full service marketing agency Archives - Page 2 of 7

Kingscliff Accommodation

Posted on 22 June 202213 August 2025 by fruityadmin

Background

We were approached by Kingscliff Accommodation, a boutique guest accommodation and property management provider on the Tweed Coast. Initially we were briefed with the objective to increase the number of properties in their portfolio, however, the partnership evolved into an ongoing retainer.

The work

We started the process of planning campaigns when we realised the branding, which had been created by another agency, wasn't quite right. It's application in socials wasn't working, and so before we got started on any promotional activities, we needed to correct the branding. We still had to keep the primary elements of their previous logo design, however we shifted the brand mark to a square bounded box rather than a pill-shape which was hard to use in social. From there, we rolled out the new branding across all marketing collateral, including business cards, a letterhead, comp slips and business folders. We also pulled together a Business Development Manager's pack which included a services flyer and agency agreement.

While this was all happening, we were simultaneously working on signage, website updates and campaign strategy - more to come on these elements later.

How Businesses Can Support Their Communities

Posted on 26 April 20222 February 2024 by fruityadmin

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’…

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

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…

Business Communications During Crisis

Posted on 1 April 202213 December 2022 by fruityadmin

It’s over a month now since our region saw the most devastating flood event ever recorded. And what an intense time it has been for our community. Our hearts go out to those affected (both directly and indirectly) and we extend our deepest gratitude for everyone who answered (and continue to answer) the call for help from friends, family, neighbours, and strangers; getting stuck in to help where it was (is) needed most.

Our local business community had already been tested and pushed to their absolute limits over the last few years with Covid, but nothing could prepare us for the tragedy of this natural disaster. The events that unfolded hour by hour and day by day were horrific and we think it’s safe to say, that those of us who had businesses left, were in complete shock of what to do next.

Check on your people

Our first move as a business, was to reach out to our own team and make sure they were safe or if they needed anything. Once the team were all accounted for, we needed to check on the other important people that bring our business to life – clients, suppliers, and contractors. We quickly assessed each of their individual situations and acted accordingly. Ranging from completely devastated to temporarily closed, and everything in between, one clear theme emerged – sensitivity, empathy and relevance were needed across the board in all business communications.

Sensitivity and Empathy

Even if your business was completely unaffected from the floods it’s likely that your customers have been affected in some way. Acknowledge the event and how your business is responding. Even if you intend to carry on business as usual, it’s not advisable to downplay or ignore the situation for fear of scaring off potential customers.
It is also imperative that your tone of voice and the language you use is sensitive to what people might be feeling and experiencing.

Relevance

Asking people to buy while they (or those around them) are in trauma and crisis is only going to do harm to your business reputation. Instead, communicate what you can do or offer to others at this time to make life a little easier. Make sure you check on all running and scheduled campaigns and pause them if you need to. Check all scheduled social media posts and decide if they are still relevant or whether they should be rescheduled for another time. Ensure that any automated communications are reviewed, tweaked, and amended to reflect the current situation. Emails that were drafted weeks ago, may not be well-received. We recommend sending out an email to your entire database acknowledging the crisis, including any information about how your business has been affected and what this means for regular business operations (trading hours, possible delays, etc) and how you intend to help the community.

A helping hand

In the best-case scenario, you would find ways that your business can help. We decided to pay all our team two full days for volunteering and cleaning up, and we know we certainly weren’t the only business doing this. It was important we got involved because we love and are part of this community and that’s what we do – help each other. We live in such a loving, caring community and we are so proud to be part of it. We are in this together now and for months to come. We encourage anyone who has yet to reach out and help, to do it. Not only is it rewarding, but it’s the right thing to do.

Northern Rivers - Our hearts are with you.

Related Tag: Marketing Gold Coast

Stay fruity,
Barefruit 🍊

A Guide to Email Marketing

Posted on 1 February 202212 December 2022 by fruityadmin

We know things are crazy at the moment for our local businesses. It’s a big juggle managing staff shortages, implications to supply chains and the ever-changing regulations, but there is one thing you can do to help your business maintain sales in this time, and that’s Email Marketing.

Email Marketing is your best friend. It’s one of the most effective ways to engage and build relationships with your customers, subscribers and leads. Why? Because you’re communicating with people who have already shown interest and see value in your business offering, and because of this they are much easier to nurture and convert into customers (and sales). Email Marketing on the Gold Coast can provide that extra push to move these people from the start to the end of the consumer journey.

The Golden Rule

Email Marketing is not about you or your brand, it’s about your audience. You need to really get in the mind of your target audience and create content you know they will value and engage with. Keep things simple to begin with and segment your contact list into customers and leads.

With your leads, your communication should give them the information and tools (in a non-salesy way) to make a purchase decision. Maybe that looks like behind the scenes content, product features and/or exclusive discounts. When it comes to your customers, Email Marketing is all about nurturing the relationship and doing what you can to get the most out of their appreciation for your brand, for example, tips on how to care for their purchase, how to use it in unconventional ways, loyalty and referral programs and asking them to leave a review. Top tip: offer something of value to your readers in exchange for an action, for example leaving a review, because if there is something in it for you, there has to be something in it for them.

