Blog - littleBIG Marketing & PR

5 essential branding elements you need for a start-up

August 06, 2018
Design, Marketing, Social, Web
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At littleBIG, we work with a broad range of fashion, food/beverage and lifestyle clients – established and new businesses. It is an exciting process for us to get involved with start-ups and see a product and passion come to life from just an idea. We often receive enquiries from entrepreneurs looking to launch a product or service and with all the conflicting information out there, it can be a confusing process as to where and how to start with the branding process.

Here are 5 essential elements you need to launch a brand presence.

Brand name – we collaborate as a team to brainstorm your product offering and build a brand name that will resonate with your target audience.
Logo – once you decide on a name, then a logo is the vital next step. This will represent your brand in your market and will visually anchor all consumer-facing communications.
Style Guide – defining your look and feel is important for any new brand. Your style guide is the bible for any design or branding you carry out. From social media graphics to web banners, right through to traditional advertising, a style guide will allow for consistency across all elements.
Website – this is a must-have for any start-up. It is the essential digital face of your brand and the first thing people will search for when they hear about your product or service.
Social Media Presence – never underestimate the power of social media. According to Forbes, there are 1.6 billion users on Facebook every day and for brands, these are potential customers. Not to mention Instagram and other popular social media platforms.

Branding a new business doesn’t have to be overwhelming, especially with a team of experts to support and guide you through the process. Come past for a coffee or give us a call to chat about how we can help.

A beginner’s guide to social media advertising

This post was written by one of littleBIG’s super-smart social team, Maddie Kellaway. What would we do without her?!

It’s no secret that social media is absolutely flooded with content. Recent content statistics showed that 3.2 billion images are shared across social platforms each day.

Let’s kick off with the bad news… getting noticed on social media is no easy feat.

If you’re a small business looking to gain some traction on social media, you’re one of about 60 million other small businesses with Facebook pages (talk about a competitive market).

There is good news, though. Only 4 million of those businesses are actually utilising Facebook advertising to make the most of this online platform.

But, of those 4 million businesses, how many are using social advertising effectively?

When used correctly, social media advertising can accelerate your business’s pace of growth and generate sales leads by helping to connect with customers.

Without the help of social media specialists, it can be difficult to wrap your head around the foreign land that is Ads Manager.

Here’s a few handy hints to get your started on your social media advertising journey.

Before you get stuck into creating your ads, it’s important to consider what you’d like to achieve.

Why? Because there are several different types of social advertising campaigns, each designed to accomplish specific objectives. While it would be convenient, social ads aren’t exactly a ‘one size fits all’ scenario.

In reality, there are 11 specific objectives and campaign types to choose from. Here’s a few examples of how to work out which campaign category is right for you:

If you answered, “more page likes, please”, then you need a Likes Acquisition campaign.

If more likes, comments and shares is what you’re after, then an Engagement campaign is for you.

If you’ve got a message that you just want to get out there, then opt for an Awareness or Reach campaign.

Or, if you’re keen to direct your social media friends to your website, then what you need is a Traffic campaign.

Thankfully, Facebook makes life a little bit easier through their Guided Creation.

Once you’ve got your campaign set up, it’s time to start thinking about creating great content.

So, what makes the best content for social media advertising? Here are my top tips:

If you’re using static imagery, make sure it’s high quality.
Be sure to include video content somewhere in the mix – these are always our best performers.
Incorporate strong calls to action. E.G. “Follow us to stay up-to-date with the latest from the Rutherglen wine region”.
Mix things up! Use a variety of images, video, carousels and slideshows within each ad set. Don’t forget to change up your copy, too!
Speaking of copy, keep it short and sweet.

Optimise, optimise, optimise.

Ideally, once you’re all up and running, you’ll have a selection of ads within each ad set which battle it out against each other to get the best results.

While it may sound a bit bizarre to have your ads fighting against each other, this actually helps you make the most out of your budget. The better the ad result, the cheaper the cost per result.

Optimise your ads regularly by turning off ads that aren’t doing well and refreshing your ad set with new content.

What NOT to do.

