This week we’re talking to Connor!
Connor is our resident Content Creator but also is the King of Gifs, animation and videography.
Connor loves all things creative and spends his spare time hosting podcasts, putting together videos and doodling (his illustrations are...
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/gifs-business-podcast-ep6.jpg,,HTML,"This week we’re talking to Connor!
Connor is our resident Content Creator but also is the King of Gifs, animation and videography.
Connor loves all things creative and spends his spare time hosting podcasts, putting together videos and doodling (his illustrations are awesome!)
Connor talks us through what GIF’s are, what benefits they bring to a business and exactly how businesses can use GIF’s both internally and externally.
Connor has created a checklist on how to create your first GIF, which you can download HERE>
",,Outspoken Entourage,23.02.2021,,Read More,Same Window 2,why you should NEVER pay for a logo designed in canva. ,,Marketing,Marketing,"Recently we witnessed a business start offering design services including logo design. Whilst we aren’t against competition (competition makes the world go round, right?!), we thought we had to educate the business community on some people out there who are offering design services where the product is NOT SUITABLE to be used for the purpose they have created it for, in this case logo design.
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/exposed-never-pay-for-a-canva-logo.jpg,,HTML,"Recently we witnessed a business start offering design services including logo design. Whilst we aren’t against competition (competition makes the world go round, right?!), we thought we had to educate the business community on some people out there who are offering design services where the product is NOT SUITABLE to be used for the purpose they have created it for, in this case logo design.
BIG REVEAL #1 - When a business commissions a professional graphic designer to design a logo for them, the logo needs to be in a vector format. No if, buts or excuses. If it’s not in a vector format, you should flat out ask for your money back. Like, right now.
How to spot a vector file. A vector file will have a file extension such as logo.ai, logo.eps and in some cases logo.pdf (but you still need to be careful as some unscrupulous ‘designers’ will save a raster image into one of the above file formats and pass it off as the real thing). If you aren’t sure, open the .pdf file and zoom in as far as you can, the line should be perfect. If it has a bumpy edge or pixels, it’s not a vector.
When it’s not a vector file, it’s a raster file. A raster file is a .jpg, .tif, .png, .bmp or a host of others. What’s the difference between a raster and a vector file? A raster file is made up of pixels. When you make the logo bigger than it was originally saved or created in, it becomes pixelated. A vector allows the logo to be infinitely resizable to suit the application. It uses lines and a colour code (to put it really simply) so when it resizes it stays perfectly clear. You could make it as big as a football field and it would be PERFECT.
A professional graphic designer WILL NEVER create a logo in a raster format. They may supply you with raster file types so you can put them into programs like MS Word but they will always supply you with the vector file for use by other designers, printers, signwriters etc.
BIG REVEAL #2 - Trademarks - Did you know that a logo created in Canva CANNOT BE TRADEMARKED! This is because Canva uses ready-made elements available to anyone so the logo will not be exclusive to you if each element is not HEAVILY modified.
What’s the point in paying for a logo that you cannot trademark? It’s not yours if it’s everyone’s!
If you are seeking a graphic designer for any type of work and they use Canva to produce client work, I can 100% guarantee you they are not a graphic designer. Canva is a great program for non-designers to design their own social media or other bits and pieces but it should NEVER be charged out as a professional service.
You should look at their previous work completed and definitely check if they are a member of professional associations such as the Design Institute of Australia (DIA) (and even better if they are an Accredited Designer™ of the DIA) or the Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA).
Stay tuned for an upcoming article revealing the websites that are for personal use only and should never be charged for!
",,Outspoken Entourage,07.02.2021,,Read More,Same Window 3,Podcast Ep5 - a unique spin on marketing,,Marketing,Marketing,"In this episode, I talk to Gemma, a Thermomix Team leader who manages a large group across the Mid North Coast.
Gemma’s mission is to show as many people as possible the Thermomix because she believes that having a Thermomix really is life changing.
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/podcast-ep5.jpg,,HTML,"In this episode, I talk to Gemma, a Thermomix Team leader who manages a large group across the mid north coast.
Gemma’s mission is to show as many people as possible the Thermomix because she believes that having a Thermomix really is life changing.
She is Mum to Wes, Molly and Ally. She understands how busy life can get with kids and life in general and this is why she purchased a Thermomix in the first place!
Gemma talks me through how COVID-19 changed the way she could service her customers and potential customers and how she could provide value to them during lockdown.
Her ability to pivot her business and implement certain marketing strategies has seen a huge increase in revenue.
You can get in touch with Gemma through her social channels:
Youtube by clicking HERE>
Facebook by clicking HERE>
Instagram by clicking HERE>
Want more juicy tips? Make sure you subscribe to the Outspoken Intel newsletter by heading to the freebies page by clicking HERE>
Until next time
Keep Marketing
",,Outspoken Entourage,16.02.2021,,Read More,Same Window 4,REEL success on Instagram with Ellie-Rose Landers.,,Marketing,Marketing,"Today we’re talking about Insta Reels!
There are many businesses that aren’t yet harnessing the power of Instagram, including Reels. Ellie explains exactly what a reel is and why it works well for business.
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/reels-instagram-podcast.jpg,,HTML,"Today we’re talking about Insta Reels!
There are many businesses that aren’t yet harnessing the power of Instagram, including Reels. Ellie explains exactly what a reel is and why it works well for business.
Here in the office, we’ve been creating up a STORM with reels lately (and having a lot of fun while doing it!).
Ellie covers her top tips for getting on the Reel bandwagon and shares some Reel ideas for those that are just starting out.
Check out our Reels on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/outspokenentourage/
Want more hot tips? Subscribe to Outspoken Intel weekly EDM HERE>
",,Outspoken Entourage,10.02.2021,,Read More,Same Window 5,4 Steps To Ensure Your Marketing Gets You Results!,,Marketing,Marketing,"Yeah, we can hear you sighing from here – but please, take 5 minutes out of your day to read this and hopefully (fingers crossed!) we can change your mind. Many business owners get caught up...
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/marketing-for-results.jpg,,HTML,"Yeah, we can hear you sighing from here – but please, take 5 minutes out of your day to read this and hopefully (fingers crossed!) we can change your mind.
Many business owners get caught up in the doing in their business but ultimately, to grow your business and grow your bottom line, we need to put some effort and focus into marketing.
So, we thought we’d share these 4 steps to ensure that the marketing you DO equals RESULTS (and who doesn’t love results!)
PLAN
Yes, many people bang on about it and we’re no different. You absolutely must create a marketing plan (if you thought you were going to get away without doing one - #sorrynotsorry).
You can download a marketing plan HERE
Make time to plan – EOFY or end of year is always great, but really, if you’re wanting to implement a plan, then do it now!
Set a goal for what you want to achieve each month. That doesn’t have to be monetary, it could be something as simple as 25% more website hits than the previous month or growing your social media followers.
Once you have your objective, you need to work out HOW you’re going to achieve your objectives, and this is where your marketing comes into play. What exactly are you going to do to achieve them?
Is it writing a blog every fortnight or once a month and sharing across your social channels? Are you going to go to a networking event each week? Start a podcast, or go LIVE on social media to address questions that your customers have?
Work out what it is that you’re going to do to hit those goals and put it in your marketing plan (like, right now – do it!)
CONSISTENCY
You have to be consistent. If you’re not consistent then your business will not grow. Whatever you choose to do to achieve your objectives, just be consistent with your execution.
If you’re committing to writing a blog post every month, then do it. Block out time in your calendar and get it done.
If you decide to post on social media 5 days a week – do it! One of the first places a potential customer goes, besides your website, is social media and if they see your last post is from 6 months ago, it doesn’t paint your business in the best light.
Make a realistic commitment – if you can only commit to 3 days per week for social media, then only post 3 days per week. In case we didn’t make it clear – JUST BE CONSISTENT!
VALUE
You need to put out content that your target audience finds valuable. You want to help your customer and you can provide value in a multitude of ways!
Some ideas could be regular, weekly emails, create a podcast, write blog posts, create useful resources or hold a free webinar.
Providing value is inbound marketing, it’s a way of drawing people to your business. Long gone are the days of cold calling – yuk!
Put out content that is specific to your target audience (FYI, putting out content that YOU think is valuable but NOT valuable to your target audience is not going to help you) and you’ll PULL people to your business.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Lastly, keep marketing simple. The simpler you make it for you to execute, the more likely you are to be consistent with it. And that’s what gets results.
So there you have it! See how you go with those steps above. If you’d like to hear more on this topic, head to our PODCAST – Why Should YOU Market.
",,Outspoken Entourage,29.01.2021,,Read More,Same Window 6,Stop Selling & Start Providing Value,,Marketing,Marketing,"In one of our previous episodes, we discussed why you should market, but what should that marketing look like? Providing value is the new form of marketing and is called....
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/stop-selling-start-providing-value-ep3.jpg,,HTML,"In one of our previous episodes, we discussed why you should market, but what should that marketing look like?
Providing value is the new form of marketing and is called INBOUND marketing. It’s about PULLING your customer to your business. Digital marketing is generally seen as a PULL strategy.
As opposed to traditional marketing, where you’re PUSHING a message out there and hoping that your target audience sees it and want to buy. A PUSH message usually uses traditional forms of marketing such as radio, print and TV.
I see many business sell, sell, sell on their social channels, in Facebook groups and basically shove their products or services everywhere. This is NOT marketing!
Marketing is about learning about your target audience and then providing value.
As you may have noticed, we like to provide value via our social media channels by offering up tips on how to market – whether that be through email marketing, social media, digital and more. We offer value in the podcast, again by sharing of information that we HOPE you find useful!
We also have several free ebooks, checklists, templates and more that are there to help our target audience really take the reins on their marketing.
What are you doing to provide value?
Think about ways you can provide value.
Don’t forget it you want more ideas to help implement your marketing, head to our Freebies page and subscribe to the Outspoken Intel weekly download.
Sign up to Outspoken Intel weekly EDM for hot marketing tips
Google My Business (GMB) is a free tool that allows you to promote your business profile and website on Google Search and maps. Allows customers to connect with you, get your business information and also see post updates.
_",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/google-my-business-podcast-ep2.jpg,,HTML,"What is GMB?
A free tool that allows you to promote your business profile and website on Google Search and maps. Allows customers to connect with you, get your business information and also see post updates.
When people are googling for your business, or services and products like yours, it means your listing will show up.
You can respond to reviews, customers can send you messages, they can also post images of when they visit your place of business.
Why do I need it?
Did you know, on average, businesses receive 943 Search views and 317 Maps views each month?
Regular posting can earn you a coveted spot in the local 3-pack, which is the top 3 business listings for relevant search terms, and this placement alone is a valid reason to add a new post at least every 7 days.
Does it help SEO?
Yes.
Not only does a verified and optimized Google My Business profile stand a better chance of being in the local 3-pack, putting your presence at the top of search results, it can also indirectly help your website rank.
It does this by providing social signals to Google, by driving traffic to your website, and by providing social proof in the form of reviews.
Google says local search results are based on “relevance, distance, and prominence.”
What you need to do:
Go to: https://business.google.com
Create an account and then start filling out all the information you need!
Then get verified.
Optimise it!
Tip:
Consider GMB like another social media platform.
Post your social media posts onto GMB through the app.
Want more hot tips like this?
Head to the FREEBIES page of our website and subscribe to The Outspoken Intel weekly newsletter.
Sign up to Outspoken Intel weekly EDM for hot marketing tips
",,Outspoken Entourage,27.01.2021,,Read More,Same Window 8,Podcast Ep 1 Why Should You Market?,,Podcast,Podcast,In this episode I share 4 things you need to do to succeed in marketing your business...
,Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/podcast-ep-1-why-you-should-market.jpg,,HTML,"In this episode I share 4 things you need to do to succeed in marketing your business.
Marketing is all about;
I discuss how our business went from a 2-person outfit at the end of 2019 to a 5 person team in 15 months from implementing digital marketing.
PLAN
BE CONSISTENT
VALUABLE CONTENT
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Resources
Download - Marketing Plan Template >
Click to sign up to Outspoken Intel weekly EDM for hot marketing tips
",,Outspoken Entourage,20.01.2021,,Read More,Same Window 9,Let’s do some spring cleaning!
,,Marketing,Marketing,"New Year, New blah blah blah. We know that the new year blogs are SO cliché but this one...