Automation

If you have a little time up your sleeve (perhaps when you’re isolating at home 😳), setting up and automating a series of emails is the best thing you can do. Create a flow that a takes a newsletter subscriber or new customer on a journey to learn more about who you are and the products or services they are specifically interested in. The automated flow means all your new customers and subscribers are regularly reminded about your brand automatically. Remember, the content in these emails must be targeted to the reader (customers and leads need different information). Mailchimp is the place to get started and there are plenty of tutorials on YouTube to help when you get stuck.

Reach your readers in their inbox at the right time, with relevant and personalised content in a consistent manner and it’s more likely you’ll make more sales. Remember, there is a fine balance when it comes to how often you should reach customers on email. Don’t be a spammer - touching base with your valuable contact list every week or two is more than enough.

MBL Eye Surgeons Brand Refresh

Posted on 17 January 202213 August 2025 by fruityadmin

The work

We were engaged by MBL Eye Surgeons to breathe some new life into their branding. The old branding was out-dated, and didn't reflect the values of the clinic and experienced team anymore. The project kicked off with a logo rebrand, which incorporated the blues from the previous branding. combined with some greens inspired by the natural landscape in Ballina. It was important that the new logo clearly communicate MBL Eye Surgeons was a medical company, and the gradient of the blue and green hues achieves this. The brand mark is circular, representative of an eyeball.

Once the new branding was complete, we rolled it out across all marketing collateral and building signage. The project kept giving, and MBL Eye Surgeons requested we build a new website, incorporating the new branding.

We are so thrilled with all the work we completed for MBL Eye Surgeons. The signage at the Ballina clinic is a major highlight, as it looks fantastic.

Marketing Trends to Expect in 2022

Posted on 14 January 20228 April 2024 by fruityadmin

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.

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.

How to Use Instagram for Your Small Business

Posted on 6 January 20228 April 2024 by fruityadmin

With 2022 now in full swing (we can’t believe it either!), it's time to talk how you are going to best use your social media presence to support and grow your business. To make the most of customer's attention (and pocket), your business needs to be visible, attractive and engaging for customers in spaces where they spend most time. Yes, a shop front in town will do just that, but don’t forget where many of us spend hours of the day scrolling…Instagram. And so, here’s a few top tips to help you get the most out of your Instagram in the next few months.

Engage your community

Use the additional features on Instagram to create experiences that your customers can interact with. We’re talking polls, quizzes and interactive GIFs, as well as Instagram Live, Reels and Stories. When you engage and ask your followers for their voice, opinions and ideas, you start to build trust and transparency, as well as getting great feedback you can use to up your social game.

Go Live

Instagram Live opens up a whole new level of user engagement. Brands can showcase their products or services, demonstrate in-real-life use, discuss the production process – you can talk about anything in great detail which creates really valuable information for customers. Users that join the Live can pose questions and make comments in real-time, creating an authentic brand-customer experience you can’t simulate anywhere else.

Video is everything

Video content is everything on Instagram and you must use it showcase your products or services in fun, engaging and authentic ways. Product shots just don’t cut it anymore, so hit the record button instead. The beauty of Instagram Reels is that you can use trending edits and music as inspiration which not only makes the creativity part much easier, but also boosts your video’s chance of reaching a much wider audience. Don’t stress about not having all the tech skills, your smartphone and the editing software in Instagram is all you need. And the more ‘real’ you can be, the better.

Word of mouth

You need to tell everyone about your new business. Your friends, your family, neighbours, local publications, radio stations, competitors, other businesses, the community etc. Write a press release and send it to the local publications, invest in print and digital advertising, be present on socials and use your customer service skills to set yourself apart.

And with that, you’ll have launched a brand that is set up for success. But, of course, the hard work has only just begun.

Related Tag: Advertising Gold Coast

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

Barefoot Marketing? No, we’re BareFRUIT Marketing

Posted on 15 September 20216 January 2025 by fruityadmin

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.

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.

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.

Alex Bosin

EV Classic

Kate Kempshall

North Coast Community College

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

Trent Chapman

Prevent Consultants

Winners in Business and Professional Services

Posted on 25 August 20216 December 2024 by fruityadmin

Last Friday evening, we (Barefruit Marketing) were awarded the 2021 Business Excellence in Business and Professional Services award, proving that not even the statewide lockdown could dampen our spirits.Originally, there was going to be a Gala evening, but that didn’t go to plan, due to the current lockdown. Instead, the Ballina Chamber of Commerce honoured local businesses for their excellence by inviting entrants of the 2021 Ballina Shire Business Excellence Awards to tune in to the local community radio station, Paradise FM to celebrate this year’s winners within the Ballina Business Community.

