The Power of People

The Power of People

Stop, collaborate and listen…

Without collaboration, networking and connection, there is no local business community. Forging strong relationships with all our business partners has always been an important part of the way we roll, and we believe that focusing on honest and transparent work relationships leads to productive and long-term partnerships, as well as the development of new and exciting business opportunities.

IRL networking

They might sound old-fashioned if you’re under 30, but actively participating in face-to-face networking, sharing your knowledge and expertise, and really engaging with others, will help build relationships and establish you as a reputable and trusted person people want to do business with. This ultimately helps build your brand and drive new business. Networking events (we like the ones with free breakfast or wine) are a great way to get yourself out there.

Networking can be challenging if you’re not a fan of public speaking (or people), but believe me, putting yourself out there will help you develop these skills. The wine helps too (haha), but seriously, the more you network, the more confident you’ll become about speaking about your business and what you can offer. I used to be physically sick before new business meetings, but now, after regularly attending networking events (and getting all grown up), I still get a little sweaty, but no more vom.

Give back

Offering your services pro-bono, such as organising an event, writing a column for a the best mag in town (ahem), or designing a logo for a local charity, is a great way to establish long-term relationships and keep you, and your business, front of mind. Sponsoring a local team, charity or event, is another great way to connect with the community – and it makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

In small communities like ours, recommendation and word of mouth is very powerful, so if you’re doing something good in the community, people will get to know about it.

Winner winner, chicken dinner

Local business awards are a great way to meet potential new clients, connect with the business community and have a laugh, something we all need to do, often. We can vouch for this - the business awards we’ve entered over the years have generated some great connections and long-lasting relationships, locally and further afield.

Remember, if we’re still in business after what the last few years have thrown at us - we’re all winners.

Barefruit x

Check out what we've been up to

Lismore City Council
Lennox Centenary

Should your business be using Insta Reels and TikTok’s in 2023?

Haven’t you heard Instagram reels are taking over the world!!... just kidding, but also not really. Currently Instagram Reels and TikTok videos are all the new rage and heck we are all here for it! They are short, fun and engaging videos ranging anywhere from 10-90seconds in length. They give business’s an opportunity to showcase their businesses personality and make creative content that is easily digestible. With the busy nature of many consumers lives, they simply just don’t have the time to be sitting on their phone reading long paragraphs from businesses, nor do they want to… as let’s be real ‘ain’t nobody got time for dat’!

What are the Advantages of using video media forms (reels and TikTok)?

Now here’s why Instagram Reels and TikTok’s will become your knight in shining armour this year! Currently Instagram’s algorithm is favouring reels. This means that when you post one, Instagram will be more likely to push your content out and recommend it to other potential customers who don’t yet follow you. Instagram is loving reels so much they even got their own page on the new Instagram update last year, meaning they are now more visible then ever!

What to consider when creating your video

Let’s be real no one wants to watch a video that is boring and just plain blah, so it’s important to keep in mind these key things when creating your content!

1. Educating your audience

Educating your audience on your product or service offering should be at the top of your priority list when it comes to your social media marketing strategy! It’s important to show how your product works, its value, and identify why it’s the clear winner over its key competitors.

2. Utilising Trending Sounds to boost your audience reach

Using trending sounds is a great way to help boost your videos traffic! Using trending sounds with less than 10K reel uses will help to boost your content even more as it means your video will be one of the most shown under that sound! Utilising trending sounds gives your video a better opportunity to be featured on Instagram’s ‘Explore Page’ and TikTok’s ‘For You Page’ which is basically like gold for social media! The Instagram explore page alone gets foot traffic of approximately 200million users each day and half a million users every month.

3. Create clear, engaging, and fun visuals

The whole point of Instagram reels and TikTok’s is to generate content that is fast, engaging, and eye-catching! With these videos, comes an opportunity to reflect your brands personality, pull in more like-minded consumers and consequently increase brand engagement. Creating videos that feature yourself the owner, staff and your workplace environment is a great way of making your customers feel like they are a part of your community and know you personally, therefor increasing consumer confidence. Both Instagram reels and TikTok’s gives creators the opportunity to utilise visual filter effects, text layovers, stickers, songs and GIFs… all tools helping to create content that is engaging.