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/spring-cleaning.jpg,,HTML,"New Year, New blah blah blah. We know that the new year blogs are SO cliché but this one could actually serve you well for 2021. January is a great time to do some business spring cleaning while everyone is still on holidays (well, the lucky ones are!)
Before you run away, don’t worry, this doesn’t involve ACTUAL cleaning (as if we’d do that to you!).
We’re talking about spring cleaning your brand. This isn’t about doing a rebrand but more about taking stock of your brand, where it appears and is it in line with everything else.
What we want you to do is write down all the places you can find your brand. These could include:
You get the idea!
Write it all down and then look at your brand on each. Is it consistent? Or are there some discrepancies? For example, you may have had many different designers/signwriters working on your brand for different things, which has meant that your brand looks a little different on each item.
Before the New Year becomes Feb (and geez, that will come around fast!), why not work on getting your brand represented uniformly?
Break it down and do it one step at a time (it doesn’t have to all been done at once).
Given it's the new year (and you’ve probably splurged on Christmas presents and holidays!) go for the least expensive options first, like having an email signature created or fixing up your social platforms.
When your brand is represented consistently, you’ll create much better brand awareness for your target audience, which is what you want!
Want to get more cool tips like this? Subscribe to Outspoken Intel for the latest in marketing tips, tricks and hacks HERE.
",,Outspoken Entourage,08.01.2021,,Read More,Same Window 10,Get to know your entourage!,,Graphic Design,Graphic Design,"We thought it was high time you get to know the OE crew a bit better! Here, we posed some hard hitting (ha!) questions to the team. Their answers are...
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/get-to-know-your-entourage.jpg,,HTML,"We thought it was high time you get to know the OE crew a bit better! Here, we posed some hard hitting (ha!) questions to the team. Their answers are below!
What’s your favourite quote from a TV show/movie/book?
“By all means, move at a glacial pace, you know how that thrills me….” Miranda Priestly, The Devil Wears Prada
Do you have any pet peeves?
Yes, and it literally involves pets. I can’t stand it when dogs lick themselves – I know – totally weird!! But I can’t help it – I have to leave the room. It’s the equivalent to nails on a blackboard. Yick.
What's the worst career advice you've ever received?
I honestly can’t remember who said it, but it was after I had sold my first business, where I’d made mistakes and didn’t make a lot of money. They said something along the lines of ‘don’t bother starting another business – just get a good job that pays a lot of money’. I didn’t take their advice.
At a party, where can someone find you?
At home, in my PJ’s, enjoying JOMO (joy of missing out)!
What’s your favourite quote from a TV show/movie/book?
“Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up"" Pablo Picasso
or “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” Unknown
Do you have any pet peeves?
How marshmallows feel when you touch them! *Shudders*
What's the worst career advice you've ever received?
“Fake it ‘till you make it.” – Literally everyone at my university
At a party, where can someone find you?
At home, probably being creative, journaling, playing with my bird, or resting for an early-morning wake-up. #sorrynotsorry
What’s your favourite quote from a TV show/movie/book?
“Left foot, right foot, your body will follow.” Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels OR
“Well, it’s a huge imposition. Of course, I’ll have to have them taken in, they’ll drown me.” Emily, The Devil Wears Prada.
Do you have any pet peeves?
People touching painted walls and leaving grubby finger marks on the paint. Grrr!
What's the worst career advice you've ever received?
“We do it this way because that’s how we’ve always done it, so please stop making suggestions.”
At a party, where can someone find you?
Leaving.
What’s your favourite quote from a TV show/movie/book?
Working in fashion for the majority of my career, this one has always been a favourite!
“Florals for spring? Groundbreaking.” Miranda Priestly, The Devil Wears Prada
Do you have any pet peeves?
Sitting down to discover your seat is already warm. Warm toilet seats in particular are a big no-no from me.
What's the worst career advice you've ever received?
“Do as I say, not as I do.” I’m a firm believer in leading by example.
At a party, where can someone find you?
There is a short window where I’ll be the life of the party and often the Spotify DJ forcing everyone to love Celine Dion as much as I do. I’m a bit of a Cinderella & goldilocks combo – the crowd has to be quality, not quantity for me to really have a good time and even then, nothing good ever seems to happen after midnight. I’ve got a bit of a reputation of “smoke bombing” quite early to get chicken nuggets and home to bed!
We know you’ve been wondering about our business name and yep, it’s definitely a weird name for a graphic design studio… or any business for that matter! So why did we call ourselves Outspoken Entourage??
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/outspoken-entourage-coffs-harbour-name.jpg,,HTML,"We know you’ve been wondering about our business name and yep, it’s definitely a weird name for a graphic design studio… or any business for that matter! So why did we call ourselves Outspoken Entourage??
Well, take a seat because this could take a while….. kidding!
Many, many moons ago, Nicola began a business based in Coffs Harbour. Her business revolved around providing services to keynote and corporate speaker clients.
Originally calling the business Outspoken Consulting, it was only when she started writing the copy for the website (which Mark built – of course!) that the name was born. As she finished writing the About Us section, she signed it off as ‘The Outspoken Entourage’. She stopped. She cocked her head to the side. She took in a sharp breath of excitement and exclaimed (to nobody in particular), ‘that’s it! That’s the name of my business.’ Keynote speakers being ‘outspoken’ and Nicola being part of their ‘entourage’.
And off she went, getting Mark to recreate the logo (he was SUPER happy about that…) and update the website.
From there, Mark came on board offering graphic design and website design services to the current clients and Nicola expanded her offering, including social media and marketing services.
Fast forward to today and we’re still doing the same thing, just with more offerings and a bigger office with an awesome team!
",,Outspoken Entourage,20.11.2020,,Read More,Same Window 12,Facebook to Instagram posting just got easier!,,Social Media,Social Media,"You don’t have to check your calendar, it’s not April Fools! We wrote a post a little while ago about how to post from Facebook to Instagram, and you...
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/social-media-posting-ig-fb.jpg,,HTML,"You don’t have to check your calendar, it’s not April Fools! We wrote a post a little while ago about how to post from Facebook to Instagram, and you needed to be on a desktop/laptop and it was a really long and laborious process, blah, blah, blah….
Well, good news folks! Facebook have finally got their s**t together and you can now cross post from Facebook to Instagram in one easy step – rejoice!
Here are the steps to cross post, from your mobile (OMG!):
We hope this helps make your social media posting that little bit easier.
",,Outspoken Entourage,04.11.2020,,Read More,Same Window 13,Yikes! Thats out of my budget!,,Graphic Design,Budgets,You’ve come to see us about a logo/website/digital marketing package and you’re SUPER psyched. You can see how great your brand is going to look and are excited about...
,Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/website-budget-design-logo-digital-marketing-coffs-harbour.jpg,,HTML,"You’ve come to see us about a logo/website/digital marketing package and you’re SUPER psyched. You can see how great your brand is going to look and are excited about the future of your business.
You receive the email quote and your heart skips a beat in anticipation. Suddenly, your excitement, big dreams and hopes for the future are squashed. You see the figure quoted – and know instantly it’s out of your budget.
Rather than spitting the dummy or crying into your tea and Tim Tams, the best thing you can do is pick up the phone and give us a call!
Why?
Because we can definitely work with you to help bring your project to within your budget. We can look to change the scope of work so that you still get something awesome, that you CAN afford.
We also have payment plans as well, to help with your monthly cashflow and to allow you that extra time to pay it off rather than one lump sum. Yippee!
So, if you do get a quote from us in the future, don’t think you can’t ask us how we can manage the cost to suit your budget – we’re always here to help!
",,Outspoken Entourage,23.10.2020,,Read More,Same Window 14,How to hit the ground running with a new brand.,,Logo Branding,Logo Branding,"A case study on the overnight success of Critters Distillery in Woolgoolga, NSW....
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/critters-distillery-case-study.png,,HTML,"How to hit the ground running with a new brand.
A case study on the overnight success of Critters Distillery in Woolgoolga, NSW
Step 1 – Engage a professional!
Seems pretty obvious, right? In the case of Critters Distillery, the founders knew their product was strong and if sampled would lead to immediate sales.
The issue? Getting consumers to be aware of the product and in-turn, purchase it.
The solution – Nicola and Chris from Critters contacted us to design a label for their new artisan vodka. At the time they didn’t have a logo let alone branding guidelines so we advised that they may be putting the cart before the horse. Nicola and Chris commissioned a logo to set the overall tone for the new Distillery.
We went through a couple of logo versions with the Critters team, settling on their current logo featuring an Anglerfish (Nicola has a Marine science background so the symbolism of an Anglerfish appealed to her).
As part of the logo design process, we then developed a comprehensive set of branding guidelines which outlined how the logo was to be used in collateral and included alternative colour versions. This was then drilled down into conceptual apparel design, stationery, promotional materials and a variety of other items.
Logo – complete!
Label Design – ok, so the logo looked hot – now we needed to transfer the style to a label design using the French-sourced bottle Nicola had selected for their opening product line.
The brief from Critters included many angles we needed to cover but overall had to be unique and jump off the shelf when placed alongside every other Vodka bottle in the market. We took photos of the Vodka display at Dan Murphy’s, so we knew what we had to stand out from. The competitors in the premium Vodka space use a lot of natural colours and understated design. Whilst in our opinion this is great, there was really nothing to single out a Vodka as one that you would ‘have to pick up’.
Nicola had some inspiration pieces from the wine industry that she liked the look of. These were modern, abstract and definitely eye-catching. However, the design of the majority of them would require a specialist label and packaging plant, as the bottles featured all-over prints and custom shaped bottles not available ‘off-the-shelf’.
After kicking around a few ideas on canvas, the Outspoken Entourage design team started to develop an underwater ocean scene to be used as the backdrop of the label design. Painstakingly, colours were sourced, replaced and then replaced again until a vibrant design was developed.
Once we thought we had the background nailed, we turned to the logo, product name and other features that would finish the label design off.
Upon first presentation to the Critters team the first impression was on-point. We presented a few different options and Nicola and Chris from Critters selected their favourite.
Whilst the design of the label was stunning, it was very much going to come down to the print process to make the design work. Mark contacted a number of specialty label printers that worked in the artisan and high-end space and after some back and forth with samples and price estimates, the final printer was decided upon.
The Critters team really wanted to see a clear label used so the design would be semi-transparent. The difficulty we had with this was that the background would not appear as vibrant as initially intended as printing to a clear stock will inevitably wash-out the colour.
There was some back and forth between the OE team and Critters as the OE team felt that the design would best stand out on the shelf using a solid label stock or preferably a metallic foil-based stock to bring out the vibrancy of the design. Mark lost that discussion and the Critters team elected to go with the clear stock.
Now we had to focus on how we were going to make the logo, product name and other details stand out when printed on a clear stock, so after some proofs were sample printed by the label printer, it was decided to go with a full colour process on the transparent stock, overprinted with white ink (you have to print white ink when the stock isn’t white) and then overprinted with full colour for the logo after which the hot foil overprint was added for the product name and logo elements. That’s a total of 6 layers on a single label!
Now the final artwork was prepared for print (all 6 layers) and after a lot of checking and double checking, a couple of proof rejections, the labels were printed and delivered to the Critters team along with a back label with individually printed bottle numbers and batch numbers.
Wait – there’s another label needed! Close to launch the Critters team decided to also release a special limited-edition Distiller’s Release. This became a blacked-out version of the original label with the words ‘Distiller’s Release’ replacing the Anglerfish on the original vodka bottle. We used many of the same processes for this bottle to minimise unnecessary costs by sharing the gold hot-foil placement with the original bottle.
The Other Stuff – all the time that the label process was developing, we designed some apparel for the team using influences from the Branding Guidelines we developed earlier. These were printed by one of our local contacts to a high standard and these can be purchased from their online store.
Business cards were designed, a pullup banner, posters printed, flyers and more. This is the part where businesses are often let down after they have their initial logo designed. They have the stationery printer and apparel printer use the branding and whilst they sometimes pull it off, in many cases the result is often a let down on what it could have been. All of these small items should really be handled by the same team, so the results are spectacular.
Website – the team needed an e-commerce solution for online sales for not only their Vodka but also apparel, and during the Covid-19 outbreak a new product using waste from the alcohol still was also developed – hand sanitiser.
