Marketing Agency Archives - Page 2 of 7

2020 at Barefruit Marketing

Posted on January 18, 2021January 2, 2024 by fruityadmin

This is the last time we talk about 2020, we promise! Although it was a weird year last year, many lessons were learnt along the way. We’re looking back to 2020 to recognise and acknowledge our growth, our flexibility, our productivity and our teamwork (oh, and the funny times too!).

Full of hope and motivation for the beginning of a new decade, 2020 started off with a bang. Everyone was feeling refreshed for the new year after a break over the Christmas holidays. The bush fires that had devastated regional and remote NSW had finally come to an end and, truthfully spirits were high. Then came along COVID-19 and little did we know how much this virus might have on the world as we knew it.

As Australia’s cases rose, restrictions around the country tightened. Before we knew it, the Barefruit office closed, and we were all sent home to work on reduced hours. It was so difficult to see our many of our clients and local businesses really struggle through the first lockdown. Much of our work was put on hold, however our rebrand project for Korff Wealth continued on amongst a few other projects. This included the beginnings of Rafiki Zabibu wine...check it out here.

We saw the opportunity for Korff Wealth, a financial services boutique to roll out their rebrand while Australia was in lockdown. Why? Because more than ever before, Australians were turning to experts for financial advice. It was an exciting and challenging time for the Barefruit team, working over the phone and internet to deliver a rebranding project.

After 60 days at home, it was finally time for the kids to head back to school which meant we got to go back to the office. Thank goodness! It was unprecedented times for our clients, with business slowly starting back up in our town. We dialled up our flexibility to deliver a ‘Back2Business’ campaign, including coaching programs and marketing packages to generate new leads. We also worked to help our clients take advantage of government grants that were available for small businesses to use for marketing and communications. Our ability to capitalise on opportunities such as these was essential to the success we have seen in recent months, and we feel very proud about it.

Along came July and our pregnant Agency Manager, Cat, was due to have her a baby very soon. It was time for Barefruit to bring on a new employee to fill Cat’s position. And so, we welcomed Charlotte into an Account Executive position. We can’t quite believe that we were not only able to survive 2020 as a business, but we also were able to expand the team. In fact, we even needed to get Sara, our previous Agency Manager, back in for a day a week as Charlotte moved onto more and more client work. On 29 August, Cat welcomed her little girl, Bonnie, earth-side. The new Barefruit bubba has visited us a few times since, and she is absolutely gorgeous.

As business continued to improve in our local town, we were awarded with more and more projects from existing and new clients. In September, we helped North Coast Community College launch their new Primary Industries Training Centre. This was a major highlight of our year. We worked to organise a launch event for this new training centre and series of certificate III qualifications, while simultaneously creating media buzz and as much free publicity about it as possible. The event was a huge success with dignitaries, local publications and special guests all in attendance. From this, numerous articles were written about the new NCCC Primary Industries Training Centre, and NBN ran a feature on the local news the evening of the event. Read more about the fantastic day it was here.

The second half of 2020 really flew by. Before we knew it, it was Spring, and business was returning to normal in our regional town. Not to mention the onslaught of tourists from Sydney and Brisbane who greatly helped business in the Northern Rivers recover from the impacts of lockdown. We worked with artist Len Collins to set up a new website, multiple shoots for Tweed Holidays Parks took place, we worked with a start-up to create a company name and branding. We organised a Golf Day event with Northern Rivers Food in return for event sponsorship, continued ongoing work for all our retainer clients and saw our beer packaging design on the shelves of bottle shops. Recently we were awarded a TVC job for Raine and Horne.

After 414+ creative briefs, 500+ hours of pro bono work, 15 new websites and 15+ new branding projects we wrapped the year up, celebrating with a fantastic Christmas Party with Behind the Barrel. Thank you to everyone who made the year it was at Barefruit. We are forever grateful to be where we are today in 2021, thanks to the support of our staff, our clients and the local community.

