The Byron Echo featured an article in their November issue about our award win at the Regional Business NSW Awards.
We were extremely excited to be nominated as finalists in five different categories and come away from the night as winners of the Employer of Choice in the Northern Rivers.
Read the full article here.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 ?
The Northern Rivers Review has featured us in a story about the announcement of finalists in the NSW Business Chamber's Northern Rivers Regional Business Awards. We are very excited to be recognised as finalists in the category of Business and Professional Services.
We are finalists, alongside 129 other businesses across 7 of the LGA's in the Northern Rivers; Tweed, Byron, Ballina, Kyogle, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Clarence Valley. The formal awards night will go ahead (fingers crossed) on Saturday, 23 October, where winners in each category will be announced. Winners will move onto the State awards, where they'll compete against 12 other regions across NSW and Sydney.
Related Tag: Marketing Gold Coast
Read the full article here.
This is a question the team at Barefruit get asked a lot, so we thought we would share a couple of industry tips with you.
First of all – stop thinking about marketing. Start thinking about real conversations and genuine recommendations.
1. Ask your loyal customers if they have ever recommended your business. If they have, thank them and ask why they recommended you? Keep a record of this!
2. See if there is a recurring recommendation e.g. great service, friendly team, value, best coffee ever. This is will be part of your marketing message.
3. Now where do your potential customers hang out? Social media? Community centres? Do they read the paper? Once you know this, this is where you can start to spread your message.
In a nutshell, find out why your customers love you and tell others about it.
Who doesn’t love a recommendation? We hope this information helps you grow yours.
Your Barefruit Team