Manchester-based Altrincham HQ was founded in 2009, when social media was still in its infancy. Seventeen years later, the business has worked with thousands of organisations across the UK, from small independent businesses to some of the country’s biggest brands.
When Alex McCann started Altrincham HQ in September 2009, social media marketing was a very different business.
Facebook was still relatively new, Instagram didn’t exist, TikTok was more than a decade away and most businesses were still trying to work out why they needed to be on social media in the first place.
Fast forward 17 years and Altrincham HQ, the social media management and training company founded by McCann, is celebrating its 17th anniversary.
During that time, the company has worked with thousands of businesses and individuals across Manchester, the North West and the UK, helping them use social media more strategically and, importantly, generate real business results.
Its training clients have included the BBC, Manchester City, the NHS, The National Trust, Selfridges, Costa Coffee, Robinsons Brewery, United Utilities, University of Manchester and Manchester Arndale.
McCann believes the biggest change over the past 17 years isn’t simply the arrival of new platforms, but the way businesses now view social media.
“When I started Altrincham HQ in 2009, social media was still something that many businesses were experimenting with. Nobody knew where it was going or quite what it was going to become. I had absolutely no idea I’d still be doing this 17 years later.
“We’ve gone from Facebook pages and the early days of Twitter to Instagram, TikTok, video, influencers, paid advertising and now AI. The industry has changed beyond recognition.
“But one thing hasn’t changed. Businesses need social media to do more than generate likes, comments and shares. Those things are nice, but they don’t pay the bills. Actual business does.”
Alongside its work with larger organisations, Altrincham HQ has continued to work with smaller businesses, bringing experience gained from working with major organisations to businesses that might not have large marketing departments or budgets.
The company currently spends more than 200 hours each month managing social media marketing campaigns for businesses, giving the business an opportunity to see changes in the social media landscape in real time and put new approaches into practice.
McCann has also built a reputation as a social media speaker, speaking at venues including the Birmingham NEC, NIA, EventCity and The Lowry.
Altrincham HQ has been ranked number one in the UK for Social Media Marketing on independent review platform FreeIndex since December 2011 and has accumulated more than 900 customer reviews.
McCann, who has 17 years’ experience in social media and 27 years’ experience in online marketing, originally worked as a music journalist. His blogs have been read by more than half a million people.
He has also previously run an events company delivering around 60 events a year, including a 15,000-capacity arts and music festival in Manchester.
Now, as Altrincham HQ enters its 18th year, McCann believes the next stage of social media marketing could bring as much change as the previous 17.
“The last 17 years have taught me that you never really know what’s coming next in social media.
“We’ve gone through huge changes already and AI is probably going to change the industry more than anything we’ve seen before.
“But the businesses that will do well won’t necessarily be the ones with the biggest budgets or the most followers. They’ll be the ones that understand why they’re using social media, who they’re trying to reach and what they actually want it to achieve.
“That’s what we’ve been helping businesses with for the past 17 years, and that’s what we’ll continue doing.”
Photo: Martin Hambleton
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