What should my reels be about?

We understand how hard it can be when it comes to creating content, so we have listed a few ideas to get you started!

Content ideas:

  • Answering FAQ’s
  • Tips
  • Behind the scenes
  • Sales or specials
  • Product usage
  • Meet the team
  • Getting involved in funny trends

 

Check out what we've been up to

Lismore City Council
Lennox Centenary

Shooting on a budget

Photoshoots on a budget

They say a picture tells a thousand words and these days, given the power of brand images on social media, it’s probably even more. We all know great photographs, videos and images are the make or break when it comes to showcasing your product or business. Blurred, distant or pixelated images are obviously not going to win you any fans, but in saying that, gone are the days when you need to spend a motza on a camera or professional, to get the content you need for some (not all) of your marketing.

That’s right, the phone sitting in your pocket is pretty damn impressive and if your model doesn’t date back to 1998, it will more than likely rival the quality of an expensive camera. If you’re considering updating your images and promoting your brand, we have a few tips and tricks for you to get the ball rolling, or in this case, the camera clicking.

Plan, plan, plan

Believe it or not, planning your shoot is just as important as taking the actual photos. It’s important to consider the kind of content you want, as well as how it will actually be used in the creative vision for your brand. It’s also imperative to identify your key audience to ensure your brand’s message is visually consistent across all channels. We recommend storyboarding, as it is  an effective way to plan out what you actually want to achieve on the day of your shoot. Being prepared across timings, props and locations, will guarantee a smooth-running, cost-effective photoshoot.

Lights, Camera, Action

Once you’ve got the plan for the day under control, it’s time to get creative (and have some fun at the same time). Ditch the expensive studio lighting, hit the outdoors and take advantage of the incredible natural sunlight we have in this part of the world. If you do need to amp up the brightness, use a windscreen sun reflector for an inexpensive lighting hack. Explore unusual angles, rather than shooting from the same spot all the time. This will not only allow you to get closer to the subject in an original and thought-provoking manner, but will produce more interesting results than the standard head shot that you see on LinkedIn!

Let’s leave the shell-shocked surprised looks the flash creates aside and use diffused light instead. Portrait mode adds an extra stand-out element to your photos (but beware, it also highlights wrinkles!) and using interesting props or our beautiful, natural surroundings will make your pictures truly memorable. If getting visually creative isn’t really your thing, bribe one of your team with coffee and an early finish, and let them take the reins. Who knows, you might actually  have a budding photographer on your hands!

Make a good photo great

Before you upload your new photos, be sure to go through them carefully and take the time to edit them. There are a range of free, or cheap, tools and apps that are easy to use and are designed to enhance the lighting, texture and quality of your shots. Even if you know next to nothing about taking photos, aside from where to find the camera app in your phone, you’ll still be able to garner amazing new content for your brand and most importantly, save money!

Check out the full Byron Wave article here

 

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Lismore City Council
Lennox Centenary

How Businesses Can Support Their Communities

If we have learnt anything from the generosity of our communities over the last couple of months, it’s that we have a lot of stuff we don’t actually need. So much so that evacuation centres closed their doors to donations, saying they have all they need and more. With most of the physical clean-up now done, ‘volunteer fatigue’ can set in. However, our community still needs a lot of love and support, especially those who lost homes, businesses and are separated from loved ones. This is a good time to focus on the little things we can do to make someone’s day that little bit better.

Pay it forward

We all know how the concept works, so let’s put it into action all around our community. For small businesses operating as usual, think about ways you can give your customers opportunities to ‘pay it forward’. Be Waxed and Tanned in River Street, Ballina have set up a simple system whereby customers can buy a gift voucher which staff can use, at their discretion, to treat a future customer to a little pampering. Little luxuries like this go such a long way. Imagine if most Ballina businesses led the way in setting up something like this to enable customers to ‘pay it forward’…

pay it Froward voucher

Consider whether your business is in a position to ‘pay it forward’. Remember, you rely on the community for ongoing business, so showing them love and support in a time like this is extremely important. Plus, doing nice things for others feels really good! Can you provide your products or services at a discounted rate, offer flood victims a meal or a drink on the house or, simply raise money in-store to donate to a flood recovery charity? At Barefruit, we’ve teamed up with Green Coast Coffee in River Street and have pre-paid for 80 coffees for flood victims. It’s the little things that make the biggest difference and your business will benefit in the long-run

