Tag: marketing

Getting Your Brand Ready for Christmas

Posted on by fruityadmin
Get ready for Xmas

It’s that time of year already…finally! After the Melbourne Cup, the festive season hits and with the longer days, daylight savings and warmer weather, Christmas is well and truly on its way. If you’re a small business, Christmas and the holiday season can be one of your busiest times of the year. So let’s make sure you’re ready.

Promotion, Sales and Discounts

Whatever you’re selling, this is the time of year when the market is saturated with promotions, deals, discounts and sales. It all kicks off with Black Friday on 29 November and Cyber Monday on 30 November in celebration of Thanksgiving. Although Australia doesn’t necessarily celebrate Thanksgiving, we’ve jumped on board anyway – any excuse for a sale! Then we’re into the Christmas rush, swiftly followed by Boxing Day and January sales. Choose which promotional method best suits your brand and make sure you give people plenty of notice. Utilise your social media channels, website and email lists. If you are Lennox-based, you will reach most of the community with the Lennox Wave. What's more, over the holiday period Helen’s bumper issue reaches locals and the many visitors to our town!

Consider Shipping Delays

With COVID-19 and the huge increase in online shopping, Australia Post and other couriers are struggling to keep up. Keep an eye on possible delays! Communicate the cut-off dates for Christmas deliveries to encourage early purchase.

Christmas Gifts for Business Partners and Loyal Customers

The festive season is a time for giving and it’s important to make sure your brand is also. Recognise the people you work with, partnerships, clients and loyal customers with a little-something-special to show they’ve made a difference to your year. It doesn’t have to be big or expensive…a card in the mail goes a long way. Again, don’t forget lead times on merchandise could be very soon.

Shop local!

Choose to shop local to support our community and local business owners. With everything that has happened this year, they really need all the support they can get. Plus, gifts are so much more special when there is a story behind them – a personal touch that cannot be matched.

Schedule your Socials

Being a business owner and wearing all those hats is full on at the best of times, so get ahead of yourself and organise what you can in advance. Batch your content and spend a few hours getting your posts created and scheduled, all the way to the beginning of January if you can! There is an in-built scheduling tool in Facebook called Creator Studio (make sure you link your Instagram and Facebook together!) and multiple scheduling apps, such as Hootsuite or Later.

2020 has been a huge year, and as a business owner we have all felt pushed to our absolute limits at times. This Christmas make sure to give yourself a break. Get refreshed for the new year, think about your goals moving forward and appreciate the fact that you made it!

Related tag: Branding Gold Coast

 

It’s time to talk Search Engine Marketing

Posted on by fruityadmin

Spring has sprung! While we’re relieved that the Northern Rivers hasn’t experienced a second wave in terms of increasing COVID cases, it’s hard to hear that local businesses are still copping the brunt of the economic slow-down. It’s time to put on your "adapt to survive” hat and look for opportunities in places where business is growing. And one of those places is online!

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is one of the most important marketing channels to generate web traffic to your website. It’s the process of increasing website visibility on search engine results pages though paid search advertising. If Google Ads, previously known as AdWords, rings a bell, this is what we are talking about. With millions of businesses out there vying for the same eyeballs, online advertising to promote your products or services has never been so crucial.

Bidding on keywords

Google Ads is a platform which allows you to bid on keywords to have your ads shown when people are doing searches on Google. You bid against other advertisers for the right to have your ad shown in several places on the Google Search results page. You only pay, however, when a user clicks on your ad. By setting a daily budget, you can cap the amount that you spend each day. You could set a budget of $5 or $10 per day and know that you are only paying for those who click on your ad (and hence visit your website).

More than just search

While SEM is great for attracting those who are searching for particular keywords, Google Ads also provides the opportunity to show your ads on other platforms. Advertising on the Google Display Network means your ads have the opportunity to be shown on millions of sites such as YouTube, eBay, Amazon and Gumtree.

