There’s been a lot happening here at The Yardstick Agency over the past few months and we’ve got some exciting developments planned. So, we thought it was high time for a quick update.

Office move and new address

As the team expands to cope with demand, we needed to move from our broom cupboard into somewhere a little more spacious.

We did that a few months ago, and now have lovely bright and spacious offices in the heart of Nottingham’s Creative Quarter.

If you ever visit us (and you’re most welcome!) we are a five-minute walk from Nottingham’s station and the famous Market Square.

For future reference, our new address is 3rd Floor, 3 – 7 Middle Pavement, Nottingham, NG1 7DX.

New telephone number

Please note that following the move our telephone number has now changed to 0115 8965 300.

Please update your records as we are phasing out our old number.

The team

Since our last update, the team has expanded with new members in the digital, content and branding & design teams. There are now 18 of us in total and we have a couple more positions to fill. One of the reasons we set up the Yardstick Agency was to provide opportunities for talented people; I’m delighted we’ve been able to start doing that and plan to continue doing so.

I’d like to introduce you to the newest member of our team though, Emma Moore.

Emma was my fellow director when we started the business and is now coming on board as our full-time Project Manager. As we’ve expanded it’s become clear that many projects require input from each of our key departments. Therefore, it’s only sensible that one person manages these projects. Emma is that person!

Fear not, we aren’t going to turn into one of those agencies where you can’t speak to anyone but the project manager. While Emma will be providing updates our new portal (see below), briefing of new work and feedback on all projects will always be a conversation between you and the person in our team responsible for its delivery.

Future plans

Client portal: Over the past couple of months we’ve been developing a client portal which we’ll use to provide real-time updates on your projects. It’ll also be where you update your newsletter database and provide detailed information about your relationship with us. This will replace the end of the week email which many of you have been receiving from Naomi and Celeste.

We’ll test the portal with a handful of clients in August and will then roll it out to everyone during September and October.

Our website: One of the reasons we launched The Yardstick Agency was to help financial advisers and planners market their business more effectively. We’re, therefore, very proud that since we launched our website has been viewed by a total of 27,688 different people. However, it’s now 2 ½ years old, so it’s time for an update.

We’ll launch the new site in September. It’ll still have the weekly blogs, free resources, the adviser website index and the adviser award index. But lookout for some exciting new additions.

Watch this space, we’ll let you know when it’s launched!

Social proof: We’ve talked constantly about the need to use social proof to differentiate your business. It takes many forms, from Google and VouchedFor reviews, to case studies and testimonials. The most powerful form of social proof is undoubtedly client videos. They come with a significant price tag attached though. To break down that barrier, we’ll be running a workshop in November to show you how you can improve your social proof and create high-impact, low cost, client videos.

As you can see, there’s plenty going on. We’ll provide more details about the Client Portal and social proof workshop closer to launch.

Finally, if there’s something you think we should be doing, but aren’t, please let us know.

In the meantime, have a great summer!

Phil Bray, Founder & Director, The Yardstick Agency