The e-commerce site needed to be able to handle inventory changes by the Critters team to products, price changes, discount codes and shipping. The best platform to accomplish this was Shopify which features millions of dollars of development by the Shopify team, giving you a robust platform with a huge amount of documentation out there should you need to do a tutorial on anything from uploading a product to creating a new category.
Using a platform like Shopify is great for e-commerce, but we have found the best way to showcase your product is through a custom designed website. This allows the flexibility in design and custom features that would be inhibited by using just the Shopify platform by itself. It also allows SEO to be written into the site giving technical scores in the high 95-99% range. This gives you an amazing looking site with killer SEO to get one-up on your competitors but also the flexibility and ease of use of the Shopify platform to sell your products.
Once the website and Shopify e-commerce platform were ready, the Critters team came in for 90 minutes of training on how to use the Shopify backend.
Launch – when the team were ready to launch the site, we did a non-advertised ‘soft-launch’ allowing us to work out any last-minute bugs in the system. A final SEO report was produced and the team were able to go out and confidently launch their exciting new product to a sell-out crowd in Woolgoolga.
Result – after a few weeks, we heard that the limited edition ‘Distiller Release Vodka’ only has a few bottles remaining of their original allotment of 250. At the premium end of the market, we consider this to be a huge success.
The bottle design is the talk of the town and comments on how great the design is are across social media and the greater web. We are so proud of it; we will be entering it into the next Australian Graphic Design Association’s National Graphic Design Awards (we missed the deadline by a couple of weeks with the conflicting product launch date for this year).
It really goes to show, if you have something that you feel passionate about, having a professional team (us!) being involved in your project from the start will make a huge difference to the perception of the brand and products. The quality of the design of the bottle and all other collateral screams premium and allows Critters to place their artisan product at a price point nearly 3 times higher than a regular vodka.
We said this a few years ago on social media ‘Have you ever picked a bottle of wine because the label was amazeballs?’. This is a case (study) in point!
",,Outspoken Entourage,06.10.2020,,Read More,Same Window 15,The SEO Sleuth.,,SEO,Web Design,"Search engine optimisation (SEO) is one of the most important and powerful tools you should have on your website. If your website isn’t ranking organically on Google, then the blame lies with poor or no SEO on your website...
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/seo-sleuth-coffs-harbour.png,,HTML,"Search engine optimisation (SEO) is one of the most important and powerful tools you should have on your website. If your website isn’t ranking organically on Google, then the blame lies with poor or no SEO on your website.
As you may have picked up on a recent blog post by Mark, SEO is pretty confusing and VERY technical. In fact, if you spend too much time in Sherlock Holmes mode, trying to work out the elusive algorithm, you may just go cross-eyed.
Here we break down the 3 aspects of SEO in layman’s terms.
Technical SEO
Getting all the technical aspects of a website in order to rank higher on search engines is known as technical SEO (and is also part of On Page SEO). Technical aspects can include website speed, better crawlability (yep, it’s a word!), and other small things you can do to increase rank – (click to read article). The more boxes you tick here, the better your rank. Technical SEO makes up around 50% of your ranking ‘score’.
On page SEO
This is all about SEO that’s ON each of your website pages – which includes the text that’s used to explain to your website visitors all about your business. If done properly, the user will never know that what they are reading is optimised for search engines. If done badly (where the text repeats itself and the information seems to keep using the same words – otherwise known as ‘keyword stuffing’) the user will be confused, bored and bounce.
Off page SEO
This type of SEO is pretty simple – it’s all about back links. Back links are other websites that have a link back to your website. The good news is the more back links you have, the more Google thinks your website is highly reputable and relevant, and you’ll rank higher. The bad news is there’s not a huge amount you can do about it. However over time, as more people share content from your website, you’ll increase your number of back links. It’s also important to set up Google My Business as this can directly assist in you ranking better on Google. You need to ensure the information in Google My Business matches your website and make sure you’re asking your customers for reviews and replying to those reviews. Every little thing you do on GMB helps!
So, how do you fix your website’s SEO? Well, given there are over 200 factors that generate where you rank on Google (yikes!), it’s best to talk to your web designer.
If you’ve got a template-driven website, such as Wordpress, Wix or Square Space, unfortunately, no matter what your web designer does, it’s unlikely your SEO score can be increased much more to rank you higher – it’s a limitation with any of those type of websites.
If you have a custom website, then talk to your web designer about ongoing SEO updates. As with anything online, algorithms change, so you need to ensure your SEO is relevant and up to date. Whether you do this monthly, or once or twice a year, it’s better than leaving it as over time, your Google rank will drop.
Interested in discussing a custom website with excellent SEO? Contact us today on 1300 494 990 or hit us up via email - chat@outspokenentourage.com.au
",,Outspoken Entourage,30.09.2020,,Read More,Same Window 16,Why the timing of social media posts doesn't matter.,,Social Media,Social Media,"No doubt you’ve seen infographic and blog articles floating around telling you the best times to post on each social media platform?
So, is the timing of your social media posts important?
Well, we’re going to go out on a limb and say….
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/timing-social-media-posts.jpg,,HTML,"No doubt you’ve seen infographic and blog articles floating around telling you the best times to post on each social media platform?
So, is the timing of your social media posts important?
Well, we’re going to go out on a limb and say…. Nope. (OMG!)
Most of the blog articles about timing are actually times in the US, so NOT HELPFUL to those in Australia.
But not only that, we’ve tried posting at various times throughout the day ourselves and seeing where we get the best results. Quite honestly, we’ve seen absolutely no pattern emerging when it comes to posting.
We usually post between 7am – 7.30am. We get great results. We’ve also posted around 4.30pm – 5pm and have also had great results. And again, posting at 7pm. Great results. On the flip side, we’ve also posted at those times and had absolutely woeful results.
Our Inspector Gadget powers tell us that it’s not what time you post, but what you post. If your content is kick-ass, then the post is going to do well, regardless of the time (although, posting at 1am probably isn’t going to do you any favours, but you may get heaps of US or European likes!). If your content is, how shall we say this… meh, then yeah, don’t expect the earth to move with heaps of engagement.
But hey, don’t take our word for it! Try it yourself! Post two similar types of posts at different times and see what reaction you get.
Don’t have time to create content for social media? We can help! Book your obligation-free meeting HERE
",,Outspoken Entourage,01.09.2020,,Read More,Same Window 17,How to ensure a killer brand.,,Logo Design,Branding,"When you start a business, you always have high hopes that it’s going to be successful and that you’ll have a brand that’s seen, acknowledged and remembered.
So how do you go about getting this ‘killer brand’?
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/killer-brand.png,,HTML,"When you start a business, you always have high hopes that it’s going to be successful and that you’ll have a brand that’s seen, acknowledged and remembered.
So how do you go about getting this ‘killer brand’?
Firstly, it’s important to understand that your logo and brand is not something that should be scrimped on. In fact, it’s important to think about your target audience and how you want your business to be perceived by that target audience. For example, if your business markets luxury gifts to high flying corporates, a logo that doesn’t scream ‘luxury’ but something far more mediocre, then it’s likely you won’t attract your target market and the dollars you’d be hoping they spend with you. Be honest, have you ever been given a business card or gone to a website and you just think ‘nope’?!
Secondly, once you have your logo sorted, it’s important to keep your branding consistent, which is why you need branding guidelines! Yes, we bang on about this a lot, but it really is important. Have a think about a logo you’ve seen recently, maybe as you drive past their shop, then you get a flyer in your mail and the logo and branding look different. Then you see their car drive past and the branding looks different again. WTF?!
By far, the best way to ensure brand continuity is to use the same graphic designer/agency/studio to create everything from your website, car graphics, signs through to catalogues etc. Studios/agencies will have a network of talented professionals they work with (such as signwriters, apparel printers etc) on a regular basis that get the results the designer intended. These talented professionals will normally receive a lot of work from a graphic designer and will ensure that the product is of a higher quality, cheaper (because they don’t have to absorb the cost of design into the job and because of the volume of work) and if any quality or colour issues are experienced, will more likely make good on the job.
Whilst it may seem unnecessary at first to pay for design when many signwriters will do it for the cost of the production of the job, living with an expensive car wrap where the sign manufacturer has not perfected the design of your branding or the production of your businesses exact colour tone or followed the branding guidelines to a tee can be embarrassing.
With branding guidelines, if you choose not to use the graphic designer that created your awesome logo, at least you can provide the branding guidelines to another designer/signwriter who can use these guidelines to keep your brand looking the same. Once you can nail a consistent brand across digital, web, print, social, signage, vehicles etc, then this is where you start to get….. Brand Recognition!
And lastly, you need to get your brand out there! For a brand to be ‘killer’, it’s also about saturation. You want people to see it on their way to work, on their social feeds, on various marketing collateral, on Google remarketing ads, in newsletters, on vehicles, so much so that when you say ‘hey, have you heard of XYZ company’ they answer with a big, resounding YES!
So, what’s the take-away here?
Don’t scrimp, be consistent and get saturated (not literally! – you know what we mean ;-))
Need help with your brand? Why not make a time to come and chat with us – 1300 494 990.
",,Outspoken Entourage,17.08.2020,,Read More,Same Window 18,Are you getting sucked in by SEO 'Expert' emails?,,Web Design,SEO GMB,"Have you been contacted recently by SEO “experts” telling you, your website can’t be found and that you need to do (laundry list of techy things) to your website to make it visible on Google? I’m going to share with you what happened when we received an email just like this so you don’t get pushed into a sales tactic ploy by someone who really has no idea what they are doing.
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/seo-experts-coffs-harbour.png,,HTML,"Have you been contacted recently by SEO “experts” telling you, your website can’t be found and that you need to do (laundry list of techy things) to your website to make it visible on Google? I’m going to share with you what happened when we received an email just like this so you don’t get pushed into a sales tactic ploy by someone who really has no idea what they are doing.
Background – our website receives approximately 10-15+ hours per month on improving SEO (search engine optimisation – the thing that makes your site be found on Google search engine). We use tools to test the changes we make which gives us a Technical SEO Score on our website and then we use this to make adjustments to increase the score. As a business who offers website design (including SEO work), we feel we need to be at the top of our game in this field and we work hard to do so.
On last test, our site was 0.1% away from a perfect technical score using the testing tool we use for general purpose testing. The highest website we have ever scanned in the world was 85.9% that wasn’t built by Outspoken Entourage. So in our opinion, the SEO work on our site is second to none. Of the 6 categories (using our identified search phrases) we strive to be ranked highly in, we hold the number one spot for 4 of these and we are number 2 and number 3 for the remaining 2 categories.
The list given by the ‘expert’ of things we needed to address looked like this;
We receive approximately 2-6 emails like this one each week for our own website. Me getting slightly ‘annoyed’ with the constant barrage of unsolicited emails telling me how these experts could make my website appear on Google better decided to run a test of the SEO Expert’s website. Providing me with a list of 61 items is simply a way to overwhelm in order to engage services.
The Experts Website – we ran a test on the expert’s website and returned a score of 63.2. This score is 36.7% less than our own website and had a number of major flaws. We promptly sent them our own recommendations for their website which looked like this;
We then informed them that their tactic of simply overwhelming businesses with a bunch of ‘techy words’ was simply a ploy to get business and that they should “Get their own house in order’.
Summary – whilst all of the technical details of what creates a website which will rank highly are far too numerous for this article, let there be a single takeaway for you.
An SEO expert cannot simply state you that you cannot be found ranking highly on Google without knowing the search phrase/s you are chasing (example ‘digital marketing Coffs Harbour’).
The easiest way to check for yourself – search the query you want to be found for. If you are sitting there on page 1, well done! If not, let your website designer know which phrases you would like to be found under in search and get them to implement a plan to make it happen!
Remember, every business is receiving these emails and more than likely it won’t be a reflection on your own website’s performance.
",,Outspoken Entourage,10.08.2020,,Read More,Same Window 19,Why chatbots work.,,Web Design,Website features,"We’re sure some of you are thinking ‘pffft, whatever!' Those chatbots are hella annoying!’ and while....
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/chatbot-website-coffs-harbour.png,,HTML,"We’re sure some of you are thinking ‘pffft, whatever! Those chatbots are hella annoying!’ and while we’d agree with you on some level, for those that have serious intent to buy, then they are a fantastic lead generation tool.
We all know consumer behaviour has changed, and as business owners, we MUST change our marketing strategies to meet the consumer.