Related Tag: Digital Marketing Byron Bay

Indigenous farming on offer at Wollongbar college

Posted on December 18, 2020December 6, 2023 by fruityadmin

Barefruit assisted North Coast Community College with the launch of their new Primary Industries Training Centre. This involved creating media buzz to generate free publicity. Our PR strategy involved sending out a press release to the media before and after the event to engage local publications. The Byron Echo, followed up our press release with an article about the new training centre in Wollongbar.

The Echo's focus was informing the public about the indigenous aspect of the new, unique Cert. III qualifications. It's a first for our local area, and perhaps one in the State (who knows, maybe even nation-wide). The collaboration between North Coast Community College and the DPI extends also to the local indigenous tribe. The new qualifications all have a Cultural unit, taught by Cultural Trainer, Tracy King. She said, ‘As a Bundjalung woman with cultural connections through kinship throughout the Bundjalung Nation, I am very passionate and a firm believer in Aboriginal cultural and heritage values to use as a tool for future generations’.

You can read more this project here.

Northern Rivers Food – Event Management

Posted on December 18, 2020December 18, 2020 by fruityadmin

our response

With a six-week lead time, the priority was to find a venue and to contact local food businesses to ask if they wanted to sponsor and/ or contribute to the day. Byron Bay Golf Club agreed to hold the event and provide catering for late lunch and Barefruit became the major sponsor of the event. Northern Rivers Food wanted to provide ‘goody bags’ for each player and award prizes at the end of the day. Organising this involved reaching out to local food businesses and collecting donations of product. Over 15 companies donated product for the goody bags and prizes.

Barefruit was also involved in advising how to promote the event as well as designing a digital invitation and social media content. Stone and Wood sponsored the event with a ‘Bar on the Green’ at hole 18. A keg was set up under a marque, accompanied by baguettes from The Bread Social and cured meats from Salumi for players to enjoy.

the fruits

The event, held on Friday, 13 November was a great success. We attracted 54 players, who played in teams of 4. This was 4 players extra than the 2019 event! Goody bags for each player included donations of product from Brookfarm, Cape Byron Distillery, Dona Cholita, Tweed Real Food, Santos Organics, Extraordinary Foods, Mt Warning Spring Water, Northern Rivers Food and Barefruit Marketing. The Stone and Wood bar was a hit, enjoyed by all.

We were particularly proud of our Barefruit Marketing lunch bag which was part of the goody bag. We included an orange, flyer, branded pen and orange scorer in a brown lunch bag, sealed with a Barefruit sticker.

Business Tips to Make the Most of Summer

Posted on December 16, 2020March 29, 2022 by fruityadmin

With the festive season and school holidays in full swing the Northern Rivers is seeing a huge influx of visitors. And, with international travel no longer an option for a Christmas getaway, this summer is going to be busier than ever before. As a small business in our area, it’s time to get creative and do what you can to capture the attention of locals and visitors. Think about how you can make valuable exchanges and build relationships to encourage future sales.

It’s time to get creative!

This summer is the perfect opportunity to gather and collect content and customers so when it goes quiet again, you’ve got something to work with. After the year 2020 was, User Generated Content (UGC) is more important than ever before. Think of ways for consumers to engage with your brand so that their experience with you is memorable and personalised. Perhaps it’s through a hashtag, a competition or discount rewarding UGC or some clever packaging.

Lennox Head Pizza have collaborated with @thepizzabib and local artist, MLak, to create quirky pizza boxes with fun artwork that is very shareable on social media. Don’t forget about print ads, either! We can expect this high season to last until after Easter, so an ad in the Lennox Wave, the Echo or other local publications will boost your brand's awareness. Loyalty cards, gift cards and repeat-sale-discounts are other ways to facilitate relationship building with consumers.

