SO... What's Up?

Your new website launch can be an exhilarating journey, but it's not without its pitfalls. From lost logins to expired bank details, running a business with a digital presence can often be fraught with challenges. In our latest podcast episode, we dive into the common mishaps and oversights that can plague your business's websites and emails.  Join us as we explore the importance of content preparation, marketing strategy implementation, and the crucial steps to ensure a smooth and successful website launch.

Are you an ambitious e-commerce entrepreneur in Stoke-on-Trent or Staffordshire? Are you looking to take your business to new heights? Look no further! We're thrilled to share exciting news about an opportunity for eligible businesses. Our agency is extending a helping hand to e-commerce businesses looking to expand their reach. We understand the challenges small businesses face so we're here to offer our expertise at no cost to you.  

We thoroughly enjoyed reflecting on and celebrating the incredible journey of Daltons Dairy. Tracing back to 2016 when they were just an idea to today where they are now a well-known local name.  We're looking back, starting from the very beginning – a time of yoghurt pot mood boards, vetoing the cartoon cow, and their eviction from outside Waitrose. We follow the evolution of the business that transformed it into a community sanctuary during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.  Don't forget to catch Rosie's invaluable insights on the dos and don'ts of bootstrapping a business during its early days.

Not every client relationship is smooth sailing, and that's alright! Embrace imperfections and learn how to navigate breakdowns gracefully.  Real stories from our business vault! Hear how we handled tough clients, turning challenges into valuable lessons.  Bridge the gap with clients using effective communication tips! Discover the power of clear expectations and setting healthy boundaries for fruitful relationships.  Turning Challenges into Success: Learn how we turned challenging client relationships into positive, productive ones. Strategies for finding common ground and rebuilding rapport.

It's late, you work from home, and you get an email after work hours, do you reply?    For James, this was very much the case, at some points, he was replying to emails at 3 am. Join Mike, Catharine and James as they tell us how responding to clients evolved as the business did. They all discuss how having a family altered their work-life balance and what they now expect of their staff out of hours.

Join James, Catharine, and Mike as they give their best tips on how to survive December as a new business. They also look back at their past December mistakes and triumphs.  How do we work to strengthen client relationships during December and should you be closing your office?  We cover the most important question for every business in December... How do I survive the office Christmas party? (maybe they shouldn't be advising on this topic) We get snippets of old Christmas parties and what we have planned for this year!

In this episode, we look at the harmonious relationship between developer and designer. A good dynamic between developer and designer is crucial for a seamless collaboration. James talks to Sam and Jim about their professional relationship, who has the last say, and who thinks their role is more important. 

We're discovering the importance of data-driven marketing. Looking at the role data plays in crafting marketing strategies and shaping campaigns. Join Sam, James and Rebecca as they give you the insights and tools you need to manage your data.

As an agency that offers full web support to our clients, we looked at some of the most common enquiries we receive, Sam and Arran are always on hand for our clients but hopefully, this episode gives you a few tips to avoid the common mistakes. 

James, Cathrine, Richard, and Michael have been working together for 20 years! Over the years they've collaborated on some amazing work but has it always been smooth sailing? 

What's the difference between a marketing agency and a creative agency? And how do you become Multi-award-winning? We discuss everything that goes into running a creative agency,  how we've built our client relationships, and how we've adapted over the years to stay at the top of our game.

In this episode, we join Jim, Arran, and James as they look at why consistent branding is so important and why you shouldn't be afraid to make changes to your website. From the perspective of both the designers and developers, we take a look at why it's important to keep evolving. 

James talks with Rebecca, Jess and Sam about what social media marketing is and where is it heading in the future. 

In this episode, James speaks with Sam and Arran about what makes a good website. 

James and Rich sit down to talk about what Wireframing is and when it has a place in website design processes. 

James and Rich discuss the question we get asked a lot, 'How long will it take to build my website' . 

How we have implemented remarketing tools to help our e-commerce clients generate additional revenue. 

James talks with Jonathan about why SO Marketing has rebranded and why now was the right time to do that. 

Join Chelsea, Sam and Rebecca as we look back on the 2021 predictions and evaluate how well we did... Then hear what we think is going to be big for this year! 

In the first episode of 2022, James and Chelsea welcome guest Nicky Bartley, the founder of Thrive and Shine and the BESSIE process. The team at SO undertook the BESSIE process in November 2021 and have since incorporated its findings into the staff wellness strategy.    If you're interested in hearing more about the BESSIE process please contact Nicky at https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickybartley/ 

This episode we discuss all the random purchases we've made because of social media marketing and crazes! 

Join Chelsea, Rebecca, Catharine and Sam in this episode where we discuss the importance of employee engagement when building a brand. 

Join Chelsea, Catharine, Rebecca and Sam in this podcast where we discuss the importance of creating a great customer experience. Both online and offline touch points need thought going into them to provide the best experience or service. 

