Lockdowns suck. All but one of our Bowral team is not in a lockdown, our wonderful Brent is; as are our clients and so many other parts of our worlds. We all feel it. We do what we can, we pivot, we re-evaluate, we prioritise.
It made me re-evaluate what I wanted out of life (thanks to my business coach Tristan for pushing me to see it, feel it, acknowledge it – and now act on it). So I’ve started rollerblading, as a replacement for living too far away from an ice rink and continuing with ⛸ figure skating. Me time. Turns out I’m not alone!
It also made me re-evaluate Banter’s Brand Values. Not buzz words. Not cool phrases that are going to be stickers on our walls. Values that we stand behind, that we call each other on, that are both internal and client-facing. Values that have meaning to all of us and that we all believe in. I don’t expect the 🌎 to all like each other, but I do expect that our Brand Values are the core of our work, our life, and our client deliverables. I’ll share some of the detail in each newsletter, but for now, I want to say I value YOU ❣️. The Banter Team. Our Families. Our Clients. Our Work. Our Successes. Our Failures. Meet our Brand Values:
Be a good human.
Guide the way.
We feel you.
Fingers crossed 🤞 I don’t need a hip replacement any time soon.
Valentina xxx
Lockdown Marketing: What you CAN do.
I wish I could stop a lockdown, but I can’t. So I’ll focus on what I can do, and that’s sharing ways for your business to continue to be present for your customers throughout our latest lockdowns. We might not be moving about as much, but that doesn’t stop people wanting what you’ve got. We have to find new ways of delivering that need, but also taking YOUR share of voice in the spaces that your customers are. And they’re digital. The best way to compete in this space at this time is to out-perform your competition.
We’ve outlined 5 key actions you can take RIGHT NOW. Each action breaks down into a bunch of ideas and further things you can do. These are tools and tactics that are in your hands 👐 right now.
And if you need help doing it, then, of course, we are here to help you.
If you’re a Southern Highlands local, jump onto The Fold’s #HelpKeepThemOpen campaign and do a shout-out + buy from them + support local. We all need a little help. 🤝
Insta News That’s Worth Your While
Instagram is in the spotlight 🔦 this month with a chunk of changes you need to know about. Getting straight into it:
✍️ If you fancy yourself a bit of an Insta Creator, then you ought to know that creators with IGTV ads enabled receive an industry-standard 55% share of all advertising in IGTV. This is the same rate as YouTube. That’s pretty big. This comprehensive blog from Later is your go-to Guide to IGTV.
✍🏻 Whilst you’re out there creating, the good news is you can now save Instagram Stories as drafts, and batch your Story content. A massive time-saver ⏱ and thank goodness that user feedback actually means something! Not all profiles are released with the same updates at the same time, so if it’s missing for you, keep checking for the release.
✍🏼 Want to update your Story Highlights without sharing every single new cover image to your followers? Easy! Make your bestie your ‘close friend’, and then post only to your close friend list.
✍🏽 Reels are now extended from 30 seconds to 1 minute, just shy of becoming IGTV content. Taking on TikTok’s format, the extension update also includes adding caption stickers on Reels which transcribes audio to text.
✍🏿 In a bid to make the app safer, Insta is now defaulting teen accounts (those under 16 years of age) to private and restricting ad targeting. The restrictions to ad targeting will be global and apply to Instagram, Facebook and Messenger. Once users turn 18, Instagram will notify them about targeting options that advertisers can use to reach them and the tools we provide to them to control their ad experience. This is pretty fundamental in the targeting capabilities for advertisers.
Designing A Restaurant Brand: Leila’s at The Grand
A new brand for a new business is a pretty big deal.
Michael & Raye of @caferocca fame have launched Leila’s at The Grand, bringing their beautiful, authentic and delicious Lebanese cuisine to our taste buds.
Creating the brand for Leila’s was so important to Michael & Raye, and we were honoured to have that responsibility. Authentic culture and experience are very personal, and we needed to ensure we created a visual representation that brought traditional and modern together. We have history, we have storytelling, we have values, flavours and family-feast-sharing coming together.
The new brand is just the start of Leila’s fresh new beginning and we can’t wait to reveal the rest of this iconic venue in weeks to come. Follow the socials for updates – the new website and complete social strategy rollout is next!
In the meantime, get into the dishes, we recommend ALL. OF. IT. 😋
Timms Real Estate: A fresh look in Adelaide
Real Estate is the backbone of the Australian dream – backyard cricket, BBQs 🍗, your own space, your castle 🏡 (as a real estate agent said, location, location, location). We have definitely evolved our expectations of real estate and that’s what’s so refreshing about Timms Real Estate – a leading independent agency in the Adelaide Hills. Director Valerie Timms does things differently and her exceptional team puts the customer first, with heart.
We were entrusted by Valerie to redevelop the Timms website. Working with the existing brand, the website refresh was a challenge with so many leading and world-class integrations involved. This web build showcases:
✅ properties for sale feature extensive 3D virtual tours and incredible floor plans utilising Diakrit technology
✅ SMS functionality sending virtual tours directly to customers
✅ ActivePipe and AgentBox CRM integrations for all listing and customer data flow, and email communications
✅ the considerable add-on services provided by the agency including being qualified Liveability specialists and delivering complete styling solutions
We are humbled to have had a role to play in bringing Valerie’s new digital destination to the market. Knowing the extent of Valerie’s plans for her business, this is an extremely exciting time, filled with a raft of upcoming announcements. We’re so happy for you Timms Real Estate, and from one Val to another, go get ’em ❣️.
The best 5 min reads for you
This section: Short reads, not just about marketing.
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On the blog: If you’re considering doing a little more digital marketing compared to traditional marketing, but you’re unsure of what you do or don’t know, then this is for you. Understand the risks of online marketing and pick up some tips along the way with our quick read blog. You might just find that the risk vs the reward is worth it.
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A new government grant is now released for Small Businesses with a downturn in revenue due to lockdowns. Check out the eligibility requirements, there’s money up for grabs. Applications close 13 September.
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Backlinks are a great way of creating authority with Google and indexing more pages of your website. If you’ve already caught up with our backlinking and SEO strategies and are ready for the next step, try out these more in-depth grassroots approaches from the backlinking Wiz, Julian Goldie. Julian’s relationship-building techniques definitely take some work and effort, but they can be fruitful, and let’s be honest, there are limited free-kicks in marketing!
New Zealand to Ban A Host of Single-Use Plastics by 2025
I find New Zealand to be tremendous at a lot of things. Political leadership. Air New Zealand safety videos. Tourism marketing. Hobbiton.
And now a big goal of plastic reduction. What a list. The three-year plan is outstanding and includes a fund to find viable alternatives. Whilst households are the target, we can’t ignore the construction and demolition sector accounting for 50% of plastic waste in landfills.
This list includes straws, bags, cutlery, and drink stirrers, as well as cotton buds and fruit labels. Say that out loud: fruit labels 😕. Whilst NZ gets on with the job, we can too. This incredible 31 plastic-free ideas social share from Life At Greenlaw provides practical in-the-home ideas you can start with. Just go back to 1st of July and there’s a daily post for you. I promise you, you’ll feel good.
Catch you next time 😃