 

Pay it forward coffee
Support your fellow local businesses

Our human nature is to help other people in times of need and crisis, and it’s as important that businesses support each other. Many local businesses been through tough times over the last two years, so help a brother (or sister) out and get amongst the local business community. Use local suppliers, purchase ingredients from local farmers, sell local products in-store, give local businesses a shout-out on social media, take the team out to the local café for lunch, network and offer help and advice…the ways businesses can support each other is endless but the impact of a positive, collaborative and supportive business community puts meals on our tables, keeps roofs over our heads and sends our kids to school.

At the end of the day, show kindness and support to those who need it most whenever and however you can. What goes around, comes around…

 

Check out what we've been up to

Lismore City Council
Lennox Centenary

Marketing Trends to Expect in 2022

BFM 2022 Marketing Trends

2022 is finally here, and January is a great time to prepare for a good year ahead. Marketing trends for the new year have already started to emerge; here’s what you can expect to see in the world of marketing in 2022.

Have a Purpose

The focus of 2021 was supporting local communities and businesses through some pretty tough times. This has driven conscious consumerism, meaning people are actively looking to support brands that give back in some way and are willing to spend more with those that do. This year, brands doing something for the greater good are going to come out on top. Having a purpose other than maximising profits – look at brands like Arnhem, who are committed to sustainable fashion – will be the catalyst for growth.

Have a Purpose
Social Commerce

Your shop should be located wherever your customer’s shopping bag is…and that’s on their phone and, more importantly, it’s on social media. The convenience of shopping on socials allows users to use brand messages, user-generated content and reviews to make a purchase decision all in one place. So, if you’re yet to sell your products on social media, now’s the time to try.

Social Commerce
The Need for Video

Over the last two years our appetite for entertaining, engaging content has become insatiable, and with our ever-shortening attention spans, the best way to capture attention is with video. That’s why TikTok and Instagram Reels have taken off. This year, we’ll see video enter the mainstream for everyone, from small business to big brands, so start working on gathering your library of content.

The Need for Video
Own your Audience

This one rings even more true after Facebook was down for several hours on the 5th of October last year. Even though your social accounts may have thousands of followers, that data belongs to Facebook. You don’t own any of your followers, and if Facebook were to disappear, so would they. To own your audience, you must collect email addresses from your customers and potential customers to use in future marketing. Customer data can be collected through newsletter signups and value exchanges, e.g. sign up to receive 15% off your first purchase.

Embrace Localised SEO

For local businesses, your Google My Business listing is quickly becoming one of the most important marketing tools in your shed. More and more, people searching online are using Google My Business listings to research, compare and choose a business in their local area. Supporting local is on the rise and the search term “near me” is more popular than ever, so use it to your advantage.

With these top tips you’ll be on your way to smashing 2022 out of the park. Remember that trends evolve as time goes on, and we look forward to keeping you up to date on other trends as they emerge over the next 12 months.

Related Tag: Social Media Marketing Gold Coast

Embrace Localised SEO

If you're interested in our trend report and would like some help to kick-start your 2022 marketing goals send us a message below


Barefoot Marketing? No, we’re BareFRUIT Marketing

Barefruit or Barefoot

Thanks to the Barefoot Investor, we can’t tell you how often people call us Barefoot Marketing. The time has come to settle it once and for all. We are called Barefruit Marketing. That’s Bare, like naked and Fruit like, apples and oranges.

What’s in a name

Talking about names, now is a great opportunity to give you a little insight into to how and why we landed with the name Barefruit Marketing. The agency, founded by Claire from her loungeroom, was established to help local businesses grow and flourish. Business owners in the Northern Rivers (and anywhere for that matter) are so good at what they do, but often, they don’t have the time and energy to spend marketing their business. We all know that marketing is key to the success of any business, big or small. And so, the agency was born.