While there’s certainly a time and place for boosting individual posts on Facebook and Instagram, doing this regularly won’t help you get the most bang for your buck. Rather than investing $100 in each post for big results, create a campaign with a $100 budget, and ‘boost’ 5 ads for the same price.

It all sounds a bit confusing, doesn’t it? If you’d like to know more, give us a buzz and chat to one of our specialists.

3 free Google tools every business should be using

June 15, 2018
Uncategorised
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Our web legend, Michael Urquhart, shares awesome webby tips with the office on a regular basis which never fail to amaze and help us littleBIGers. We thought you, wider world, might find them super handy too so here are a few easy little Google tips he’s written up for you. Thanks Mike!

1. Google My Business

As the name suggests Google My Business is where you can modify the information that Google knows about your business. This information is most often viewed in the rich snippets shown in the top right of searches and in Google maps. If you have a physical location this is especially important as this is where you can update the details like location and opening times. You can add your business if Google does not know about it or claim an existing listing. Your business may already be listed, even if you did not add it, as the general public, or Google themselves, may have added it. You will need to verify that you own business which normally entails an automated phone call or a physically posted postcard.

2. Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a free website statistics tool. You can drill down and find out a bunch of information about who visits your site. Information like how many visits, the most visited pages, how long people stay, what country they come from and the list goes on. To be honest it can be a little overwhelming when you first delve in but once you pick up the basics it will become an invaluable tool. Once you add your site you will just need to add a code snippet to every page of your site or there are many website plugins that will do the same.

3. Google Seach Console

Google Search Console (previously Google Webmaster Tools) is something any good web developer knows about but can also be very useful for any website owner. It details the more technical aspects of how the Google search engine sees your site. Things like how many of your site pages are in the Google search index. Once registered you may also receive notifications if there are issues with your site. You again will have to verify that you own or control the website normally by uploading a file to your site.

Events 101

April 30, 2018
Marketing, Public Relations, Uncategorised
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Events are a legitimate extension of a brand. They are an experiential and visual representation of
your business. So how do you make sure that you stage a quality event that delivers tangible results?

Firstly, let’s get things straight and shake off the outdated stereotype that the world of public
relations is all parties, Champagne and schmoozing. Events can be a very powerful tool in PR and
marketing campaigns and should be planned strategically with specific objectives.

Here are littleBIG’s six tips for event success:
1. Set your event objectives. Are you launching a new product or service? Opening a new restaurant?
Announcing a partnership? Or, celebrating the kick-off of a Festival or event series? Whatever your
‘news’ is, at the very beginning, set your sights on what you’d like the event to achieve, whether it’s
‘x’ volume of media coverage, ‘x’ increase in ticket sales, or ‘x’ increase in social media engagement,
for example.
2. Plan, plan, plan. Plan well in advance. It seems simple really, but the more time you allow to
research the event concept, the more options you’ll have to secure a perfect venue and partner with
like-minded suppliers. If you’re hosting media at the event, be prepared to send invitations between
four and six weeks out.
3. Get the right people there. It’s all very well having a venue or activation that looks the part, but if the
right people aren’t there then the outcomes could be lost. Research your target media list
thoroughly, or if it’s a public event, make sure you know the audience profile you’d like to attend.
4. Make it memorable. Make sure the personality and the qualities of your business shine from the
moment people walk through the door. From the venue and choice of entertainment, to the food,
drinks and styling, choose elements that complement your brand and contribute to the story you’re
trying to share.
5. Capture content. Events can produce extremely valuable content that can be amplified through your
social channels in both real-time and post-event. Broadcast event highlights via socials, book a
photographer to capture the event, and if budget allows, a videographer. Create a bold entrance or
backdrop (and not just a branded media wall) that guests simply won’t be able to resist for a quick
selfie!
6. Track the outcomes. After the relief of running a successful event, don’t forget to review the results.
Who actually attended on the day? What media coverage was a direct result of the event? Did you
attract more social media followers/engagement? And how did it impact your business? e.g. Did you
experience an increase in sales or enquiries?

Images below from the Moments Condoms launch at The Dolphin Hotel in Surry Hills, Sydney

DR. MARTENS: AUSTRALIAN STORE LAUNCH

On Wednesday 28 February, two littleBIG guns flew to Sydney to help launch Dr. Martens‘ Australian store – marking the first time in the iconic brand’s 58-year history that Australians have a physical, Docs-branded retail store and online space in which to indulge their passion for Docs.