Consumers require immediate action these days, as they are usually reacting to a stimulus. They have much higher expectations and expect a smooth and relevant experience. And, people are more loyal to their NEEDS as opposed to a particular business or brand. Yep, even your most loyal customers can go elsewhere if you’re not around to assist them with their problem.
In essence, you need to be able to connect with your customer/client when they need you. Be helpful, quick and, most importantly, be there, wherever that may be, such as a chatbot!
Let us explain by giving you an example, using ourselves as the tester (naturally!)
We installed a chatbot on our website. Yes, you know the one, with Nicola’s annoying head popping up to ask if you have any questions?! Well, just last month we received 8 legitimate, online chats from potential clients. Of those 8, 6 booked in for a meeting. Proposals have been sent out and now we see which ones convert (and sorry, but the chatbot can’t close a sale for you – that’s all on you!)
And while 8 may not seem like a lot, it’s 8 potential customers that may NOT have made contact with us if the chatbot wasn’t there.
If you need help setting up a chatbot, then get in touch! 1300 494 990.
",,Outspoken Entourage,03.08.2020,,Read More,Same Window 20,Can you save it in a format that I can edit?,,Social Media,Social Media,"Over the past 2 decades I have been working as a graphic designer, this is a question which comes up on a regular basis. It’s a very expansive question that has many factors involved.....
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/graphic-design-file-edit-in-word.jpg,,HTML,"Over the past 2 decades I have been working as a graphic designer, this is a question which comes up on a regular basis.
It’s a very expansive question that has many factors involved to answer! So I’ll try and break it down as best I can.
Design Software – graphic design software is complex. It’s complex because it needs to be able to produce anything that any client asks for. The result is that the files that are used to produce that amazing logo, digital document or print ready file need to be read back in using the same software in order to edit each element in the design. Other programs may be able to open them however the result usually has things missing, locked or inconsistencies in the design.
Client Skill Level – OK – let’s say you have the same software that your graphic designer uses. Boom - you can open the file! Awesome, but here’s the catch…. depending on the design you are trying to edit, layers may be locked so they aren’t selected by mistake by the designer when working on the file, clipping masks and compound paths applied and the list goes on. Having a sound knowledge of these technical aspects will be critical to allow you to work with the file. Using the software a professional designer works with takes years to develop. I still learn new things all the time and I have been using the same group of applications for 22 years!
Client Software – normally a client uses the normal range of programs such as MS Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc). Whilst something like a logo saved as a jpg or png can be used in these applications, the restrictions are numerous, and you shouldn’t think you have the same flexibility in creating a document that a professional designer has. You may get something that looks acceptable however the time it takes to do so will often be several times longer than a designer takes to produce a similar article.
Intellectual Property – This is an entire topic in itself which we will touch on in the future!
So, there you have it! While we can save your design in a format you can edit, the results you get may not be quite as good as what the designer can do for you.
",,Outspoken Entourage,28.07.2020,,Read More,Same Window 21,The social platform predicament.,,Social Media,Social Media,What platform should I be on? This is a great question and one we get asked a lot! And we hate to break it to you but...
,Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/social-platform-predicament.jpg,,HTML,"What platform should I be on? This is a great question and one we get asked a lot!
And we hate to break it to you but there’s no right or wrong answer. Soz!
Really, when it comes to selecting what social media platform/s your business should be on is all down to who your target audience is and where do they spend most of their time?
If you’re a B2B, then LinkedIn is a great option along with Facebook. B2C do better on things like Insta, Facebook and Snapchat.
Ultimately, you want to meet your target audience on the social platforms they use (and if that means you have to learn Snapchat or Instagram, then do it! Don’t be an ostrich. Refusing to post on a certain platform because you don’t know how to use it is not acceptable, you’ll need to learn!)
Ensure your language, tone, content and call to action are in line with that platform, and are engaging, entertaining and valuable to your target audience.
And that’s all there is to it! Know who your target audience is, find out where they spend their time and meet them there!
Need to learn the ins and outs of a social media platform? Contact us on 1300 494 990 and book in for private social media training.
",,Outspoken Entourage,20.07.2020,,Read More,Same Window 22,Why your website is the centre of digital marketing.,,Digital Marketing,Digital Marketing,"Fun fact! Did you know that over 75% of internet users search for products and services online? And if your customers are online, then your marketing initiatives should be online too. And the centre of those marketing efforts is your humble website.
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/digital-marketing-websites.jpg,,HTML,"Fun fact! Did you know that over 75% of internet users search for products and services online? And if your customers are online, then your marketing initiatives should be online too. And the centre of those marketing efforts is your humble website.
With the rise of digital marketing, you need to be across things like blogging, email marketing, social media marketing, paid social campaigns, SEO, PPC and more – phew! That’s quite a list! And all of your digital marketing efforts should include a call to action. And each call to action SHOULD drive the audience to your website.
So, given the above, your website is PRETTY important… how’s it stacking up? If you’re driving people from various digital channels to your website, you want your website to tick many boxes. These include:
Ultimately, if you are engaging in digital marketing, but don’t have a website, or a website that is poorly designed, has average SEO or an unpleasant user experience, then your digital marketing efforts will be sub-par.
Worried? If you feel your website needs an overhaul, then contact us today to discuss!
Book meeting by clicking here.
",,Outspoken Entourage,13.07.2020,,Read More,Same Window 23,Getting Jiggy with Google My Business,,Websites & SEO,SEO GMB,"Now, before you start singing Will Smith’s ‘Getting Jiggy With It’, we have an important public service announcement....
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/google-my-business-coffs-harbour.jpg,,HTML,"Now, before you start singing Will Smith’s ‘Getting Jiggy With It’ (sorry, we’re sure you’ll be singing that in your head all day now….) we have an important public service announcement. If your business isn’t on Google My Business (GMB) or you’re not optimising it, then you’re seriously missing out on a huge chance to capture local business. Werd.
Just HOW important is GMB? Well, Google’s aim is to be the best search engine, so if you don’t find what you’re looking for quickly each time you search, you’d be inclined to use another search engine. Right? So, it’s in Google’s best interests to make sure everything they do is for the user’s convenience.
And this is where GMB comes in:
There you have it. If you’re ready to get your business listed on Google My Business, you can do this here: https://www.google.com/business/
And if you need help with all things digital marketing, you can give us a call on 1300 494 990 and arrange an obligation-free chat!
",,Outspoken Entourage,02.07.2020,,Read More,Same Window 24,Why the first design is often the best.,,graphic design,"logo, branding","When showing the client the first logo concepts, many times there is often a moment of sheer delight when the client.....
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/logo-branding-coffs-harbour-design.jpg,,HTML,"Over the past 20+ years that I have been designing logos and branding for businesses, I have worked with many clients from all different types of industries. From seafood wholesalers, to life insurance, cafes to builders, architects to allied health, product inventors to real estates and everything in between.
When showing the client the first logo concepts, many times there is often a moment of sheer delight when the client views a concept that they connect with and would be a great representation of their brand and potentially increase their market share in their respective industry.
They love it, having never thought that their logo could be so good and leave ever so happy with the result. Winning, right?!
Ahhh, not so much. They then proceed to show it to a number of people including their kids, significant other, colleague, the mechanic down the street, their uncle who has an arts degree and even the postman. After they gather all of the feedback things often can take a turn for the worse….
The Next Day
The next day we get a phone call or email. It normally starts with, we loved the logo you worked on for us, BUT my uncle who used to be a designer, my golf pro or colleague had some suggestions on how it could be improved. Could we take out that major design element and replace it with (insert logo copied from the internet here) and somehow integrate another element. Could we then change the typeface to being more (modern/traditional/classic/space aged - which is the polar opposite of the initial brief)?
We don’t normally like to say no but often a conversation about why that new element doesn’t work goes unheard. Given it’s the client’s logo, the design team attempts to make the new additions look as good as possible to please the client.
The logo starts to grow a second head, the text is no longer slick and the other changes make it overly complicated. The result is usually less than great and the client doesn’t like the look of this revision. They normally try and make some more revisions to fix it but the result is sub-par.
At this point some clients are brave enough to say “I have been looking at the evolution of the logo concepts and after looking at it with fresh eyes, we/I think that the original one you did is the best and we would really like to go with that one”.
Design and art is subjective. Different people have different opinions. The reality is, a graphic designer normally looks at the segment of the market you hold (or wish to hold) and then designs a logo that would attract that customer.
If you look at a logo concept for the first time and you are blown away with how good it looks, that’s what your customers will think as well. That’s the impression you want! If it’s not love at first sight, then by all means, we will work on other concepts to find one you do love.
Ultimately, it’s your logo, and we want to ensure you present to the market with something that will be a strong brand both now, and in the years to come.
Need a new logo or rebrand? Book an in-person or Skype meeting!
",,Outspoken Entourage,23.06.2020,,Read More,Same Window 25,The beauty of blogs.,,"marketing, blogs",blogs,"Everyone’s always talking about blogs. They’ve been around for years and for most of us, we think of blogs as something people do for fun or because they’re bored….
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/blog-marketing-coffs-harbour.png,,HTML,"Everyone’s always talking about blogs. They’ve been around for years and for most of us, we think of blogs as something people do for fun or because they’re bored…. You know, blogging about shoes or running or other hobbies that people are passionate about?!
BUT, what about blogging for business? If you think about blogging more strategically, it could be one of the BEST things you do for your business. Why? Read on!
If the above 3 points haven’t sold you on why you should be blogging for your business, then maybe this will…. Once you make your blog LIVE on your website, it’s out there forever. FOR-EV-ER. That means it will bring in new website traffic and new leads, forever (is anyone else singing Ms Jackson by Outkast right now?!). Who doesn’t love a blog that keeps working hard on behalf of your biz. We do!
Blogging not your thing? No worries! The team at Outspoken Entourage can write your business blogs for you. Call us now on 1300 494 990 or drop us an email: chat@outspokenentourage.com.au
",,Outspoken Entourage,15.06.2020,,Read More,Same Window 26,Do we send work offshore?,,graphic design,graphic design,In one word – no! One of the core principles of Outspoken Entourage is that we don’t send any work offshore or contract graphic design work out. We keep everything....
,Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/outsource-graphic-design.png,,HTML,"In one word – no! One of the core principles of Outspoken Entourage is that we don’t send any work offshore or contract graphic design work out. We keep everything in house! If a project can’t be completed from start to finish and delivered to you, chances are we will either;
We believe in using the most talented people to collaborate with and let’s face it, there’s a lot of talented peeps in Coffs! In the case of photographers, we even drill this down further - product shots we will use a photographer that specialises in this genre. If you are needing a headshot, we will use a photographer that excels in headshots. In a nutshell, we want your business to look amazeballs, so we will only refer you to those that can achieve that ;-)
When it comes to graphic design specifically - we don’t use freelancers. We like to employ local talent that we can rely on for (hopefully) many years to come. This means when you have a project worked on by us, the same designers will be here to deliver the same consistency that businesses crave on an ongoing basis. It also means that we don’t suffer the problems of having a project created on a platform that some designers use but others do not.
So there you have it! Here at Outspoken Entourage, we keep everything in house to ensure your business gets the attention it deserves.
",,Outspoken Entourage,10.06.2020,,Read More,Same Window 27,Website case study.,,web design,web design,"The previous website for MRCR was a bit light on personality, the branding wasn’t great and the functionality was also average. An SEO technical score (the score which makes up approximately 50% of your Google ranking) was 57.0 out of 100 so this wasn’t going to do any favours for the site being found in a Google search. If your site can’t be found, the likelihood of it obtaining leads for you is going to be slim.
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/main-ridge-coffee-case-study-web-design.png,,HTML,"A recent project which we enjoyed creating was a logo and branding development for Main Ridge Coffee Roasters. If you haven’t read that article, you can click here.
The previous website for MRCR was a bit light on personality, the branding wasn’t great and the functionality was also average. An SEO technical score (the score which makes up approximately 50% of your Google ranking) was 57.0 out of 100 so this wasn’t going to do any favours for the site being found in a Google search. If your site can’t be found, the likelihood of it obtaining leads for you is going to be slim.
Marius from MRCR wanted a site which was more reflective of his style and passion for coffee. A site he could be proud to send potential clients to with confidence. Marius is originally from Melbourne and feels a great connection to the cobblestone laneways such as Hosier Lane, AC/DC Lane and Hardware Lane, where the Melbourne coffee scene is bustling with specialty coffee bars and hole in the wall locations.