Catch them looking

Everybody knows the experience of looking at a product and then suddenly getting those ads shown to you again.  This is a technique called remarketing that allows Google to show your ads to people who have previously shown an interest in your brand.  This works on the old marketing “rule of seven” that people need to be exposed to your message 7 times before they take action. 

SEM is focused on converting

While traditional advertising works to grow your brand awareness, SEM reaches people actively searching, people who are ready to buy. When someone clicks on your ad your landing page should guide them through the sales process… and voila! You’ve made a sale, gathered new leads, subscribers or sign-ups.

Now that you’ve got an idea of the potential for online advertising Gold Coast, set up your Google Ads account. There are heaps of tutorials on YouTube to help you get going. Google even has a free online course on Google Skillshop to get you started.

A fresh, fruity and fabulous new look for Barefruit

Posted on by fruityadmin
marketing agency rebrands and celebrates 7th anniversary

Our visual identity has evolved a fair amount since we ‘planted the seed’ back in 2012 and in that time our team has grown, as have the services we provide. To mark our 7th birthday, we're peeling off the layers and revealing a fresh new look.

Co-Founder and Chief Juicer, Claire Harding says, “What better way to celebrate seven years in the business than with a brand refresh?!”

“Our vision and values remain the same, however, it was time to evolve our brand mark. Our new brand holds onto the symbolism of 'the fruit' whilst modernising the mark, making it a simple, contemporary and a unique lockup,” she continues.

“All great brands change their marks over time - think Apple, Amazon, Nike, Google. The aim is to have a mark that your customers recognise in the blink of an eye, that needs no words,” she says.

From old to new, see how our brand has evolved...

Eleven years ago, Claire and Evan Harding – marketing professionals with over 40 years’ combined experience – moved from London to the Northern Rivers in search of a new life and in 2012 they set up their business, a boutique marketing agency focussed on inspirational, creative marketing that would really work - in essence, help businesses to fructify or bear fruit.

They weren’t to know how this idea would develop over the coming years through a chain of exciting events. Their passion for growth and to help businesses thrive, along with their down to earth approach, brought in key clients who were taken by Barefruit’s bold ideas and strategies - including Ballina Campervans, Motorhomes & Caravans, Tweed Coast Holiday Parks and Westlawn Finance.

marketing agency turn 7

During their life-span, Barefruit Marketing have collected a number of prestigious and local awards including, in 2016 & 2017 'Business of the Year' and 'Professional Services' (Lennox Head Chamber of Commerce Awards), 'Excellence in Small Business (Northern Rivers Business Awards), 'State Finalists - Marketing Communications' (National Optus My Business Awards). In 2018, they were nominated as finalists for 'Young Employee of the Year' and the 'Professional Services' (Ballina Business Awards).

The business has rapidly expanded, with increased demand locally and nationally for a regional agency providing city experience and expertise across the whole marketing realm – from research, branding, strategy and planning to advertising, design, PR, events, website design and digital marketing. Employing 14 creative humans with varied national and international experience including global agency roles, together they operate as the Barefruit Marketing team, based in the centre of Ballina’s CBD – the perfect spot to service clients throughout the Northern Rivers and beyond.

The bright Barefruit orange branding cannot be missed as you go by the Riverwalk Arcade in Ballina. Inside, the agency is open plan, energetic and inspiring, with their own wall garden, ‘personalised’ gallery and coffee and dance tunes on tap all day – and when a brief is on, all night.

The Barefruit office is also home to 'Rafiki Mwema' a not-for-profit charity supporting traumatised children in Kenya, of which Claire is a board member and Barefruit Marketing are corporate sponsors.

The Barefruit story is a great example of what hard work, networking, belief, and passion in your business can bring. "Don't be afraid to grow and to challenge the norm. We are so thankful to our wonderful clients, the local community, our staff and the Business Chambers for believing in what we do and giving us the drive to keep getting better," says Co-Founder and Head Harvester, Evan Harding.