Our fashion PR guru, Jarryd Pentony, shares the top line on how the littleBIG team pulled off a totally awesome launch party and got word out on the streets of Sydney and around Australia, with a super tight turnaround.

FIRST UP! HOP TO IT WITH…

Key detail gathering
Initial media and guest list comms

ONE WEEK OUT…

Ramp up the media and guest list hustle

LAUNCH WEEK…

Wrap up the door list
Final media opportunity coordination

PARTY TIME…

Located at Westfield in Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall, the Dr. Martens store launch saw 90 media and influencers celebrate in true DM’s style: Sydney rock band, Polish Club, played live sets in the store’s shop window; Aussie artist, Maddy Young, was on-hand to customise pairs of Docs; local barber, Tommy J, provided guests with fresh cuts and the crew at Sailor Jerry took care of the bevvies.

THE RESULT…

littleBIG’s PR campaign and event launch saw news of the Docs store opening appear 40 times across print, online and social media; generating more than $400,000 in publicity. Key highlights being:

The new Docs store offers the largest range of men’s, women’s and kids’ styles available in Australia, including Originals, Made in England, DM’s Lites, collaborations, vegan and accessories collections.

Check it out the next time you’re in Sydney or browse the Docs range online at: www.drmartens.com.au.

Palettes & patterns inspired by the 80’s & 90’s

March 16, 2018
Uncategorised
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From pretty pastels to electric hues, colour schemes from the 80’s and 90’s have been gaining serious fabulous-ness once again. Expect to see the abstract and geometric patterns inspired by the era move from the fringes into the mainstream as well.

As children of the 80’s and 90’s become more prominent and influential as both brand leaders and key target audiences, this trend can add visual excitement as well as a touch of retro-chic to your brand.

Six Instagram design pages for #inspo

February 23, 2018
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In today’s technology-driven society, social media is a powerful platform for communicating your ideas and designs. Instagram is one of the most popular social media networks across the world. Many of us look to Instagram for inspo, whether it’s design-related, fitness, lifestyle, fashion, recipe ideas, health or home decorating – there are no shortage of Instagram accounts to peak your creative interests.

Many designers choose Instagram to showcase their work; amongst all the clutter and #fitspo pages here are some of our favourite designers and artists on Instagram.

Steven Harrington – An L.A. based artist and designer who brings a fresh cartoon-style to his viewers.

(@s_harrington)

Cryril Vouilloz – Shows off an enticing range of strong typographical artwork, with a bio that reads “Fighting against boredom… one drawing at a time”.

(@rylsee)

Erik Marinovich – A lettering artist working out of San Francisco, California.

(@erikmarinovich)

Leta Sobierajski – An experienced Graphic Designer and Art Director whose bright colour pallet will bring a spark to your feed.

(@letasobierajski)

Hey – Hey studio is not a page showcasing a single graphic designer’s work, rather it is the account of a studio based in Barcelona. Hey showcases an eye-popping contemporary style that will keep your creative ideas flowing.

(@heystudio)

Jessica Walsh – Jessica’s page hosts a combination of her own work and others. With a wide variety of works including photography, digital design and animation, it’s sure to brighten up your week.

(@jessicavwalsh)

So be sure to unfollow that D grade celebrity and add a few beautiful Instagram pages to your pocket.

This design inspo post was brought to you by littleBIG studio designer and young gun Joel Langford.

Tips to pimp up your Instagram feed

February 09, 2018
Social
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Instagram is one of the top social media apps in the market. With over 800 million active users and over 95 million photos and videos uploaded on Instagram every single day, it’s a tough gig trying to stand out of the crowd. Have no fear, we’ve got some quick and simple tips to help pimp up your brand’s Instagram feed.

Instagram Tip #1: Understand the Algorithm

Unfortunately, Instagram tends to keep the details about its algorithm pretty close to its chest, making it that much tougher to figure out exactly how you can maximise your reach and engagement. However one thing we all know for sure is that chronological ordering is out and Instagram users can no longer see posts in their feed based on date.