Part of the site build was also a shopping platform that he could easily add products, change inventory and give discount codes for the various wholesale café accounts he manages.
Using the recently completed branding elements, Mark put a website concept together (basically a document that looks like a website without actual working parts). It used imagery from the specialty coffee scene and imagery that evokes emotion, that speaks to baristas and café owners with “you’ve come to the right place”.
Marius loved the concept and hit the approve button. Mark put the design together featuring an amazing pop-out menu, moody and emotive café scenes along with information about MRCR that makes them who they are.
Kel pieced together a shopping experience using the widely used Shopify platform (OE are Shopify Partners). This features a simplified shopping experience with crisp white backgrounds allowing shoppers to easily navigate, select their options (bag size and grind type) and check out.
Marius loved the proof site and whilst we put the finishing touches on the search engine optimisation (SEO), Kel arranged a training session with Marius to show him how to make additions and changes to the inventory and products. She also showed him how to analyse data collected on shopper behaviour for future marketing, whether that be remarketing emails (for people who have placed items in the shopping cart but not checked out) or to gather subscription lists.
Working with a local web host team, we were able to have all the domain names transferred quickly and easily without fuss and the site was launched.
The SEO was tested on the site upon launch. With some further tweaking, a score of 98.8 was returned (a 41.8 percent increase on the previous site!).
Check out the website project here which has links to the live site.
",,Outspoken Entourage,09.06.2020,,Read More,Same Window 28,Graphic Design Studio or Agency - what's the difference?,,marketing,marketing,Simple answer – a design studio has 10 or fewer team members.......
,Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/graphic-design-studio-agency.png,,HTML,"Simple answer – a design studio has 10 or fewer team members and an agency has greater than 10 (Source: Australian Graphic Design Association).
Longer answer – an agency normally has team members with very specific skill sets which may render them harder to employ by smaller studios. Smaller studios may require team members to have a more rounded skill set. As an example, in a studio a graphic designer may need to be able to handle print, digital, web or sign projects and take them from concept through to finished art.
In an agency, a project concept may be prepared by a graphic designer and then sent through to the finished artist who may check layouts, spelling & grammar, image resolution and then prepare for print or digital use.
Another example is in a website project. In a studio, the designer may come up with the concept and then build the site including SEO. In an agency, the designer may come up with the concept and then pass over to a developer/s who writes the code for the site. It may then be passed over to a specialist in SEO who then makes all the necessary adjustments.
Summary
Essentially, as any studio grows in size, positions become more specific to each team member’s strengths and, due to the increased amount of projects that come through a larger firm, they will then specialise in this niche field.
",,Outspoken Entourage,04.06.2020,,Read More,Same Window 29,Logo design case study - Main Ridge Coffee Roasters,,logo design & branding,logo design & branding,We first met Marius when he came in to see us about his branding and website. Marius was not confident in the design and functionality of his website and as a result was not referring potential clients to it as he felt it did not project the right image for his boutique coffee roasting business. Read how we transformed his logo and branding...
,Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/main-ridge-logo-design-case-study.png,,HTML,"We first met Marius when he came in to see us about his branding and website. Marius was not confident in the design and functionality of his website and as a result was not referring potential clients to it as he felt it did not project the right image for his boutique coffee roasting business.
Brief – create an eye catching logo for Main Ridge Coffee Roasters. To be then rolled out across new stationery, apparel, website, coffee bags and other collateral. The specialty coffee industry is home to street art and back-alley laneways. Marius is also interested in architecture, in particular mid-century modern, if this was able to be captured in the new logo and branding. Important to have a smaller logo “icon” which could be used as required with the full version.
Initial Concepts - we presented Marius with a couple of strong concepts after Mark & Kellie put their collective 32 years of graphic design experience to canvas.
The first version featured isometric style lettering and a matching mountain/ridge. The isometric style was selected as it had a certain element of architecture with the 3D lettering. The layout of the dots also resembled a coffee plantation with the rows of coffee trees along with the isometric theme.
Logo design concept one.
We also presented Marius with some custom lettering which involved letters wrapping around each other, creating interest. This version also accommodated some geometric shapes conducive of mid-century architecture in shades of blue. Red, white and blue is always a great colour scheme to work with.
Logo design concept two.
Development - Marius was not so keen on the yellow isometric version but instantly liked the concept of the blue version with custom lettering. We took this direction and then continued the development of the concept to bring it to a finished and polished state. Mark took the “o” in coffee roasters and filled it in and then took a piece out representing a coffee bean perfectly.
Kel had designed some really cool icons in some of our original concepts which didn’t make it to the original two presented concepts. As an icon however, these were perfect. After some finessing, we tidied them up using text elements from the final logo and then put them into the branding guide as the logo icon. Perfect for websites and smaller sized projects where the full logo would be illegible due to the size. These made it to the website in the top right corner.
Final logo showing icons and branding elements. Apparel design shown below.
Upon approval of the final logo and icons, we came up with a branding guidelines document which showed the logo and icon used in everything from apparel, coffee cups, café wind barriers along with social media post examples and stationery.
With final approval from Marius, we created the logo in various formats for personal and professional use along with the branding guidelines.
Stay tuned, we will reveal the development of Main Ridge Coffee Roaster’s website in part 2.
",,Outspoken Entourage,26.05.2020,,Read More,Same Window 30,How to cross post from FB to IG!,,social media,"social media, instagram, facebook","I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had people ask me if they can post from Facebook to Instagram and always, I’ve had to sigh and say ‘no’. BUT things have changed (a while ago actually….), and now you CAN post from FB to IG, however there’s a few catches.
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/how-to-cross-post-facebook-instagram.jpg,,HTML,"I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had people ask me if they can post from Facebook to Instagram and always, I’ve had to sigh and say ‘no’. BUT things have changed (a while ago actually….), and now you CAN post from FB to IG, however there’s a few catches.
Firstly, you can only cross post from a BUSINESS page on Facebook to a BUSINESS account on Instagram. Secondly, you can’t cross post stories from FB to IG as yet. Boo! Thirdly, and this is the kicker, you can’t post from the Facebook app. You have to log on to Facebook on a desktop or laptop computer. Big thumbs down!
Having said that, for those of you who prefer to use Facebook and aren’t quite ‘into’ Instagram yet, this can be a big help! So, how do you do it? Read on !
And there you go! Give it a try next time you need to post across both Facebook and Instagram.
Social media really not your thang?! Contact nicola@outspokenentourage.com.au to book in for an individual social media training session today!
",,Outspoken Entourage,25.05.2020,,Learn How,Same Window 31,What are branding guidelines?,,Logo & Branding,"Logo, Branding",A company branding guideline is a document which displays a number of items such as a businesses logo including any alternate versions and the colour codes that may be required for both print and digital applications...
,Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/branding-guidelines-what-are.png,,HTML,"A company branding guideline is a document which displays a number of items such as a businesses logo including any alternate versions and the colour codes that may be required for both print and digital applications.
Along with the logo, the document can show a range of complementary items that can co-exist with a logo through different mediums. These can include icons or patterns and a representation of the type of photographic images.
Branding Guidelines can then also display a range of different projects and how the logo is displayed throughout. These projects can be everyday items such as business cards and stationery, document covers, vehicle graphics, social media tiles and even shop signage, apparel or email signatures.
These mockups are not “ready to print” or use but are shown as an example of how a project could be displayed. Of course - if the mockup of the business card is exactly what a client would like to use, the time it will take to complete the design and prepare for print is reduced considerably when in the hands of a professional designer using industry standard software. Some things you may be able to accomplish yourself using non-professional software, but to get the highest standard, a graphic designer will always be the person to accomplish anything you desire.
Think of brand guidelines as a “style guide” similar to how an interior designer may create a mood board with examples of floor tiles, colours and fabric.
Want to see an example - head to our Logo Design page and download from the header bar.
",,Outspoken Entourage,21.05.2020,,Read More,Same Window 32,Insight Intelligence.,,Digital Marketing,"Digital Marketing, Analytics, Social Media",When was the last time you looked at your business social media platform stats? Like REALLY looked at them? Not just a glance to see how many profile....
,Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/analytics-intelligence-social-media-coffs-harbour.jpg,,HTML,"When was the last time you looked at your business social media platform stats? Like REALLY looked at them? Not just a glance to see how many profile visits you got this week (and do a little fist pump when it’s up on last week) but things like – which post had the most click throughs to your website? Which post had the most engagement? Or who is engaging with your posts?
If you haven’t really given much thought to the insights/stats, then here’s a few reasons why you should devote some time to analysing them.
You think you know who your target audience are, but do you REALLY know that for sure? By delving into the native reporting on Instagram and Facebook, you’ll be able to see who is actually following, engaging and interacting with your posts. You’ll get a break-down on their demographics such as age, location, gender and more. Does this match up with what you thought?
Why did one post get a lot of website click throughs, but others didn’t? Why did another post bomb miserably with little engagement? By seeing these stats you can start to make changes to your posts. By looking at the posts critically, you can begin to remove the types of posts that aren’t doing well and replace them with the type of posts that ARE doing well.
How do you think you stack up against your competitors? Facebook has a wonderful function where you can add your competitors to a list ,and it will rank you against them. You’ll be able to see how many posts they put out, what their overall engagement is and how many followers they have. Cool, huh?! Nothing like a bit of competitive spirit to drive you towards those business and social media goals ;-)
Don’t be afraid of insights. Play around on both Facebook, Instagram and any other social media platform your business uses to get familiar with what stats are provided. It may just open your eyes to something you could be doing better!
We will be holding a social media insights workshop soon – register your interest HERE!
",,Outspoken Entourage,18.05.2020,,Read More,Same Window 33,Why designers use Macs.,,Graphic Design,Graphic Design,When I started in design in the late 90’s...
,Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/why-designers-use-macs.jpg,,HTML,"There are several reasons. Here’s a few why we use them;
Legacy - When I started in design in the late 90’s, many trade printers would not accept a file from a PC based machine as they all used Macs. So if you ever needed to get a full colour brochure printed and you were not using a Mac, the file may not be accepted. Programs such as Quark Xpress used to layout artwork (similar to Adobe InDesign) was originally only available on Mac and hence the print industry adopted this as the standard platform.
Adobe Software – widely regarded as the industry standard for Graphic Design, the Adobe range of products was available in the beginning only on Mac. As most universities and educational institutions had kitted out their labs with Macs, designers were trained on Macs and carried this forward until today.
Font Rendering – Many years ago, the Mac was hands down better than PC at rendering fonts on screen. Transferring what was on screen to print being a high priority, it made sense that designers used Macs. Apple has also respected font designers by including licensed fonts in the OS. Microsoft on the other hand, continually commissions “knock-off” fonts such as Arial (from Helvetica) and Segoe (from Frutiger). In this respect Apple seems to better respect the design community better than Microsoft.
User Experience – Apples have arguably always been simpler to use due to software largely being developed in-house whereas PCs are built from all sorts of random parts and then use a third party OS such as Windows to run. Whilst improvements have been made since the 90’s, the legacy still exists today.
Aesthetics – Apple has always had a great looking machine. Designers appreciate this.
So there you go! This is why graphic designers use Macs.
In need of a new logo or website (designed on a Mac, of course!) then contact us today – chat@outspokenentourage.com.au
",,Outspoken Entourage,11.05.2020,,Read More,Same Window 34,To Schedule Or Not To Schedule – That Is The Question!
,,Social Media,"Social Media, Marketing","And a GREAT question it is! There are pros and cons for everything and scheduling your social media posts is no exception.
Let’s start with the GOOD! Just because. We know, we know, usually you give someone the bad news first (or give them the option) but this is our blog post - don’t argue with us. ;-)
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/social-media-schedule-coffs-harbour.jpg,,HTML,"And a GREAT question it is! There are pros and cons for everything and scheduling your social media posts is no exception.
Let’s start with the GOOD! Just because. We know, we know, usually you give someone the bad news first (or give them the option) but this is our blog post - don’t argue with us. ;-)
The Pros
The Cons
Look, we tried to be fair and give 3 pros and 3 cons, but in our honest opinion, do what works for you and your business! If you’ve got a LOT of social accounts and would rather just plan ahead, load up and schedule – then do it. If you’re only on Facebook and Insta, and you can’t be bothered learning ANOTHER type of software, then post manually.
