All set to Relocate to New Premises In Leek this April…

PRESS RELEASE  | Tuesday March 3rd 2015

Staffordshire based award-winning design and creative agency SO Marketing have announced that they will be moving on from their Cheadle office this spring, in line with a plan for expansion to be realised over the course of the next three years. Speaking via their social media, the agency, founded in partnership by Richard Latham and James Aberley, announced its plans to relocate the business to a new site that would offer more room for the team to grow and expand. The company have since confirmed that their new premises will be located 10 miles north of Cheadle at what used to be the Employment Exchange on Broad Street, in the neighbouring Staffordshire Moorlands town of Leek.

SO Marketing was originally co-founded by close friends and veterans of the design and web industries James Aberley and Richard Latham back in 2007. Having spent several years progressing through the sector, working as marketing managers for both agencies and in-house marketing departments, James and Richard decided to carve out their own niche in the industry and set up their own company. With such extensive experience on both sides of the industry, both partners understood the delicate balance necessary to manage an independent agency whilst still providing each individual client with an infallibly consistent level of service. The original aim of the agency was to provide local companies with a means of outsourcing their marketing as a whole, thus allowing them to develop their audience and expand their business at a fraction of the cost of employing a full-time marketing manager; clients also benefitted from Richard and James’s combined wealth of expertise in the industry.

Due to increasing market demand, however, and a continually expanding skill set thanks to an amazing team, SO Marketing has since developed into an all-encompassing creative agency, and now offers clients a range of services such as design, website creation and print. The agency developed their business locally, generating new projects through word of mouth and customer referral, which allowed them to build a steadfast reputation as a reliable, honest full service agency. With a vast portfolio comprised of a range of local, national and international businesses, including over 100 clients in Leek already, the agency are now in the enviable position of implementing strategies for steady growth and expansion by the year 2018.

Citing company development as the main reason for the move, director Richard Latham said that the new offices would allow for some “much-needed space to grow”, and would reinvigorate the team as they collectively moved into a new chapter for SO Marketing. The new premises and its innovative layout however have also been specifically designed to facilitate the collaborative approach that SO Marketing takes to their projects. “Here at SO Marketing” continues Latham “we don’t just assign one project to one designer… Rather, every asset we develop is part of a constant cycle of feedback and scrutiny from the wider team, allowing for finished products that are both engaging and versatile”. The arrangement of the new office, which the agency says will be revealed in the coming weeks over their social media, will be centred around the idea of a better connected, fluid working environment. Commenting on the opportunity for growth that the move represents, partner James Aberley says that accepting new people into the fold is “always an adventure in itself” and that the company are going to be looking for “local university design and web graduates” to “join the team and take advantage of the experience of the SO team who can’t wait to mentor a new generation of creative talent”.

Even though the move reflects a new era for SO Marketing, the team are keen to reiterate that their focus remains firmly on their local clients and connections that provide the foundations of their business. On the choice of Leek as a location, James Aberley comments that they “considered the obvious option [Stoke]” but felt that as an agency they “identified much more heavily as a Staffordshire Moorlands company”. Part of what sets SO Marketing aside from other professional web design and branding agencies in the sector is the personal, informal approach they adopt to client relationships. “When looking at where to situate our business going forward, we needed a site that was large enough to accommodate our growing team, but still within easy reach for our base of  local customers… this means that should they have an issue to resolve, or need any  marketing advice, they’re still able to sit down for a face-to-face discussion with one of our team”. SO Marketing pride themselves on their personal approach to business, which is why, they believe, they enjoy so many healthy working relationships with local, independent organisations.

With motions already well under way for the move this April, founder Richard Latham is understandably both nostalgic and excited: “It’s at turning points such as these in your business that you stop to take a look at how things have changed over the years; I’m extremely proud not only of the work we’ve done, but also how our incredibly talented team has diversified, allowing us to offer our clients a wide variety of digital, print and creative services”. Business partner James Aberley reiterates this: “The variety in both what we offer and who we offer it to is my favourite part of our work; we’re currently in the fortunate position of dealing with a number of international clients, but I’m equally excited about expanding into the local area and getting to work with some fantastic businesses in Leek”.

SO Marketing are on schedule to make the move this April, and plan to host an open day to welcome new clients, both existing and prospective, into their new premises. They are also eager to keep their followers updated with the progress of the move via their social media platforms on Twitter and Facebook. They are currently looking for an ambitious company to take up the lease on their old Chapel Street offices in Cheadle.

About SO Marketing
SO Marketing are multiple winners of the prestigious RAR Design awards, and currently hold accreditation from The UK Web Design Association (UKWDA) and Which Web Design Company (WWDC). Their services range from devising complete brands based on thorough company analysis and understanding, to the creation of individual digital and print assets to support existing schemes and designs. They’re committed to offering tailored, individual solutions to clients big and small, and strive to create only the most striking visual elements regardless of budget and investment.