How it came together

When working with businesses who don’t have the time and energy to think about marketing, we discovered we needed to be completely transparent; we tell it how it is, no jargon, no waffle and no round-about explanations. From this, came the ‘Bare’ part of the Barefruit name. Being real with our clients, suppliers and team is one of our values. What you see is what you get, so ‘Bare’ which means ‘having no cover up’ fits the agency’s mission perfectly.

As marketers, our ultimate goal is to grow business for our clients. We work hard to see them increase sales and be successful and self-sufficient. As such, we are helping businesses bear the fruits of success and this is how the word ‘fruit’ came into the mix. With that, Claire and Evan named the agency Barefruit Marketing. What’s more, the word play in ‘helping businesses to bare fruit’ was too perfect to ignore.

Helping Businesses Bare Fruit
The Barefruit brand values

It’s really important that a business name reflects its output, as well as what that business stands for. Our brand values determine who we are and guide the way in which we work as employees and operate as a business. At Barefruit, we’re Curious, Real, Brave and Fun.

 

Curious

We are naturally curious. We allow ourselves to explore the less obvious, ask lots of questions and invite debate. We encourage a working environment that stimulates ideas, smart thinking and meaningful personal growth.

 

Real

We are honest and transparent. What you see is what you get. We are down to earth. No jargon. Plain speaking. We are realistic, we won’t over promise.

 

Brave

We strive to create an environment that supports instinctive and insightful thought – whether it supports or challenges the status quo. We are passionate and well-tuned, unafraid to push boundaries and have the confidence to trust our gut and pursue our beliefs.

 

Fun

We don’t take ourselves too seriously. We like to have a laugh at work and with our clients. Coming to work is fun.

Our services
What we do at Barefruit Marketing

We are a full service, creative agency which means we have the resources to implement any idea (as long as it not too far-fetched). From digital campaigns, websites, TV commercials and PR to events, flyers, SEO and logo refreshes, we pride ourselves on our ability to develop and implement the best solutions for our clients. Our services include (but aren’t limited to):

The Barefruit team is made up of a diverse group of marketing specialists with international talent. We've worked on the big clients in the big cities, and want to offer that same service to businesses in our community. Of course, we also have clients interstate and even across the globe.

 

Our team

If you’re going to take anything away from this, we are Barefruit Marketing, not Barefoot Marketing. Should you ever need help with marketing your business, or know of a friend who might, remember Barefruit Marketing. And even if you don’t, we’ve made sure our website will come up in our search results even if you remember us a Barefoot Marketing.

See our work...

What clients are saying

It was great working with Jennica and Claire from Barefruit Marketing. They really took time to understand my project and delivered amazing ‘pitch’ / media release to appeal to journalists and media corporations. I felt comfortable sharing my ideas, and they were able to capture my vision and marry it to their expertise. Would highly recommend.

Alex Bosin

EV Classic

I'd like to say a huge thank you to Claire and Charlotte from Barefruit Marketing who have helped me in the last couple of months to pull this amazing media event together. The agency has offered their services on a pro bono basis, I am so grateful for the work they have done. Claire and Charlotte have been my unconditional support crew to lean on for advice and ideas, and I am excited about how our relationship will move forward in the next few months.

Kate Kempshall

North Coast Community College

I have been using Barefruit for my SEO and website development for Behind the Barrel. The best part about Barefruit is your're not just getting the attention of one of their staff members. The whole team works together to help bring the best possible outcome for your business marketing. I highly recommend Evan and his team if you want to take your business marketing to the next level.

Jarryd

Behind the Barrel

The Barefruit team is always friendly, helpful and very professional. They have taken the time to understand our business needs and develop a effective strategy to grow our brand.

Andrew Illingworth

Tweed Coast Holiday Parks

Just want to say a HUGE thank you to each and every one of the team for the website. You all went over and above and most certainly went above my expectations. I'm extremely happy with it (been bragging a bit about it just quietly) and couldn't have done it without you all. Thank you for bringing this to life.