And if you can’t be bothered creating content for your business and posting on social, then give us a call! We can make sure you never have to ;-)
",,Outspoken Entourage,28.04.2020,,Read More,Same Window 35,My Website’s Going To Cost WHAT?!
,,Websites,"Websites, SEO","We don’t get this question asked directly very often, however we are sure it is something which is thought about by business owners a LOT.
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/website-cost-explained-coffs-harbour-webdesign.jpg,,HTML,"We don’t get this question asked directly very often, however we are sure it is something which is thought about by business owners a LOT.
Let’s set the scene. You book in for a consultation with a web designer. You give them a list of what you want for your brand new, slick website, taking inspiration from the 1000’s of websites you have witnessed over several years. You leave feeling happy and optimistic having discussed the content, number of pages and your competition.
DING - the email arrives from the agency and you eagerly open it up and then click through to the quote. Your eye jumps straight to the bottom of the page, you see the $$ and you board the train to Heart Attack Central.
So why are websites so costly? Let’s run through a few reasons why and hopefully save you some money next time you are in the market for a great website.
Did you ask for a heap of pages? Could your stand-alone testimonials page be amortised into the “team” page? Did you have 3 pages on your family history that would be a nice thing to have, but won’t necessarily sell any products or build credibility that a single page can’t achieve? Did you require a lot of custom features which aren’t really available “off the shelf” and will take several hours to build? See where we’re going with this?! Whilst it’s awesome to have a 20 page website that gives potential clients all the information needed, sometimes the budget doesn’t allow this. Maybe the 3 pages for item “a” and the 4 pages for items “b & c” could be built as stage 2 when budget is available? Having a quality small site is much better than not having a website at all.
The super cool feature you saw on that large corporations, retail giant or national franchise’s website probably wasn’t built in an hour. Or even 20 hours. It may have taken a team several days to achieve with the direction of a marketing manager and team of marketing professionals. Unless you have a huge budget, or enough work to put a web designer on full time, those custom features (aka, the bells and whistles) take time and cost money.
Remember when you only needed a website that worked on a desktop computer? Then it had to be desktop and mobile. Now, with all the devices such as tables, mobiles, laptops and desktops, you need to have a responsive website, or Google penalises you. And you guessed it, responsive websites take a lot longer to build. Why? Because a general site has at least 3 things called “breakpoints”. Each breakpoint is setup for different screen sizes such as desktops, laptops, tablets and phones. Grab the edge of your web browser and resize it so its narrow and then wide. See how all of the elements shuffle around with some changing size and some dropping off all together? This is what responsive sites do. They resize to the infinite number of displays, devices and browser sizes people use. Oh yeah, and they don’t do that automatically. Your web designer needs to design each page as 3 or more different sizes and then ensure it works in a variety of browsers.
Need a new responsive website? Get in touch for a free consultation!
",,Outspoken Entourage,17.04.2020,,Read More,Same Window 36,Don’t Fear The Facebook Funnel.
,,Marketing,Faceboook Marketing,Most people here the words ‘Facebook Funnel’ and run away screaming. Which is why I thought I’d use this blog to break down how the Facebook Funnel works and why you need to use this form of paid social media advertising over boosting a post.
,Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/facebook-funnel-marketing.png,,HTML,"Most people hear the words ‘Facebook Funnel’ and run away screaming. Which is why I thought I’d use this blog to break down how the Facebook Funnel works and why you need to use this form of paid social media advertising over boosting a post. Don’t get me wrong – boosting a post is fine however if you find that you’re just not getting the results you want, and want more control over your objective and getting your audience to move along the buyers journey to a conversion, then Facebook Funnels is the way to go.
Here’s how the Facebook Funnel works, and we will keep it simple for this blog. For a Facebook Funnel, you need to create 3 x posts – one that focuses on brand awareness, one that focuses on engagement/consideration and one that focuses on conversion.
For the post that focuses on brand awareness, we’re wanting to target an audience that doesn’t know WHO you are, to make them aware of your brand, products and/or services.
With the engagement/consideration post, we want people to interact with that post – by liking, sharing, clicking through to your website or downloading an ebook.
And lastly, the one focusing on conversion – well, that’s pretty self-explanatory! The ultimate goal is to move them down the buyer’s journey, from not knowing about your business, to making a purchase!
By using Facebook Business Manager, you set up your first Brand Awareness campaign, and create an audience based on location, demographics, age and more. This is where you want to get your brand out to as many of your target audience as possible. They are unlikely to buy from you until they get to know you, so this is a great way of doing that!
You then set up your Engagement/Consideration campaign and set the audience to a Custom Audience. This custom audience is created by using the Facebook pixel that’s on your website. (if you don’t have the Facebook Pixel on your website, go HERE. The pixel collects data on your Facebook audience, so you can then create a custom audience of people who have interacted with your Brand Awareness Campaign and/or who have visited your website.
From there, you create your Conversion campaign, driving a purchase and create a custom audience of those who have interacted with your Engagement/Consideration campaign and/or who have visited your website. The more touch points you have with your potential customer, the more likely they are to buy.
So, there you have it! There is a LOT more to the Facebook Funnel, but this gives you an idea of how it all works. Need help with your paid social media campaigns? Get in touch!
",,Outspoken Entourage,10.04.2020,,Read More,Same Window 37,It’s Not All About New Customers.
,,Marketing,Email Marketing,"While digital marketing and inbound marketing may seem like it’s all about attracting new leads and customers to your business, a large part of digital marketing includes the retention of your current customers...
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/email-marketing-coffs-harbour.png,,HTML,"While digital marketing and inbound marketing may seem like it’s all about attracting new leads and customers to your business, a large part of digital marketing includes the retention of your current customers. Yep, loving your current and past customers ensures repeat business and good word of mouth – and who doesn’t love a good bit o’ word of mouth?! And email marketing is a great way to do this! You can continue to build on those relationships, promote your content, and generate new business from existing customers.
Many businesses we speak to pooh-pooh the idea of email marketing or exclaim ‘I tried it and it didn’t work!’ But it’s not a ‘try it once’ type of game – as we’ve mentioned previously, digital marketing is a long game, with email marketing included. Here’s a stat from Hubspot’s website ‘email marketing generates $38 for every $1 spent, which is an outstanding 3800% return on investment, making it one of THE most effective options available’. O to the M to the G. That is a HUGE ROI, so if you’re not doing it, why not?
If you are NOT engaging with your current and past customers, and are only focusing on getting new clients, then you need to rethink your strategy. Here are 4 things you can do to market effectively via email.
Firstly, you need a customer relationship management system or database. This is where you can keep track of new leads, segment your database into lists such as leads, customers, subscribers and more. You can also go so far as to segment your customers into what they purchased. The more you segment, the better your email marketing will be. Why? Because you can then target the right email, to the right person, and the right time.
Again, there’s no point doing ANY marketing if you don’t set an objective. How will you know if an email campaign has been successful unless you have a goal? If you’ve sent out emails before with no goal, it’s okay if you give yourself a face palm – we’ve all been there…. Your goal can be anything you like such as open rate, click through rate and conversion rate (those who actually purchased from you after opening that email).
Have a think about how many emails you’d like to send to your customer database, then stick to it! If it’s once a week, once a fortnight or once a month, being consistent will mean less unsubscribes. Don’t send one a month, then start sending once a week unless you let your customers know. That way they can choose to limit the emails they receive from you. What we’re trying to say, in not so many words is, don’t p**s off your customer!
With your goal in mind, review the email results! Any email marketing platform will have insights into how your email performed. Look and see which links were clicked on the most. Why? Perhaps the offer, or content was good, so more click throughs. What didn’t get clicks? Why? Ask yourself the hard questions, then work to ensure your next email has more of the good stuff, and less of the not-so-great stuff.
Now, go forth and ensure your customers are feeling the love! If you’d rather get someone else to do this kinda stuff for you, then book in an online meeting to discuss your requirements!
",,Outspoken Entourage,07.04.2020,,Read More,Same Window 38,COVID-19 Business Survival Guide (8 things you can do right now!),,Marketing,Marketing,"Yep, none of us expected this sudden business challenge, and it’s understandable if you’re freaking out unsure of what you can do right now to lessen the impact. What we don’t want to do is bury our heads in the sand and hope for the best with our business.
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/covid19-business-survival-marketing.jpg,,HTML,"Yep, none of us expected this sudden business challenge, and it’s understandable if you’re freaking out unsure of what you can do right now to lessen the impact. What we don’t want to do is bury our heads in the sand and hope for the best with our business. We want to build business resilience, to know that in the face of adversity, we’ll come out fighting, and do whatever we can for long-term success.
Check out these 8 things that you can do NOW to ensure your business stays afloat during these challenging times.
1. Stay Visible
This is the single MOST IMPORTANT point you should take note of. Don’t pull out of your marketing efforts. While there is uncertainty about the potential economic impact of COVID-19, what is certain is that we will recover. NOW is the time to promote your business and plan your marketing strategy for the rest of the year.
While your competitors might slow down or stop their marketing activities completely, stay top of mind by investing in your social media, paid social campaigns, Google Ads, SEO, blog posts and more. Firstly, it shows you have a resilient business, and secondly, where is everyone spending their time if they’re in self-isolation? You guessed it – maxing out their mobile plans on their phones.
Remember, where there is scarcity, people search. If goods are not available, consumers WILL search for alternatives.
2. Love Your Customer
What makes your business tick? Your customers! And right now you need to love them HARD. What this means is keep your lines of communication open. Be sure to provide regular updates through all channels and make sure you look after your most loyal customers as a priority. If you have a database, make sure you are providing support and adding value to those who support you. Keep your social media going, engage with customers who are asking questions and find out what they need right now.
Put your customer service team (which may just be you!), in a cape and super-charge it by going above and beyond. If the customer can’t come to you, find a way to get to them through various online channels.
3. Improvise, Overcome and Adapt
We’re a big believer in this! When faced with a difficult or unusual situation, you need to really think outside the box and improvise! How can you adapt what you offer to your customers? Having a resilient business means having a level of flexibility. For example, you can offer flexible payment plans, fill a new market need, offer delivery or go remote and hold your meetings via Zoom or Skype.
4. Simplify, Simplify, Simplify
If business has slowed, use this time to simplify your product or service offerings. If you’ve got a product or service that doesn’t perform well, drop it! It’s the perfect time to take stock of everything you offer and be ruthless. By simplifying what you offer, you can put more time and effort into marketing high performing services and products.
5. Keep it Slick
Yes, keep it slick. Your systems, that is! What a great time to rejig your processes and procedures or put new systems in place to adapt to the current environment. Things to consider could be your CRM or customer database, your back-end operations and access for staff working remotely.
When you eliminate bottlenecks and manual intervention, you increase efficiency and hopefully productivity and profitability in the process.
6. Think Ahead
It’s important that with everything going on right now, that you still plan ahead. We’re big on planning, and while it’s tempting to focus on RIGHT NOW, you must consider where your business will be in 6 month’s time. What can you do to ensure that your business is flourishing later in the year? Take the time to plan – what steps are you going to take now to have a robust business at the end of 2020?
7. Build Your A Team, and get Flexible
Take the time to work with your team to bring out their best. Break your 12-month business plan into 90-day blocks and make the priorities clear. Ensure your remote work environment is set up and functioning for all your staff and highlight star performers.
If you don’t have systems in place to manage priorities and workflow in a remote capacity – now is the time. We love Monday, Trello and Slack.
8. Know Your Numbers
If profit & loss reports just ain’t your thing, that’s fine! We get it, but it’s important in times like this that you know your numbers. What’s your break-even, what grants and exemptions are you eligible for, how can you shorten your time to get paid? There are many ways to improve your short-tern business position by being a numbers wizard right now – and if you need help, call on your accountant to provide a guiding hand. That’s why you pay them the big bucks when things are running smoothly!
Stay safe & healthy – and remember that we’re in this together…
",,Sarah Poole & Nicola Ruitenberg,24.03.2020,,Read More,Same Window 39,Google Ads vs. Facebook Ads - What's the dif?,,Digital Marketing,Digital Marketing,"Who would win in this match of Google Ads and Facebook Ads? Going head to head in the ring, any guesses as to who would come out as victor?