Trends to look out for in 2021

The marketing landscape has undergone significant change due to the impacts of lockdowns and social-distancing restrictions, across the world. As such, nostalgia marketing has really taken off. Why? We’re all craving the comfort of familiarity. Nostalgia is incredibly powerful, and it’s been proven to make consumers more willing to spend money on products and services. This makes nostalgia marketing a perfect fit for any marketing plans Australia. When you combine emotions and connections to brands from people’s childhoods with persuasive messaging, it has a strong effect on purchase decision-making. Remember the ‘Crocodile Dundee’ Superbowl ad for Australian Tourism? That tapped into nostalgia, helping Americans connect with and build perceptions of modern-day Australia.

Position Zero on Google

We are currently witnessing one of the biggest shifts in digital marketing in the last decade. It’s always been the goal to rank 1 on Google, but now there is a Position Zero to aim for. Position Zero is when text from a website is shown above search results. This snippet is pulled from Google’s algorithm as it is believed to be the most accurate answer to a certain query. Position Zero is what Google uses to answer voice searches, which is why it is becoming increasingly important. In 2021, ranking first in search results will still be essential to a successful SEO strategy, and being featured in Position Zero will be just as important, if not more so.

We made it through 2020! May 2021 be a fruitful year for you.

Marketing trends you can expect to see in 2021

Posted on November 20, 2020February 8, 2023 by fruityadmin

2021 is just around the corner which means it’s time to get ahead of the game. As we approach the end of each year, marketing trends for the next start to emerge. So, we’re going to take a look at what you can expect to see in the world of marketing in 2021.

User Generated Content

Since the rise of influencer marketing, user generated content (UGC) has become a highly effective marketing strategy for brands all across the world. As such, the value of UGC has increased exponentially due to consumers’ inclination to trust messages from fellow users over those from brands. The main appeal of UGC is the increased level of authenticity and reliability it provides consumers – essentially, it’s the new-school word for ‘word of mouth’.

Due to lock-down and social-distancing restrictions, 2020 saw a HUGE increase in UGC. Photoshoots and filming were put on hold and so brands had to get creative. And so, they adapted to the evolving digital landscape by looking to their customers to create content they want to see. We’ve seen more collaborations, influencer take-overs and real-life consumers using products on brand profiles on social media than ever before. In 2021, expect to see the trend continue because, let’s face it, there is nothing more trusting and enticing to see someone using and enjoying a product or service.

Branded content

High quality branded content has also been on the rise in 2020. Although, it’s no longer a one-way conversation when it comes to branded content. When brands communicate messages across any channel, consumers are increasingly expecting an experience. They don’t want to be told that something is on sale. Consumers want to connect emotionally with brands and get to know the brand’s personality and values in order to establish a relationship which aids purchase decisions.

And so, branded content in 2021 will be about creating a unique, unforgettable experience for customers. Jen McKinnon, Video Marketing Specialist and Envato says,

"With businesses, brands and individuals creating new content by the second, it's becoming harder and harder to stand out, which is why the quality of what we publish is so important.”

Some brands are using AR features of Instagram filters to give users branded experiences. Below are a few examples we love. Gucci jumped on board with a filter to help 2020 high school and uni graduates celebrate, which was extremely popular as graduation ceremonies were cancelled around the world. We MakeUp has used filters to give users the opportunity to 'try before thy buy'. And Taco Bell ...well we aren't sure if we love it, but it's certainly an experience for the user! You've likely seen brands engage on Instagram filters with games as well, and all of this is high quality branded content that creates memorable experiences for users.

Social commerce

Social media is now the biggest and most beneficial platform for digital marketing, and makes up a large part of marketing budgets. With the introduction of Facebook and Instagram shops, product tags and Pinterest shopping ads and catalogues, social commerce has made its mark in 2020. 55% of online shoppers making purchases through social media channel and a whopping 71% of us turning to social media for shopping inspiration.

As we move into 2021, its more important than ever to make your brand, product and services are shoppable on social media. Additionally, consumers are starting to expect a more streamlined shopping experience, so having products shoppable on social media channels delivers on their expectations.