The following elements can help boost your post visibility on Instagram;

Time of Post
Engagement
Profile Searches
Relationships
Relevancy
Hashtags

Instagram Marketing Tip #2: Create Your Posts on Desktop

We all know that back in 2010, Instagram was built for mobile phones. While this is how users engage with Instagram, creating images and editing photos on your computer is much faster and of higher quality. An example of this is our client, RIDDIK whose Instagram feed consists of bright high-res imagery incorporating the colours of its logo – all thanks to our super talented design team (Our Creative Director will love this mention!).

Instagram Marketing Tip #3: Schedule Your Content

In agency land, one thing we thing we love for sure is time-efficiency! By using a scheduling tool for your Instagram account, you can create content months in advance with the ability to preview your Instagram feed before it goes live. Plus, we love that it automatically publishes its content at an exact time, with the perfect caption and image. Not to mention, you also get plenty of reporting functions allowing you to track your reach, engagement and impressions.

Instagram Marketing Tip #4: Take Advantage of User-Generated Content

Sharing content that your fans are posting on social media is an effective method to repurpose existing content on the platform, as well as engage your audience. Don’t forget to give them credit or at least a shout-out for using their image.

Instagram Marketing Tip #5: Add Locations to Your Posts

Don’t forget to add the geotag or location to your posts! By doing so, it can improve your search optimisation and geo-targeting. Users who are looking at posts from that specific area will see your post pop-up.

Instagram Tip #6: Think about your Instagram Captions

Instagram is predominantly a visual platform, however captions are a key way for users to find out more information about the company and engage with your page. It’s important to keep the caption short, clever and relatable. Most importantly ensure the language fits with the overall tone of the brand.

Instagram Tip #7: Ensure Your Hashtags are relatable to the Brand

Hashtags are a great way to connect with a range of users from different audiences to engage with your account. However, seeing the hashtags in the caption can be distracting for viewers, so make sure you keep it between 5-10 hashtags per post.

Instagram Tip #8: Create content pillars

Before creating an Instagram account, it’s important to establish what you want to achieve from the account. A content strategy plan should include objectives, the desired look and feel of the brand, tone of voice, key content pillars and messaging. Applying content themes that tie into your social media objectives, allows you to engage with different sections of your audience who may have different interests, without alienating anyone.

Instagram Tip #9: Make your feed look the part

Be sure that your account is visually pleasing. Cohesive themes, colours and filter choices are important to ensure the overall content theme flows and the social feeds are recognisable from platform to platform.

By following these few tips, you are sure to stick out from the crowd and increase the engagement rate on your page. Or alternatively, you can speak to us and we will do it for you ;).

This blog was inspired by an article by Clare Acheson.

6 ways to ‘own’ your return to work

January 12, 2018
Uncategorised
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It’s that time of year when we say goodbye to holidays and hello to a new working year! Here’s our guide on how to shake off the holiday blues and ‘own’ your return to work.

But first, coffee. Need we say more? This instant energy boost not only tastes delicious, but research shows that drinking coffee boasts a list of health benefits that will keep you strong and healthy all year long.
Read, read and read some more. Get up to date with the hottest trends of 2018 by reading your way through every blog, Instagram feed, magazine and newspaper to ensure you’re filled with fresh pitching ammunition.
#GoalDigger: It’s time to get serious, revisit previous goals and set daily, weekly and monthly goals so you can ensure you’re on the right path from day one.
New year, new stationery. What’s more motivating than starting the year with a fresh selection of clean, untouched workbooks. Not only do you begin the year with a clean slate, it’s the perfect way to get organised and plan for what lies ahead.
Music therapy. Studies show that a killer playlist can play a major role in enhancing your mood. It has even been known to boost happiness and reduce anxiety. There’s nothing like a ‘pop hits playlist of 2012’ to get you pumped for a big week ahead.
Drop a line. Spend your first week back re-establishing contact with your beloved media contacts. Who doesn’t love a cheerful “HNY!” email first day back?!

We’d love to hear your top tips for smashing the first week back at work. Good playlist suggestions are especially welcome!