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/google-ads-facebook-coffs-harbour.jpg,,HTML,"Who would win in this match of Google Ads and Facebook Ads? Going head to head in the ring, any guesses as to who would come out as victor?
Really, it’s down to who you ask, however BOTH have their merits. “Aren’t they the same?”, I hear you ask? Ah, no. Not even close, other than you have to allocate a budget towards them.
Here’s the breakdown of each and when you’d use them.
Google Ads
Facebook Ads
If the above is all too much, or you’d rather hand over your digital marketing to someone else, then talk to us today about how we can help! Head to our Digital Marketing page to find out more and book your free online appointment!
",,Outspoken Entourage,23.03.2020,,Read More,Same Window 40,5 ways to pull clients to your business.,,Digital Marketing,"EDM, Social, Marketing, Digital","In essence, digital marketing is the use of digital technology to achieve business and marketing goals. And the use of this technology PULLS your target audience to your business and website, hence the term ‘inbound’ marketing.
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/digital-marketing-5-ways.jpg,,HTML,"Inbound Marketing. Digital Marketing. Big buzzwords right now! And you know why? Because they WORK.
In essence, digital marketing is the use of digital technology to achieve business and marketing goals. And the use of this technology PULLS your target audience to your business and website, hence the term ‘inbound’ marketing. The whole idea is that rather than pushing your message out to all and sundry (and close your eyes, cross your fingers and hope that it reaches your target audience) you can actually create valuable content that draws your audience to you.
So, how do you do it? While it does take a bit of planning, the below are some ways you can draw your clients to your business. And remember, inbound marketing is a long game. It’s like losing weight – slow and steady gives great gains, quick fixes give a short-term result, but you end up back where you started.
So, there you have it! See how you go implementing the above and see what comes in!
If you need help with a digital marketing strategy or execution, go HERE to find out more and book a free consultation (online or in person!).
",,Outspoken Entourage,21.03/2020,,Read More,Same Window 41,Keep marketing during COVID-19 (3 tips that won't cost you anything!),,Social Media,"Social Media, Instagram, Facebook","What we need to understand during this time is that you shouldn’t stop your marketing activities. Yes, it’s a good idea to take stock of your expenses and cut back where necessary, however marketing and advertising your business should be TOP priority.
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/marketing-business-corona-virus.jpg,,HTML,"Wow, this COVID-19 pandemic has really knocked us around. It’s unchartered territory and none of us know how to handle it. If you’re in business, you’re either in an industry that’s experiencing unprecedented demand for your products and services, or you’re in an industry that’s come to a stand-still, for the foreseeable future.
What we need to understand during this time is that you shouldn’t stop your marketing activities. Yes, it’s a good idea to take stock of your expenses and cut back where necessary, however marketing and advertising your business should be TOP priority.
Have a think about everyone who is self-isolating. They’re stuck at home. Where do you think they will be spending most of their time? You guessed it – online. You need to ensure that once this is all over, your business recovers and to do that you STILL need to stay front of mind with your target audience and customer base.
Here are some key tips that you can implement TODAY, that don’t cost a cent.
Whatever you do, use this time wisely and make sure you keep your business visible.
If you need help with inbound/digital marketing, book your free ONLINE consultation here.
",,Outspoken Entourage,19.03.2020,,Read More,Same Window 42,Conquer your content crisis.,,Social Media,"Social Media, Instagram, Facebook","While we’re in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, what about YOUR content crisis?! Now is the time to be posting regularly on social media, to ensure your customers know you’re around and trading as per usual. This is NOT the time to stop!
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/conquer-social-media-content.jpg,,HTML,"While we’re in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, what about YOUR content crisis?! Now is the time to be posting regularly on social media, to ensure your customers know you’re around and trading as per usual. This is NOT the time to stop! Luckily, a content crisis for your daily social media is easily fixed and doesn’t require you to run out and stockpile toilet paper… or get into supermarket punch-ups ….
In all seriousness, it’s one of the biggest complaints we hear from those in business – what on earth should they post on their social media platforms each day?
Complain no more – your crisis is OVER! Now, before you run out to buy us non-perishables as thanks, read on to see how you can ensure you never run out of content.
Is your content crisis still a crisis? Then perhaps you need to come to our next Social Media Plan & Content Creation Workshop – which will now be held ONLINE as a webinar! Book your tickets HERE.
",,Outspoken Entourage,12.03.2020,,Read More,Same Window 43,Engage on social - or give up.,,Social Media,"Social Media, Instagram, Facebook","When we say engage on social or give up, we’re not telling you to be a big ol’ quitter. Nope. What we mean is that social media is....
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/engage-give-up-social-media.jpg,,HTML,"Ohhhhh we sound so harsh! But it’s for your own good. Gah! Now we sound like a stern parent!
Let’s start over. When we say engage on social or give up, we’re not telling you to be a big ol’ quitter. Nope. What we mean is that social media is exactly that – SOCIAL. If you’re not being social on your business social platforms, then you may as well put your phone down, and do another form of marketing. You know, one where you can have a conversation with your audience and find out more about them? Oh wait! There isn’t any! Social media is it. #soz
Look, if you’re not ‘into’ social media, that’s fine. You don’t have to be to actually engage with your business Facebook & Insta audiences. Below we’ve listed 3 easy ways to engage with your audience, that won’t have you feeling like you’re glued to your phone.
Still stuck in outskirts of the social media vortex? Then why not come to our next Social Media Workshops? Go HERE to see what we’ve currently got on!
",,Outspoken Entourage,08.03.2020,,Read More,Same Window 44,Followers - friend or foe?,,Social Media,"Social Media, Instagram, Facebook","We know you feel it. That RUSH when you see a new account has started following your business. It makes you giddy with excitement. You start thinking about how many people.....
_",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/followers-social-media-coffs-harbour.jpg,,HTML,"We know you feel it. That RUSH when you see a new account has started following your business. It makes you giddy with excitement. You start thinking about how many people have followed you in the last week. Could this be it? Could you be making the ascent to business Insta notoriety? OMG. The spoils! The riches! And off you go to bed, basking in the glow of Insta satisfaction and dreaming about sipping expensive champagne in the back of your limo….. The next day, you log in and see your Insta account has dropped 7 followers. What the actual…..?
You’re not alone. This happens to everyone, and we decided it was time to help you understand your followers. Are they your friend? Or some kind of cyber punk, here to ruin your day and dictate your mood.
If you’re still feeling fragile over your followers (understandably), then why not come to one of our next Social Media Workshops? Go HERE to see what we’ve currently got on!
",,Outspoken Entourage,01.03.2020,,Read More,Same Window 45,The hashtag hoedown.,,Social Media,"Social Media, Instagram, Facebook","Yeehah! Let’s talk about hashtags, y’all! Nah, I haven’t gone all ‘country’ on you, however it’s high time we discussed hashtags. There’s so much confusion out there, I thought I’d break it down....
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/hashtag-instagram-use-coffs-harbour.jpg,,HTML,"Yeehah! Let’s talk about hashtags, y’all! Nah, I haven’t gone all ‘country’ on you, however it’s high time we discussed hashtags. There’s so much confusion out there, I thought I’d break it down, so you know when you should be hashtagging, when you shouldn’t be, and how the lil’ ol’ hashtag works.
Heel and toe, and away we go!
So in summary, if you’re at the Hashtag Hoedown, you’d see Facebook decline any Hashtag’s offer to dance, Instagram would be dancing with lots of Hashtags, but being quite selective with WHICH Hashtags, and Facebook would probably be sitting in a corner, thinking about spiking the punch and wondering why they bothered to turn up.
Still confused about Hashtags? Why not come to one of our next Social Media Workshops? Go HERE to see what we’ve currently got on!
",,Outspoken Entourage,25.02.2020,,Read More,Same Window 46,Let's get analytical.,,Websites,"Website, SEO","If you’re not a data nerd, then #sorrynotsorry but you’re going to have to pay attention to this blog post, because...
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/website-analytics-coffs-harbour-seo.jpg,,HTML,"If you’re not a data nerd, then #sorrynotsorry but you’re going to have to pay attention to this blog post, because I am! And data, analytics and insights is where it’s at to know if your website is doing what you’re wanting it to do.
One of the brilliant things about anything digital, is that it CAN be measured. Which is awesome for us tech-nerds, because we can actually SEE results from the work we’re doing and then run around the office in excitement (a kind of non-pet zoomie, if you will).
Here are 5 reasons why you need to get on top of your analytics.
So, have I converted you into a massive data nerd yet? No? Fine, the cheese stands alone. In any case, I hope you’ve found this information useful!
If your website isn’t doing what it’s supposed to, whether due to poor SEO, layout etc, then BOOK a meeting with us today to discuss how we can help!
",,Outspoken Entourage,29.02.2020,,Read More,Same Window 47,Why one page websites won't rank.,,Websites,"Websites, SEO","When you start a business, there’s always that temptation to get a landing page for your business, or a single page website. While this is cost effective...
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/why-single-page-websites-wont-rank-seo.jpg,,HTML,"When you start a business, there’s always that temptation to get a landing page for your business, or a single page website. While this is cost effective, and gives you an online presence, could it be hurting your chances of ranking highly on Google? The answer is, unfortunately, yes.
Below are 3 drawbacks on having a one-page website.
Whether you’re considering a one-page or multi-page site, it’s important to consider the goals of your business and what your website is there to accomplish.
If you’re in need of a new website that will rank highly on Google, why not book a FREE one-hour meeting with us to discuss your requirements?
",,Outspoken Entourage,22.02.2020,,Read More,Same Window 48,How to get call to action traction.,,Websites,"Websites, Marketing","
You’ve got a great website, your SEO is doing what it’s supposed to and you’ve set up some call to action’s (CTA’s) on your site. You’re sitting pretty, feeling chuffed until you realise..... you're not getting any leads!
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/call-to-action-website-design-coffs-harbour.jpg,,HTML,"You’ve got a great website, your SEO is doing what it’s supposed to and you’ve set up some call to action’s (CTA’s) on your site. You’re sitting pretty, feeling chuffed until you realise..... you're not getting any leads!
A website is there for SO many reasons, one being that it’s a great vehicle for generating leads. And when it doesn’t, you need to look at the reasons why. If you’ve got CTA’s set up, then that’s a great place to start.
Here are 4 ways to ensure your CTA’s get some traction!
Ultimately, your website is there to assist with lead generation and CTA’s are a great way to do it.
If you’re in need of a new website, why not book a FREE one hour meeting with us to discuss your requirements?
",,Outspoken Entourage,15.02.2020,,Read More,Same Window 49,Logo creation. The dos & the don'ts.,,Logo Design & Branding,"Logo Design, Branding","Logos. While they may look simple upon viewing, there’s often a lot of time, effort, research and creativity to get a great logo. And we would know!
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/logo-design-branding-coffs-harbour.jpg,,HTML,"Logos. While they may look simple upon viewing, there’s often a lot of time, effort, research and creativity to get a great logo. And we would know!
Putting it in the words of one of the world’s greatest designers, Paul Rand, “a logo is a flag, a signature, an escutcheon, a street sign. A logo does not sell (directly), it identifies. A logo is rarely a description of a business. A logo derives meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolizes, not the other way around. A logo is less important than the product it signifies; what it represents is more important than what it looks like. The subject matter of a logo can be almost anything.”
To sum up – a logo doesn’t need to say what the company does or where it’s located – it’s an identifying mark that people associate with your brand. Its primary function is to say “Hey!, You! Here I am! Remember me.”
Here are a few pointers, if you’re considering a rebrand or are starting a business and getting your logo sorted.
DO
DON’T
Need help with your logo design? Why not book a 30-minute meeting with us! You can do so HERE.
",,Outspoken Entourage,08.02.2020,,Read More,Same Window 50,Image rehab for your social media.,,Social Media,"Social Media, Advertising, Marketing","Gone are the days of text social media posts. Today, it’s ALL about the visual. And while great images are a necessity, more often than not, we see poor quality images, images with text cut off and worse, stock images with watermarks still on them…. OMG!
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/image-rehab-social-media-coffs-harbour-010.jpg,,HTML,"Gone are the days of text social media posts. Today, it’s ALL about the visual. And while great images are a necessity, more often than not, we see poor quality images, images with text cut off and worse, stock images with watermarks still on them…. OMG!