If you want to get in touch with us to see how we can help you – head on over to our contact page.

Related Tags: Branding Gold Coast, SEO BALLINA

Plastic Free Forever

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Plastic Free Ocean

Will you join us in the challenge and ‘Choose to Refuse’ single use plastics this month? Please join our effort to help the environment and choose to refuse single-use plastic during July and beyond!

Barefruit currently employ a number of initiatives and a plastic-free challenge that gets us thinking about the amount of plastic packaging in our lives! The Barefruit mindset is to create forever habits.

Our rules:

1. Make sure everyone knows the rules of recycling
2. No single use plastics: NO disposable coffee cups — only keep-cups to be used, reuse coffee carrying trays, take own bowls/crockery to get food from local cafe’s
3. Bring your own lunch/meal- share lunch program — cutting down on takeaway containers
4. In-office swaps including clothes, books, unwanted gifts, etc
5.Sustainable switches: reusable rags instead of paper towels, keep cups, reusable shopping bags, metal straws, reusable cutlery and plates over take-away versions.
6. Compost food scraps
7. Office plants to detox the air
8. Natural, toxin-free cleaning products
9. Open windows and encouraging natural light. This saves energy and is better for overall wellbeing
10. Promote sustainable and healthy food (Food Challenges encouraged)
11. Adopt a ‘Double Sided’ policy when using the printer
12. Car sharing/pooling to meetings
13. Dropbox filing system instead of paper filing
14. Purchase recycled paper

If you offend twice in a week your penalty is to shout the team coffee (keep cups, of course) wearing the orange suit to the coffee shop through the Main Street (River St, Ballina)

Why participate?

Living plastic free can be a forever mindset.

Choose to:

  • Avoid products in plastic packaging (choose alternatives)
  • Reduce where possible (opt for refills, remember your reusable shopping bags)
  • Refuse plastics that escape as litter (e.g. straws, takeaway cups, utensils, balloons)
  • Recycle what cannot be avoided
Are you with us?

Click below to accept and join the Plastic Free July 2018 Challenge & contribute to the count!

Share your plastic free efforts with us

The Plastic Free July Foundation's mission

Build a global movement that dramatically reduces plastic use and improves recycling. Their vision is a world without plastic waste. Over 2 million people from 159 countries are choosing to be part of our annual Plastic Free July challenge, reducing their consumption of single-use plastics in July and beyond. This July, they’re calling for all global citizens to collectively address on of the world’s greatest environmental challenges, plastic waste.

Join the global movement by taking up the challenge to #choosetorefuse and go #plasticfreejuly. ​The Plastic Free July campaign raises awareness of our growing plastic waste problem and supports behaviour change by helping people to avoid single-use (disposable) plastic. But it's not just about changing our own behaviour, we want to scale our impact by sharing solutions and be part of a wider movement for change. Community groups, businesses, schools and other organisations can also participate in Plastic Free July - get started with our handy toolbox of resources.

Websites need more than just ‘Good Looks’

Posted on by fruityadmin

Websites need more 
than just ‘Good Looks’ 

Having a website that ‘looks good’ is an essential part of your marketing strategy. But looks aren’t everything. The functionality and experience of the website user are just as important, if not more so.

Understanding the ‘User Experience’, which has been coined ‘UX’, is central to your website not only providing engaging, quality content, but helping your consumers to convert their interest to a lead or sale.

The design of any new website, or the redesign of any existing site, should have ‘UX’ at the core of any research and planning. It will help you appreciate how consumers are using your website, allowing you to create a journey through the pages that is simple and intuitive, therefore influencing the design of your ‘User Interface’ or ‘UI’ (what the user interacts with).

Websites come in all shapes and sizes. Depending on the objectives and budget, your website can range in scale, look and feel. With the plethora of ‘free’ website platforms available, anyone can be a website designer… producing sites that really look the business! But whatever your website, just make sure you put yourself in the shoes of your consumer. How are they going to use the site, what’s their journey, and what’s your objective for them? Is it to simply research your product? or pick up the phone and become a hot lead? Either way… ‘User Experience' is key.