Brand activism

With everything that has happened in 2020, people have turned to social media to share their viewpoints on political, social and environmental issues around the world. It is no surprise that we are now seeing a big increase in brand activism, especially on social media. Today’s consumers are no longer out to get a good deal, instead they are becoming loyal to brands that aren’t afraid to stand up for what’s right, are committed to making change and have values aligned to those of their own.

In 2021, to help consumers feel connected to your brand’s personality, to build trust and loyalty you need to share your brand’s view points on certain issues in the world. Not all of them, of course! But the main ones that resonate with you and your brand.

Nostalgia Marketing

Described as the ‘advertising-equivalent of comfort food’, nostalgia marketing has really taken off in the last year. And this is probably because we are all craving familiarity, comfort and safety in 2020. Additionally, in a fast-paced world, looking back on the good-ol’ times always a welcome comfort.

Nostalgia is incredibly powerful, and it’s been proven to make consumers more willing to spend money on products and services, making it a perfect fit for any marketing strategy. When you combine nostalgia and marketing together, you get a force that cannot be reckoned with. Mixing emotions and connections to brands from people’s childhoods with persuasive messaging has a strong effect on purchase decision-making. Nostalgia Marketing forces us to focus on the things we already know and uses the familiarity of the old to sell the innovation. Its familiar, comforting and safe, and who doesn’t want a bit of that right now?

SERP Position Zero

SEO will remain an integral part of a digital marketing strategy in 2021, especially now that we are witnessing one of the biggest shifts in the industry in the last decade. Due to the increase use of mobile and voice search, the way in which people use search engines is changing. Think about how you use your phone to search on Google, versus how you use a desktop computer. As such, to rank first on Google Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) is no longer the ultimate goal. There is now a Position Zero to aim for. Position Zero is when text from a website is shown above search results. This snippet is pulled from Google’s algorithm as it is believed to be the most accurate answer to a certain query. Position Zero is what Google uses to answer voice searches, which is why it is becoming increasingly important.

In 2021, ranking first in search results will still be essential to a successful SEO strategy, but being featured in Position Zero will be just as important, if not more so.

How to Nail your Organic Social Media

Posted on October 9, 2020December 30, 2021 by fruityadmin

Social Media. Everyone has it and everyone is always on it, so as a small business, you probably need it. But once you’ve set up your account on Facebook and Instagram, what do you actually do? There is an art to creating an engaging profile that entices your audience to buy, so lets run through it.

Aesthetic Instagram Profiles

Your brand has a personality, and on Instagram you need to make that personality shine. One way to do this, is to use a colour palette that reflects your branding. Choose between 3-4 colours, and make sure at least one of those colours is in every post you make. Another way to get consistency in your posts is to use the same filter for your photos. Don't feel locked into your aesthetic though! You can change it up every 20 or so posts (so maybe a new colour palette every month) if you wish. All you need to do is ensure is that visitors to your Instagram profile can get a feel for your branding from simply being on your page. But why are we making a fuss about good-looking profiles? With more and more people turning to Instagram to research brands, you need your profile to look as sleek as your website.

What to post

When it comes to choosing what to post, think as if your brand was a person. What would they post and share? It shouldn’t all be photos of your product – post inspirational quotes and images, videos and behind the scenes’ content. Give people the opportunity to get to know (and like!) your brand's personality. Share reviews and other brand’s content, introduce your staff and talk about the community. Do a shout out to another brand, show people enjoying your product and tell people about an upcoming market. And the ideas can go on forever. The main takeaway – make sure your content is varied!

Where to find content

Make it yourself! Use a free online editing tool like Canva to edit, add text and graphics to your photos, making them more engaging. Don't be afraid of using other people's content either, just make sure you tag them! And if you’re stuck, you can download free images on pexel.com or unsplash.com.