Join Chelsea and Catharine in this weeks episode as we discuss all things content marketing! Chelsea was recently a judge at the Content Marketing Association Awards and wanted to share her knowledge and experience of the industry with others. 

Meet Mike, our Operations Director. In this episode Chelsea and Mike discuss the changes Mike has put in place to deliver on projects more efficiently for our clients. 

Join James and Chelsea in this episode as we discuss how we use The Drum Recommends Awards as client feedback to continuously improve our service offering. We also cover why we chose to align ourselves with The Drum Recommends and how we became one of the most awarded creative agencies in the UK.

Giving creatives feedback is a task not many can do well! In order to get the best out of the brand and design process the team share their top tips. Join Chelsea, Jon, Lukas and Jim in this latest episode. 

Join Chelsea, Jon, Lukas and Rebecca as we discuss how we champion the customer in this episode. We enjoy working with clients to offer fresh perspectives and love it when we get to champion the end user! Find out more at www.somarketing.com 

The team have a round table discussion about the e-commerce conglomerates Amazon and ASOS. Join Chelsea, Rebecca, Sam and Arran in the latest episode where we share our latest thoughts!

James and Chelsea discuss the importance of aligning your sales and marketing function to clearly track the return of any marketing campaigns. Get in touch for more info at hello@somarketing.com 

Join James and Chelsea where they discuss planning for Christmas and why you should start early. more info at www.somarketing.com 

Budget is the most crucial part of any project, as it determines the scope! James and Chelsea discuss how we work with clients to ensure they get the best service for their budgets. 

Join James and Chelsea as they discuss our new style of agency retainer, how we work with our clients and the success we've seen since switching to this model. 

2021 has been a mad year so far! With the growth of existing and new team members, new services and new clients. Join James, Richard and Chelsea as we discuss how we're transitioning as an agency to meet increasing demand. 

Join Chelsea, Jim and Nick in this episode where they discuss colour psychology and its importance across your branding and websites. 

Join Chelsea and Rebecca in this episode where they deep dive into everything SEO. You'll ear about e-commerce strategies, international SEO, content marketing for SEO, the latest Google updates and how we operate our services. Find out more at www.somarketing.com 

Rich and Chelsea discuss all things Klarna and how you can use the buy now pay later provider to help drive ecommerce sales. Find out more by visiting www.somarketing.com 

Join Chelsea, Catharine, Rebecca and Sam in this weeks episode where we have a round table about social media and the impact it has on mental health. Find out more and join in the conversation at hello@somarketing.com 

James, Jon and Chelsea discuss our new employee engagement initiative: SO Level Up! It was created to help employees take control of their career and progression as well as help with the agency's service development and innovation. Find out more by messaging us at hello@somarketing.com 

Meet Jon, our recently appointed Creative Director! Jon, Rich, James and Chelsea find out more about Jon's career history and his interest in design. They then go on to cover what makes a good Creative Director and the great way Jon engages and encourages his team. Find out more by messaging us at hello@somarketing.com 

Chelsea, Sam and Rich discuss the rise in crypto and digital currencies. We've recently implemented crypto payments onto a website so listen in to hear all about this asset and how it might be useful for your business or you personally. No financial advice is given in this podcast - please do your own research before investing. 

The role of client services encompasses many different things in an agency. Join Chelsea and James as they discuss how our client services team works. 

James, Rich and Chelsea discuss the importance of online customer services and how it can make or break a customer journey. Find out more about us at www.somarketing.com 

Join Morgan and Chelsea in this episode as they discuss the importance of wellbeing in the workplace. Looking after ourselves, our team and each other is important for a team to perform the best it can. Find out more about us at www.somarketing.com 

Want to learn how to incorporate audio and voice into your marketing strategy? In this episode, Emma and Chelsea discuss the power of voice. Find out more at www.somarketing.com 

Join Chelsea and Emma in the latest Episode of SO... What's Up? We're talking about the importance of copywriting and why this should be done by a professional. Find out more at www.somarketing.com 

Our Graphic Designer Jim joins Chelsea in this episode to talk about the fundamentals of Print Design and how you can take your marketing materials to the next level. Find out more at www.somarketing.com 

How do you plan for the unknown? We've had this conversation with a lot of clients recently so we're sharing our top tips and considerations with you. Find out more at somarketing.com 

James, Richard and Chelsea discuss emerging trends and their predictions for 2021. Join in the conversation with us on our social pages or get in touch at hello@somarketing.com 

James and Chelsea take a look back on everything that happened in 2020! From agency life and how it changed to the drastic increase in digital services. Join in the conversation on social media with us or visit us at www.somarketing.com for more information

In this episode Chelsea, Richard and James talk about the rise of video and how you can capitalise on it in your marketing communications.