Trent Chapman

Prevent Consultants

Byron Magazine features Barefruit’s rebrand of BayFM

It was exciting to see that the local Byron Magazine ran our story on the pro-bono work we recently completed for not-for-profit, community radio station, BayFM. We completed a rebrand to help strengthen the brand and increase funding for the station which was near closing down.

The new branding is the result of an 18-month collaboration and sees the inclusion of the station’s home of Byron and was rolled out across all brand assets including a new website. Barefruit Marketing’s Co-Founder Evan Harding says,

“It was decided that to change the station’s name was a step too far, so the logo was simplified to be more digitally friendly, flexible and to include the world-famous name ‘Byron’. The brand’s fonts, colours, and images were all recreated for today’s digital world.”

Read more about the project here.

Bay FM Rebrand

Byron Bay FM

Rebrand

Byron Bay FM Rebrand

 

The work

Barefruit was engaged to work with the local non-for-profit community radio station, BayFM as part of a pro bono project to help launch its new brand identity and new position as a digital platform.

The long-standing radio station, established in the early 90s, sounded the alarm bells as funds were reaching a record low in February last year. With the station,  just weeks from closing the business identified the need to strengthen the brand and increase funding and that’s when Barefruit acquired the project.

The rebrand includes a black and white logo which was simplified to be more digitally friendly, flexible and to include the world-famous name ‘Byron’. The brand’s fonts, colours, and images were all created for today’s digital world. Their new website is now live bayfm.org and uses phrases such as ‘Listen like a local', ‘Tune In. Chill out. Sign Up’ which is very much in line with Byron Bay and its culture.

Bay FM is extremely happy that we helped without hesitation and without charge, giving the business more time and better service than we could have hoped for.

Bay Fm Website
Bay FM Bumper Sticker Design
Bay FM Press Ad
Bay FM Logo Design

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    Byron Bay’s iconic radio station BayFM gets a rebrand and a facelift

    bay FM rebrand and logo

    Barefruit has recently supported iconic and not-for-profit community radio station, BayFM, as part of a pro bono project to help launch its new brand identity and new position as a digital platform.

    The Brief

    The long-standing radio station, established in the early 90s, sounded the alarm bells as funds were reaching a record low in February last year. With the station just weeks from closing, the business identified the need to strengthen the brand and increase funding and that’s when creative agency Barefruit Marketing Byron Bay acquired the project.

    The new branding is the result of an 18-month collaboration and sees the inclusion of the station’s home of Byron. Barefruit Marketing’s Co-Founder Evan Harding says,

    “It was decided that to change the station’s name was a step too far, so the logo was simplified to be more digitally friendly, flexible and to include the world-famous name ‘Byron’. The brand’s fonts, colours, and images were all recreated for today’s digital world.”

    Bay FM bumper sticker
    The Rebrand

    The rebrand includes a black and white logo, collateral featuring a vibrant and fun colour palette, and a new website, using phrases such as ‘Listen like a local’, ‘Tune In. Chill out. Sign Up’ which is very much in line with Byron Bay and its culture.

    Barefruit Marketing’s lead creative, Alex Wales, worked closely on the project with NZ-based designer Dan Mercer together with Nick Richardson and Nick Mercer from BayFM, for over 100 hours of donated time to develop the brand as a digital platform to attract new advocates and reach current supporters in better ways.

    Evan Harding continues,

    “We believe that good business drives good community, and Barefruit was in a unique position to help BayFM. Over the past nine years, Barefruit has worked with a number of not-for-profit organisations and both founders are board members of charities, giving them pro bono access to some great minds and creative services. In every instance, we’ve seen extraordinary results and our partners are thriving more than ever before. These success stories affirm our belief that pro bono work done properly can help transform businesses and organisations."

    Bay FM website banner
    Happy Clients, Happy Days

    BayFM’s Nick Richardson comments on BayFM and the experience of working with Barefruit.

    “We really dislike asking agencies to work pro bono, because we know it costs them to provide that work. But the fact of the matter is BayFM simply had no money. It’s an independent, volunteer-run station and receives no ongoing government support. Knowing this, the Barefruit team jumped in to help without hesitation and without charge, giving us more time and better service than we could have hoped for.”