So, what can you do about it? Some pointers below for you ;-)
If you feel you could use some help with content creation (including image selection!) , then why not join our next Social Media Plan & Content Creation Workshop on 19th February 2020? Find out more HERE.
",,Outspoken Entourage,04.02.2020,,Read More,Same Window 51,How to create stories that don't suck (4 tips).,,Social Media,"Social Media, Marketing","Creating Insta or Facebook Stories is kinda fun. You get to be a bit more relaxed when it comes to your business, you can show more ‘behind the scenes’ and allow your audience to get to know you, your team and your business better.
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/stories-that-dont-suck-social-media-coffs-harbour-009.jpg,,HTML,"Creating Insta or Facebook Stories is kinda fun. You get to be a bit more relaxed when it comes to your business, you can show more ‘behind the scenes’ and allow your audience to get to know you, your team and your business better.
But what if your Stories suck? If you’re not getting many viewers, likes or interactions with your stories, then Houston, we have a problem.
Here are 4 tips that should take your Stories from ‘Oh No’ to ‘Whoa, Bro’.
If you think your Stories still suck, then why not join our next Social Media Stories Workshop on 12th February 2020? Find out more HERE.
",,Outspoken Entourage,30.01.2020,,Read More,Same Window 52,5 reasons your Facebook ads don't work (and how you can fix them!).,,Social Media,"Social Media, Facebook, Advertising","Long gone are the days of boosting a post and hoping for the best. Even creating an ad through your Business Facebook page just doesn’t cut it. If you want your paid social media campaigns to work, you need to up the ante.
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/facebook-advertising-not-working-social-media-coffs-harbour-008.jpg,,HTML,"Long gone are the days of boosting a post and hoping for the best. Even creating an ad through your Business Facebook page just doesn’t cut it. If you want your paid social media campaigns to work, you need to up the ante. And that includes getting your business set up on Facebook Business (business.facebook.com)
Below are just SOME of the reasons your Facebook ads don’t work (and what you can do to combat it!)
Audiences know when they’re being sold to. There’s no point listing the ‘benefits’ of a product or service – you’ll fall on deaf ears. Instead, focus on reasons why someone would need your product or service? Solve a problem that your target audience is having and you’re more likely to convert.
The whole benefit of using social media to advertise is so that you can really drill down and target your ideal demographic. You now have the ability to drill down to include job title, interests and behaviours as well as age, gender and location.
You have so many options with the creative, from slideshows to carousels to videos that you can create directly in Facebook Business Manager. And when it comes to your copy – you need to grab someone’s attention in the first 2 – 3 seconds or they will keep on scrolling. Some excellent options include a customer testimonial specifically on the post you’re promoting, addressing a pain point OR injecting some urgency into the offer.
If you really want to generate action, you need to make the offer good enough that someone will click through and take advantage of it! For example, if you’re trying to move stock and you only have 5 of that product left, look to move those 5 products by offering a substantial discount for 24 hours only. Your potential customers will know they have to act fast to take advantage of the offer.
Funnels are definitely the best way of targeting the correct audience and guiding them to a conversion. Creating specific ads for different stages of the buyers’ journey and using custom audiences to move your audience along that journey, from awareness, to consideration to conversion. This does require you to set up a Facebook Pixel on your website.
Want to get more hands-on guidance? Why not join our next Social Media Advertising Workshop on 26th February 2020? Find out more HERE.
",,Outspoken Entourage,13.01.2020,,Read More,Same Window 53,"If you don't plan, don't post (and 3 things you can do about it).",,Social Media,"Social Media, Marketing","“But hang on a sec”, we hear you say. “You are always telling everyone to post consistently and now you’re saying that we shouldn’t post if we don’t have a plan?!?
",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/dont-plan-dont-post-coffs-harbour-social-media-007.jpg,,HTML,"“But hang on a sec”, we hear you say. “You are always telling everyone to post consistently and now you’re saying that we shouldn’t post if we don’t have a plan?!? OE dudes, I’m confused!”
Don’t be! Yes, for social media to be effective you DO need to be consistent, BUT (there’s always a but, right?!) there’s no point just posting for the sake of posting. It won’t get you anywhere fast.
No plan usually means no objective either. What’s the point of posting if you don’t know what you want to achieve from social media? Is it brand awareness? More followers? Driving website visits? Or better engagement? Without a plan, and objective, how can you measure that what you’re doing is getting the results you want?
But you CAN become a social media machine, with a little planning.
Still unsure whether you’ve got your social media content creation game down-pat? Why not join our next Social Media Plan & Content Creation Workshop on 19th February 2020? Find out more HERE.
",,Outspoken Entourage,30.12.2019,,Read More,Same Window 54,5 reasons why you should invest in your logo design.,,Logo & Branding,"Logo, Branding",Are you thinking about skimping on your business’ logo design? Hiring your sister-in-law because she ‘used to be in graphic design 20 years ago’?!
,Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/logo-design-coffs-harbour-006.jpg,,HTML,"We totally get it. When you’re starting out in business, you have to reign in the purse strings, as you’re playing with a limited budget to get up and running. BUT, that doesn’t mean you should take the cheapest option, when it comes to your logo and ultimately, YOUR BRAND!
Are you thinking about skimping on your business’ logo design? Hiring your sister-in-law because she ‘used to be in graphic design 20 years ago’?!
Just. Don’t.
Here’s why.
So, some food for thought, yes?! And if you feel so inclined, head on over to our LOGO page to see what we’ve been designing, and, if you like what you see, contact us for an obligation-free meeting!
",,Outspoken Entourage,30.11.2019,,Read More,Same Window 55,Is Digital Marketing right for my business?,,Digital Marketing,"Digital, Social Media, Adwords","Digital marketing is here to stay. As a business owner, have you ever sat there and pondered whether you should investigate digital marketing further? ",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/digital-marketing.jpg,,HTML,"Digital marketing is here to stay. As a business owner, have you ever sat there and pondered whether you should investigate digital marketing further? To cut to the chase, if you’re looking to give your business an edge and help stand out from your competitors, then your business needs digital marketing, no matter WHAT type of business you’re in.
Here are a few reasons why!
While it might seem daunting to take that step into digital marketing, just know you don’t have to do it all at once! Take baby steps, like setting up business social media channels and posting consistent content. Start to consider Google Ads as another way to trump your competition. Or invest in a monthly paid social media campaign, to create brand awareness and consideration.
Whatever you do, just get started!
",,Outspoken Entourage,26.10.2019,,Read More,Same Window 56,3 Tips to increase your website SEO.,,SEO,"Website, SEO","Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the activity that attempts to improve your search engine rank. Having a high ranking in search engines will increase the number of leads you receive to your business. Score! Over 80% of website hits are derived from a search and over 50% of customers ...",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/SEO-Coffs-Harbour.jpg,,HTML,"Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the activity that attempts to improve your search engine rank. Having a high ranking in search engines will increase the number of leads you receive to your business. Score!
Over 80% of website hits are derived from a search and over 50% of customers will click on the first 5 on page 1. What can be done to improve your rank? Good question! There are over 200 ‘things’ Google use to rank your website. Google change the algorithm on a semi-weekly basis (sneaky!) and they don’t tell anyone what they change.
Here are a few things you can do to improve your google rank or further strength it against competitors who may be trying to get their website listing higher than yours.
Social Media Share Button
You may notice a small social media button on websites and others. Part of the Google algorithm now looks for a social share button on your site. This can be set up to a specific page (such as your services page) or to the home page. This feature will raise your SEO score by a few percent.
Google Maps & Google Reviews
It is believed that at some point in 2019, Google will start to take your Google reviews into consideration as part of determining search engine rank. Ensure that your business is listed with Google Business and that it has been submitted to Google Maps.
Ask happy clients to submit a review for you as part of the sales and invoice process. You can add a graphic to the base of your emails requesting a Google review complete with a click through link.
Twitter Account
Having your Twitter account set up in your website’s code will tick another box for search engine ranking and will raise your score by a couple of percent.
Even if you do not physically use a Twitter account for your business, it pays to set one up and then have the code integrated into your site. Google does not investigate if you have content on your Twitter account, only that you have one set up.
It is worthwhile investing in regular SEO updates to your website, to ensure your Google rank doesn’t fall.
",,Outspoken Entourage,14.10.2019,,Read More,Same Window 57,What are SSL certificates and WTF do I need one?,,SEO,"Website, SEO","Yep, it's not the most exciting subject in the world, so this blog post will be short and to-the-point. SSL certificates are a bit of code on the web that provide security for online communication. Whilst your website may not be trading online, or collect any information, the fact that you have an SSL certificate means that you tick a box with Google, which increases...",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/no-ssl-coffs-harbour-seo.jpg,,HTML,"Yep, it’s not the most exciting subject in the world, so this blog post will be short and to-the-point.
SSL certificates are a bit of code on the web that provide security for online communication. Whilst your website may not be trading online, or collect any information, the fact that you have an SSL certificate means that you tick a box with Google, which increases the SEO score of your website (yay!) How much, I hear you ask? Try approximately 10%!
To check if your website has an SSL certificate, go to the URL. If it has https:// then you’re GOLD! You’re all set up. If you just have http:// then you do NOT have an SSL certificate.
Our good friend Google has begun penalising websites without SSL certificates. Yep. True story. What this means is that:
Here’s a shot of what happened when we went to an unsecure website…
So, what can you do about it? Get an SSL certificate! Talk to your current webhost who will be able to get your website set up so that your customers can browse knowing their information is secure.
",,Outspoken Entourage,01.10.2019,,Read More,Same Window 58,Instagram Stories - what they are and WHY you need to use them.,,Social Media,"Instagram, Social Media","Ah, the good old world of social media marketing. You've got your brand voice sorted, you're pumping out excellent social media content, and have your social media management under control. BUT if you're not using Instagram and Facebook Stories for your business, you are missing out on a HUGE audience...",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/instagram-stories-social-media-coffs-harbour.jpg,,HTML,"Ah, the good old world of social media marketing. You’ve got your brand voice sorted, you’re pumping out excellent social media content, and have your social media management under control.
BUT if you’re not using Instagram and Facebook Stories for your business, you are missing out on a HUGE audience!
Whether you ‘do’ social media yourself or outsource it, one thing remains clear – Stories is where it’s at to gain a WHOLE new audience of engaged followers.
In the world of social, your POSTS are all about your business, what you do, the products or services you offer and your team. These need to be consistent, on-brand and look great.
Your STORIES (you know, those things that disappear after 24 hours?!) are where your followers look to see the authenticity behind the business.
Since your Story vanishes in 24 hours, there’s little reason going overboard on having them designed or videos edited to a super high standard. These photos and videos are meant to be raw, real and relevant to the moment. The reason businesses use this type of content is because it humanises your business and gives transparency, which allows your target audience to connect with you on a deeper level.
Not only that, it maintains visibility of your social profile in your follower’s feeds. As you know Facebook and Instagram LOVE to change their algorithms often (insert eye roll here) which can make social media marketing that little bit harder.
So, while regular posts have to compete for a viewing, the Stories of users you follow appear at the very top of your feed, with a colourful ring to indicate that a new Story has been published.
This means you can stay top of feed (and mind!) of your followers.
",,Outspoken Entourage,15.09.2019,,Read More,Same Window 59,5 easy steps to social media for your business.,,Social Media,"Social Media, Facebook, Instagram","Social media. Love it or hate it, it's here and it's not going anywhere. Social media marketing does a number of things for business. It allows you to create brand awareness of your business. The most important part of business is letting people know your business even exists. Social media can accomplish this in very small, easily digestible...",Regular Image,Both,Enable,https://outspokenentourage.com.au/blogimages/social-media-business-coffs-harbour-outspoken-entourage.jpg,,HTML,"Social media. Love it or hate it, it’s here and it’s not going anywhere.
Social media marketing does a number of things for business. It allows you to create brand awareness of your business. The most important part of business is letting people know your business even exists. Social media can accomplish this in very small, easily digestible snippets suited to the shortening attention spans of today’s disposable culture.
A successful social media stream, be it Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Linked In or Pinterest, not only creates brand awareness, it is also instrumental in increasing your website traffic and in turn your search engine visibility and ranking.
So how do you successfully navigate social media for your business? Here are the 5 steps you need to take:
If your customer knows you exist, when they need something you offer, you have a better chance than if they have never heard of you at all.
",,Outspoken Entourage,01.09.2019,,Read More,Same Window