Post, and post often

When we are talking Instagram, generally speaking the recommendation is to make a post once a day. But do consider your target market when making decisions about post frequency. Young people who are always on their social accounts need new content all the time, and so you may need to post on your feed twice a day just to keep up. If your target market is skewed a little older, perhaps they won't appreciate being overloaded with your brand's content. Again, it all depends on what your target audience prioritises and how they engage with social media. Just make sure whatever your strategy is, it suits their interests and behaviour. When we talk Facebook, you don't need to post so often. This is because the platform has shifted its focus away from the content feed to Facebook Messenger and Facebook Groups (which is where most people find value in Facebook). Maybe post once every two or three days - but don't go too long without saying anything!

Stories are awesome

With more Instagram users turning straight to stories and ignoring their feed, this is where you need to be! They give you the opportunity to be super authentic and real with your audience. Imagine them as a little window into your life as a business owner. Share updates on what’s happening within your business and use GIFs and text to make them more engaging. Talking directly to camera is on trend for 2020, as is sharing the ups as well as the downs of your day-to-day life. Generally speaking, you can't really over-do it on stories, as they only last 24 hours and Instagram users can simply swipe past you when they've had enough. I'm sure you've seen many "Influences" with hour-long stories about nothing, yet people still watch it! Keep in mind, you don't want to be sharing absolutely everything all the time, make sure you are always keeping your branding top of mind when you share wiht your followers. Barefruit Marketing provides the best social media marketing on Gold Coast.

What about the other social platforms?

Good question! There are so many other social media platforms out there; Snapchat, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok and Whatsapp to name a few. We consider these the 'nice-to-haves'. Instagram and Facebook are the big players, across all demographics in Australia. The rest might be more suited to certain industries or age groups. YouTube is probably next in line after Facebook and Instagram, and is highly recommended if you're interested in long-format video (5 minutes +). You could use this platform to show people you what your product can do, explain the production process or talk in-depth about specifications. If you're wanting to tap into today's teenagers, then you'll need Snapchat - maybe more so for advertising within than posting. And there is Pinterest, where you can find all your middle-aged women with 71% of users being female and a median age of 40 years old (Omnicore, 2020).

The main message is to keep your audience engaged on social media by sharing varied content in different formats with them… often. Be creative and experiment – you can’t really go wrong as long as you are true to your brand, kind to others and have fun.

AdNews features Seven Mile Brewing Co. Packaging Designed by Barefruit

Posted on September 25, 2020April 8, 2024 by fruityadmin

It was fantastic to see AdNews Australia pick up and write a story on the the packaging redesign project, briefed into us by Seven Mile Brewing Co. The recognition of our hard work was very rewarding, especially after the year 2020 has been.

The agency was delighted to be awarded the brief from Seven Mile Brewing Co. to redesign the packaging of their three core craft brews; American Pale Ale, Cali Cream and West Coast IPA. It was an exciting opportunity for Barefuit to work with a local business who required help in designing cans that served both functional and brand purposes for their beers. The brewery prides themselves on keeping their beer cold from the moment it is poured into a can and Barefruit ensured the packaging was designed for this purpose.

“It’s really important to us that our beer is kept cold from the moment it’s poured.” says, Matt, co-founder of Seven Mile Brewing Co. He goes on to say, “This ensures the beer’s flavours and aromas stay true to how we brew them here on site. And so, we needed packaging that would keep its integrity at cold temperatures”.

Colouring-in for a Creative Mind

Posted on September 22, 2020December 10, 2021 by fruityadmin

Remember when you were at school? When recess was the best time of the day? You were let free from class to run around until your heart was content, to climb on the monkey bars and play made-up games. You were completely present in the moment and gave your mind a break from the hard work that goes into learning. Why don’t we do this anymore? When we talk about creativity, it’s so important to relieve your mind after critical thinking and reset focus. This essentially turns over a new page in your mind, making room for new ideas and connections to be formed. It’s essential for productive creativity, yet we never allow it for ourselves.