Nothing can stop us

The entire team dressed in our fancy award threads (from the waist up) for the ‘virtual awards’ and tuned into a team Zoom call while listening to Paradise FM, excitedly anticipating the announcement – with bubbles at the ready. Thrilled and emotional, we were awarded ‘2021 Business Excellence in Business and Professional Services’ and were highly commended in the category, ‘Excellence in Small Business’. The competition was high going head-to-head against other local businesses including consulting agencies, real estate, and mortgage broking services.

Agency Co-founder and Director Evan Harding says,

"We might be a small agency, but we’re ‘perfectly formed’, producing creative work on par with city-based agencies. The results speak for themselves, as clients around the country have trusted us to achieve their objectives for over nine years.”

Evan continues,

“Being recognised for our achievements over the last 12 months during our most challenging year is something we are really proud of. The effect of the pandemic on the economy and our clients meant we had do things differently so having a ‘virtual awards’ night wasn’t going to impact our celebrations.”

A bit about Barefruit (that's us!)

We find solutions and implements marketing strategies for our clients, including branding, TV commercials, print advertising, online marketing, websites, event management, PR, social media, direct marketing and more. While we are based in Ballina, we do work with client across the country. We are passionate about client relationships, workplace wellbeing with regular team updates and giving back to the local community whenever we can.

Evan continues,

“We have assembled a team of internationally experienced professionals, each passionate about producing high quality marketing solutions, all from our Ballina office, or currently from home. We have an eye for what looks great and an attention to detail. We love what we do and we’re proud to call Ballina ‘home’".

Working together to pull through

Co-founder and Director Claire Harding comments,

“Barefruit has created a culture that allows for a tight knit group of people who truly care about each other. We work around individual schedules and have flexible hours which allow life, family and extracurricular activities to fit into our professional lives – especially during this current climate. This approach really pays off when the team are living a well-balanced life and are able to let the creativity and strategic thinking flow naturally.”

She concludes,

“This is what I love about creating our independent agency from the ground up. We started the agency nine years ago in our dining room knowing that we wanted to do what we love, whilst seeing our clients succeed and our community grow. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us."

Alex Bosin

EV Classic

Kate Kempshall

North Coast Community College

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

Trent Chapman

Prevent Consultants

East Coast Building Consultants – Integrated Marketing Campaign

Posted on 6 August 202113 August 2025 by fruityadmin

The work

Initially, Barefruit were engaged by East Coast Building Consultants, a building inspection services company in Byron, to build a website. There is no point in having a website that no one knows about, and so this job evolved into a strategy and implementation of an integrated digital marketing campaign to make sure this website came to life.

The digital campaign was rolled out across the website, Facebook and Instagram, email marketing, and Google My Business. A series of Facebook ads (which are also served on Instagram) were developed with specific audiences in mind. The ads were Facebook Instant Experience ads which give users the opportunity to discover more about the services on offer while remaining on the platform. The ads directed people to customised landing pages for each service provided by East Coast Building Consultants. To support the increase in keyword search, we developed blog posts for each service. Our campaign was reinforced by email marketing and Google My Business posts. Like all integrated campaigns, we rolled the creative out across traditional media, including a DL flyer and a Press Ad. In addition to the ongoing digital campaigns we run for East Coast Building Consultants, this client is part of our SEO program.

Search Engine Optimisation and digital marketing/ advertising work symbiotically, supporting and improving results for each other. This campaign and the SEO program working together resulted in a 73% increase of traffic to the website and a 50% increase in conversions made on the site (click to call, click to email, complete contact form). Inquiries made through Google My Business were up by 20%, and website clicks were boosted by 40%.

Kingscliff Accommodation

Background

The work

LET'S CHAT ABOUT CULTIVATING YOUR BRAND

Hey Team Fruity!

Pay it forward

Support your fellow local businesses

Check out what we've been up to

Check on your people

Sensitivity and Empathy

Relevance

A helping hand

Check out what we've been up to

The Golden Rule

Automation

Check out what we've been up to

MBL Eye Surgeons

The work

LET'S CHAT ABOUT CULTIVATING YOUR BRAND

Hey Team Fruity!

Have a Purpose

Social Commerce

The Need for Video

Own your Audience

Embrace Localised SEO

Engage your community

Go Live

Video is everything

Word of mouth

See our work...

What clients are saying

Alex Bosin

Kate Kempshall

Jarryd

Andrew Illingworth

Trent Chapman

What’s in a name

How it came together

The Barefruit brand values

What we do at Barefruit Marketing

See our work...

What clients are saying

Alex Bosin

Kate Kempshall

Jarryd

Andrew Illingworth

Trent Chapman

Nothing can stop us

A bit about Barefruit (that's us!)

Working together to pull through

See our work...

What clients are saying

Alex Bosin

Kate Kempshall

Jarryd

Andrew Illingworth

Trent Chapman

East Coast Building Consultants

The work

LET'S CHAT ABOUT CULTIVATING YOUR BRAND

Hey Team Fruity!