.
Having started out working with a handful of clients from home, the founders were able to start hiring and expanding after a year.
Growth
Today Megaphone has 120 employees, having onboarded a massive 83 new hires in the past 12 months.
That includes a team of 20 people based in Brisbane and a team of eight in Sydney.
The COVID-19 pandemic posed a challenge for the business, with clients pulling ad revenue, however the team opted to double down on the areas in which they could grow. This included spending on Google and Facebook ads for their own business, monitoring the landscape to best advise clients and proactively reaching out to them throughout the crisis.
Where to next?
As well as nurturing the Sydney and Brisbane teams, Megaphone has set its sights on the US. Co-founder Maxwell Hertan has moved to LA to build the business’ presence there and to start getting the brand noticed on a global stage.
The founders are also considering how to adapt and remain competitive in a changing digital world, and continuing to define their point of difference.
“Selling the product has changed,” they say.
“Everyone understands digital marketing and why they need it, so the conversation has pivoted to why they need us.”