If you’d like to talk about the ‘User Experience’ of your website, contact our team today at hello@barefruit.com.au

Websites Looks Good

National Wear your ​Pyjamas ​to work ​Day

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PJ Day BFM

We've all gone Pyjamas

At Barefruit Marketing​ we're all about embracing important National Days. Important and serious days, like ​International ​National Women's Day, Father's Day... and who could forget the best day of all, National Wear your ​Pyjamas ​to work ​Day.

​But we're sensible adults who would never drop their kids at school in our pyjamas​​. Wait, what? Claire did? Okay... We're sensible adults who would never forget to drop our kids at school... and ​we all wore our pyjamas to the office today​ because we are all game for a laugh.

Blues, yellows, shorts, t-shirts, polka dot​s,​ penguins​ and Wonder Woman adorned our business-bodies today as we worked to the (slightly hypnotic) lullaby-remixes of classic ​Disney tunes. We also started the day with a session of laughing yoga - you should try it, it's hilarious, and helps if one of the team has an infectious laugh (Sara).​

But it wasn't all for fun and laughing-yoga - there was a serious side to our shenanigans today. As a proud corporate sponsor, and several personal sponsors, our team is ​committed to supporting Rafiki Mwema - a charity run from our office that provides safe houses and therapeutic care​ for traumatised and sexually abused young children. ​All ​our ​pyjama participants donated $5 to the charity today. $5 in Kenya can go a long way, for instance it can buy 3 meals a day for one of our ​children for a week, or transport 3 of our children home for supervised visits with their family.

Rafiki Mwema ​urgently need funds to continue the life-saving work they do with these children - if you can go without your latte for a day, please consider donating it to Rafiki Mwema here, and make a difference - it is tax deductible too. When you donate please put 'Barefruit' in the notes - and we'll donate another dollar!

For more information on Rafiki Mwema also #WearYourPyjamasToWorkDay And don't forget, we're hiring at Barefruit. So if you want to join in the fun that is our office, check positions available here.

Great Branding Needs Great Graphic Design

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Great Branding 
Needs Great Graphic Design

As a marketing tool, high quality graphic design can define your brand and differentiate it from others. Without great design even the best headline and copywriting will have little cut-through. Unique graphic design creates a visual representation of what your business is about. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words — a powerful graphic or design can visually represent or convey emotion, stimulate the viewer, represent quality and express a business’ personality within a split second.

Here are some basic graphic design tips to consider when branding your business:

1. Start with the logo
Your logo is fundamental to your brand ­— it will be used on everything. Choose colours and fonts carefully. Make sure it’s legible and the design isn’t too intricate or fussy — logos need to easily work on all platforms from business cards to billboards.

2. The ‘no more than 2’ rule
Choose two core colours (black and white excluded) when designing for just about anything. Any more and it starts to give potential customers a headache.

3. Keep it simple
“Less is more” is a golden rule for design. This goes for your logo and use of fonts (no more than two fonts, by the way). It’s also true for layouts, printed material and anything digital, from websites to social media. The top big brands have logos that are minimal, clean and simple for a reason, think Apple, McDonalds, Nike, Virgin…

4. Leave it to the professionals
Finally, the best tip we can recommend is to get help from a qualified Graphic Designer — you will save yourself time and therefore money. If you think we can help you with your branding, give us a call, we’d be happy to help.

Your Barefruit Team 

Barefruit Marketing

Barefruit’s Co-Founder & Director To Report For Games

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Lennox Head local and our very own co-founder and Director of Barefruit Marketing - a full service marketing agency, located in Ballina, Evan Harding has been chosen out of 50,000 applicants to be a volunteer reporter for the Commonwealth Games being held April 4th – April 15th 2018 in the Gold Coast.