    The website is now live – bayfm.org and all other launch elements are in the process of being rolled out this month including signage, ads and stickers.

    See our work...

    What clients are saying

    It was great working with Jennica and Claire from Barefruit Marketing. They really took time to understand my project and delivered amazing ‘pitch’ / media release to appeal to journalists and media corporations. I felt comfortable sharing my ideas, and they were able to capture my vision and marry it to their expertise. Would highly recommend.

    Alex Bosin

    EV Classic

    I'd like to say a huge thank you to Claire and Charlotte from Barefruit Marketing who have helped me in the last couple of months to pull this amazing media event together. The agency has offered their services on a pro bono basis, I am so grateful for the work they have done. Claire and Charlotte have been my unconditional support crew to lean on for advice and ideas, and I am excited about how our relationship will move forward in the next few months.

    Kate Kempshall

    North Coast Community College

    I have been using Barefruit for my SEO and website development for Behind the Barrel. The best part about Barefruit is your're not just getting the attention of one of their staff members. The whole team works together to help bring the best possible outcome for your business marketing. I highly recommend Evan and his team if you want to take your business marketing to the next level.

    Jarryd

    Behind the Barrel

    The Barefruit team is always friendly, helpful and very professional. They have taken the time to understand our business needs and develop a effective strategy to grow our brand.

    Andrew Illingworth

    Tweed Coast Holiday Parks

    Just want to say a HUGE thank you to each and every one of the team for the website. You all went over and above and most certainly went above my expectations. I'm extremely happy with it (been bragging a bit about it just quietly) and couldn't have done it without you all. Thank you for bringing this to life.

    Trent Chapman

    Prevent Consultants

    Marketing, even when you’re crazy busy

    Juggling Marketing When You're Busy

    Our region has been so fortunate to have had so much business recently. We’ve heard that many local businesses have been overwhelmed with demand. Considering how difficult 2020 was, this is an amazing place to be so soon after. Whether you’re crazy busy with high demand, expanding your business or working towards getting back to pre-COVID times, marketing is always important.

    Marketing does help drive sales, and so much more than that. So even if you think you’re busy now, you’d be taking a big gamble to let it slide from your business strategy. The Northern Rivers has been flooded with visitors, and your marketing tells these people why they should consider you. Without these messages, your competitors will be thanking you.

    In It to Win It

    If you’re not in the game, you can’t win. Good marketing makes consumers think of you first when they need the product or service you offer. The brand awareness, interest and desire for your brand will impact your sales positively, no doubt. Keeping up with social media, traditional advertising, emails, digital marketing, SEO (whatever forms your strategy) keeps your brand in the forefront of consumer’s minds. If you drop your marketing efforts, even from just one channel, your competitors will already be ahead of you. Vying for consumer’s attention is a competitive game, so you must always play if you’re serious about growing your business.

    Slow and Steady

    It’s hard to keep up with marketing when you’re busy but you can’t let it take a back, or even a side seat. Consistency always wins. Right now is a great opportunity to put long-term marketing strategies in place to drive awareness and sales for the future. With a surge in domestic travel and people moving to the area, you can expect to see business steady all year round and your marketing efforts need to reflect this. You’ll need to continuously communicate with visitors, the locals and the new people arriving in our area. Businesses that never stop marketing experience a forward-momentum situation, like a train getting faster and faster along the tracks. Don’t slam the brakes on your marketing when you’re busy - doing so could slow down your sales in the future. To maintain sales (and to grow them!), be consistent.

    Always Communicate

    Tactics such as social media marketing, email marketing, print, TV advertising and PR help you tell your brand story. The more you communicate value to consumers, the more they consider you a voice of authority in the industry, especially if you’ve got something interesting, valuable or different to say. In 2021, brand activism is extremely important to influence purchase decision-making, so tell your story and communicate your brand’s personality to consumers.

    Having a long-term strategy and consistency in your marketing activities helps you compete against your competitors, maintain and drive sales in the future and grow your business. To keep moving forward, don’t stop what you’re doing.

    Related Tag: Marketing Gold Coast