Until now! You need to get your hands on some colouring-in material because it’s not just for kids anymore. It may not be as physical as running around on the playground, but colouring-in will help you reset your mind, leading to enhanced creativity.

Colouring-in to express yourself

As an artistic practise, colouring-in lets you express yourself in way that you cannot in your daily work and life routine. It encourages experimentation which leads to new ideas. Ever had a great idea that just hit you out of the blue? It’s very likely you were being creative and present in the moment, helping your brain make new connections and pathways. What’s more, you can strategically use specific colours to enhance this effect on the brain. As you may already know, colours have a measurable impact on how we feel and how we think. Studies have shown the using blue and green in a situation or environment helps the brain to think creatively and open it to new ideas.

Colouring-in to detox from the digital world

As creative professionals, we are being drawn into the digital world more and more. Keyboards and screens have become our new normal, so putting a pencil to paper may be the best thing you could do for you creativity all day. Your eyes will be grateful for the time away from the screen too. Colouring-in is also highly effective to wind down after work or before bed. It can give you that distinction between your workday and being at home, especially important with so many Australians working at home at the moment. As reading or walking does, you’ll feel more refreshed after some colouring-in, instead of groggy and tired from staring at the computer all day long.

Colouring-in for stress relief

Feeling overwhelmed, running out of inspiration - life is stressful, and it’s even more stressful in the current climate. Give yourself the opportunity to zen out and focus solely on what’s happening right in front of you. Colouring-in will do this for you. Studies have shown that colouring-in relieves stress and helps reduce anxiety. Colouring within the lines means you don’t have to think about screwing up the drawing, boosting self-confidence and trust in your own ability. And what happens when you feel confident within yourself, and less stressed? You’ve got more room for creativity and new ideas!

Colouring-in to practise mindfulness meditation

Sitting still is not your thing? Traditional meditation is hard to practise, but that doesn’t mean it’s not for you. Meditation is often misunderstood for a crossed-legged yogi, sitting still for hours on end. This is unrealistic for pretty much everyone, and there are plenty of other ways to practise mindfulness meditation. The essence of practising mindfulness is to be 100% present in what you are doing. When you are colouring-in, you are focused only on the drawing in front of you. This helps to block out all distractions, declutter your mind and transport you into a meditative state. This break from the demands of everyday life creates space for creative thinking to thrive and helps improve mental health.

Before you rush out the door to find the closest colouring-in book you can find, Rafiki Mwema have some gorgeous free downloads to get you started. These three colouring-in sheets are part of the colouring-in book ‘Rafiki Mwema - Colours of the World’, featuring illustrations from artists all around the world who donated their art for this book. And if the three sheets aren’t enough, you can buy the whole book! Use the code FRUIT25 to get a 25% discount. Proceeds go towards helping some of the most vulnerable children in Kenya. It's a guilt-free, creativity enhancer that you need!

Related Tag: Advertising Gold Coast

NCCC – Bush food farming on offer at new training facility

Posted on September 17, 2020March 29, 2022 by fruityadmin

Barefruit was engaged by North Coast Community College to assist with creating media buzz about the opening event of their new Primary Industries Training Centre. Our PR strategy involved sending out a press release to the media before and after the event. As such, our efforts were recognised, with most of our local publications writing about and attending the event. One of the articles from the media came from the Northern Star.

Our for creating media buzz involved a new approach to sending out a Press Release. Instead of a blanket email to all journalists and editors, we hand-picked the publications we wanted this story to run in - there were about 8-10 publications. We then sent out our Press Release to those journalists and editors, and a few hours later, followed up our email with a call. Doing so, helped us to ensure the journalists had seen our Press Release and gave us the opportunity to summarise it quickly over the hone. We were also able to convey our excitement and a few extra details in conversation to hype up the story too. This approach was successful for 90% of the publications we reached out to - huge win!

You can read more this project here.

North Coast Community College – PR and Event Management

Posted on September 17, 2020February 2, 2024 by fruityadmin

the brief