Evan Harding will work with 900 other volunteers as a member of the Games’ Press Operations team. This placement is well suited to the 40-year-old father who is also an avid athletics fan.

The official title of Evan’s role is ‘Flash Quote Reporter’ for the Netball competition; requiring him to interview the athletes courtside after the game. These quotes will be taken up by the world’s media during the coverage of the games.

“This is an absolute dream come true for me. I have been to the Sydney and Athens Olympics and the World Championship in London last year – I can’t wait to be a part of something just up the road from us”.

Originally from England, Evan has been following athletics his whole life and has also run two Marathons – London and Gold Coast. He’s thinking about registering for the Gold Coast Marathon this year in it’s 40th year – and his!

In uniform

The application process for the games started over a year ago and the interview process took 6 months to get through a ‘shortlist’ of 25,000 people. 15,000 were selected for a 2-hour interview, and after a 3-month period Evan was informed, due to his experience, he had been selected for the Press Operations team.

Since then he has attended venue specific training, online training from home, familiarised himself with the rules of netball and been fitted for his uniform. After the Opening Ceremony dress rehearsal this weekend he will be relocating to the Gold Coast for the duration of the Games.

Evan is most excited to be a part of sporting history and contribute to the vibe. He will be close to the action and in the words of the training team ‘it will be one of the best 2 weeks of his life’.

Hi son, Cian (7) is excited to see dad on TV. Cian will also be travelling to the games with mum Claire to watch some of the events live.

Sport features prominently in Evan's life. He coaches his son's Lennox Head Football Team with training each week and games every weekend, thrashes it out at an F45 class every morning and is still an avid follower of his beloved Norwich City Football Club (the Canaries) in the English Championship League. He and wife Claire are also in training for a 5km run at the end of the Commonwealth Games for a bit of fun.

It is not the only volunteering role that Evan, Director of Barefruit Marketing in Ballina takes. Barefruit are a proud Corporate Sponsor of locally run charity Rafiki Mwema, with his wife and business partner Claire being on the board, assisting with marketing and fundraising.

With the Commonwealth Games kicking off next week, keep your eyes on the TV screens and the Barefruit Marketing blog for an update on Evan’s experience – www.barefruit.com.au

Web Developer

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We're hiring!!

We’re looking for a Web Developer to join our busy team in Ballina.
You know what it takes to makes a great website and you know what it takes to get it done!
You’re a techno-wiz, you don’t just understand code, you eat it for breakfast.
You want to learn, develop and produce some stand-out work, and you will do so in our growing team.
You will be working with our creative/digital team in a full service, integrated agency.

We’re looking for the following skills:

  • Full stack Web Development specialising in WordPress – templates and custom build
  • Competent in PHP/HTML/CSS/Javascript/jQuery
  • Competent with Adobe Creative Suite
  • Strong attention to detail
  • Efficient, independent and motivated
  • Collaborative with excellent communication skills
  • Experience with branding and corporate style guides
  • Knowledge of agency processes

You may have recently left Uni, already be working in an agency environment or on family/friend projects. If you think you tick the boxes then give us a call.

In return, we offer: A great working environment including lots of fun, agency pets and a ping pong tournament on a Friday. Oh, and we’ll pay you, how’s that!?

To apply please send your CV, links to your work and salary expectations to claire@barefruit.com.au

Developer

International Women’s Day – a fruitful day!

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IT is a beautiful coincidence for Claire and Evan Harding that International Women's Day is also the day their company Barefruit Marketing turns six.

On Thursday, the 12 staff of the thriving and growing Ballina based business will celebrate.

Of these 12 creative staff, 10 are women. It's a detail that is also a happy coincidence. "We just meet talented innovative women with the skills to help the agency excel," Claire said.

"Women are versatile and strong and it's important for us to be flexible so our employees have a healthy work/life balance.

After years of working in big name agencies in London and their home city of Norwich, UK, the couple started Barefruit Marketing a full service marketing company in 2012... Full article below,

Ladies