Best of 2017

December 21, 2017
Uncategorised
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And just like that, another year is done and dusted! What an incredible year 2017 has been in littleBIG land. We’ve loved working with our clients to achieve some huge goals, and celebrated some wonderful milestones, including our very own 10-year anniversary (congratulations Sal and Rich!).

We’ve had so much fun working with old and new clients on clever campaigns, hosted some fab events and launched some awesome new products, whilst introducing a bunch of new faces to our ever-growing family (including baby Bennett).

We’re grateful to all the amazing people we are lucky enough to work with to make the magic happen and thank you for your support.

From everyone at littleBIG we’d like to wish you a very merry (and over-indulgent) Christmas and a happy New Year.

As we close out this year, we reflect on some of our favourite moments of 2017:

Getting Social
Yes, we’re a social bunch here at littleBIG but this year we’ve gone next level – and I’m talking about social media. Social media is an integral part of any marketing strategy and this year we’ve focused on growing our social expertise in this ever-evolving channel to ensure we can provide our clients with compelling content and maximum ROI. We’ve implemented new processes and are proud to see the value this is delivering across our 13 (!) social media clients. We’re also continuing to build our strengths in the world of influencer marketing; seeing consumers rush to Big W to get their hands on the super fun Creativity for Kids Australia craft kits. The successful seeding campaign saw the likes of Pixie & Hunter Curtis share their craft creations and the brand’s followers grow overnight.

: Winemakers of Rutherglen

: POL Sparkling Coconut Water

: Creativity For Kids Australia

: Closet Raid

Creating Content

A key challenge in this social age is keeping your audience engaged with good content (without spending a fortune). We’ve had a ball working with some brilliant partners to create an epic amount of content (over 75 videos!) with stills and video shoots for POL, Australian Blueberry Growers Association, Workwear Group, Moments, Preston Market and more.

: Blueberry Lemonade

: Blueberry Cheesecake

: Preston Market

: Italian Day, Preston Market

Building Brands

One of the key strengths of our team (if we do say so ourselves) is our ability to act as a one-stop-shop or outsourced marketing partner. We’ve loved being able create brands from strategy to implementation across all channels for amazing partners like Winemakers of Rutherglen and Australian Blueberry Growers Association. One of our highlights of the year was creating a condom brand. It’s been thrilling to develop a strategy to build Australia’s first condom brand aimed at empowering and supporting women; and then to execute all elements from packaging to website, to PR.

: Moments Launch Event

: Moments Launch Event

: Daily Essentials

: Beyond The Valley x Moments Condoms

Sharing Fashion

We have our own style icon in the office (YASSSSS JP!) but we are also privileged to work with some of the greats in Australian fashion. This year we’ve had the pleasure of seeing one of our very own clients, Hoodedwept debut at Paris Fashion Week; showcased the brilliance of Felicity Cooney’s sophomore summer collection; supported amazing new start-up Closet Raid with their socials; helped get Daniel Wellington on the wrists of some of Australia’s leading fashionistas (including, yep JP); worked with some of Australia’s most high powered influencers and fashion media legends to show of Skechers’ awesome styles; and executed a high end editorial series of catalogues featuring over 400 products for the Workwear Group. We’re also super excited to be working on an Australian first for Dr. Martens… hush hush, but stay tuned in early 2018…

: JP rockin’ his style at Rutherglen Estates!

: NNT Cover

: Daniel Wellington Coverage

: Hoodedwept in Herald Sun Weekend

Celebrating with events, good food and good wine.

It’s no secret that the littleBIG team loves a good event and is crazy for good food and wine. Lucky for us, that’s our job and this year we’ve been celebrating up a storm with Moments’ fabulous launch event; Skechers store openings, influencer events and the big 25th Birthday; a huge 70th birthday party for Australian icon Wizz Fizz at Holey Moley, plus behind the scenes tours for the likes of the Today Show, Channel 7 and The Age; the biggest year yet, cracking 1 million visitors for the iconic Queen Vic Night Markets; and the transformation of a Melbourne laneway to a 3 day pop up cellar door event “Rutherglen in the City”, bringing all the magic of the Winemakers of Rutherglen to the Melbourne.