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Time to Get Your Startup Marketing Started

The year has just begun and one of the most mind-boggling discoveries we’ve made is that pigs (of all things!) are taking over in a BIG way.  Peppa Pig, for instance, is set to blow up the box office with yet another smash movie in February and Miss Piggy from The Muppets had her New Year’s resolution retweeted and liked over 50 000 times on Twitter.

Now if you’ve just snorted and are asking yourself, what on Earth does any of this have to do with me, or my business? The answer is… quite a lot. So, pay attention.

According to the Chinese calendar, 2019 is the official Year of the Pig, a time of abundance, prosperity and good fortune. This means that if ever there was a time to embark on endeavours like branding or launching a new website to facilitate business growth and impact bottom lines favourably, this is it. The odds are in your favour.

For start-up and existing businesses serious about marketing, but without a handsome budget, Coffee Creative Studio has brewed the perfect pocket-friendly solution to kickstart the process – the Cafe Mocha Package.

This package allows you to design (or redesign) your logo and corporate ID, so that you can become a recognisable entity within your space. Imagine Nike without the smoosh, or McDonald’s without its golden arches. They wouldn’t be the same. Our branding service allows you to develop the same strong, identifiable images that will communicate your brand DNA and set you apart from the competition. We’ll ensure consistency in your brand identity and visual brand communications, all through innovative design work that realises and fulfils the needs of your business.

The package also includes microsite development, complete with SEO and mobile responsiveness, for an impactful, user-friendly website experience. This allows you to take your place in the online space fast and helps potential clients find you, without you ever having to lift a finger (winning!).

No matter your business or industry, we will develop to your unique set of needs and specifications. Annual web and email hosting, domain registration and a brand guidelines document round out this attractive package, providing an effective combination of services to meet your start-up marketing needs.

Join all the other smart businesses who are achieving their goals through our Cafe Mocha package. Start today, and in no time at all, you’ll be enjoying the kind of success that has you laughing all the way to the (piggy) bank.

Get in touch by emailing admin@coffeecreativestudio.co.za.

Your Company Profile + Our Microsite = A Winning Online Presence

When you consider all the iconic duos that the world has come to know and love, it’s easy to see why they say the best things come in pairs. Think peanut butter and jam… snakes and ladders… Sylvester and Tweety… fingers and smartphones, to name a few.

Because we’re always creatively innovating, Coffee has come up with a fresh, winning combination of our own. One that’s good for YOUR business – the company profile and microsite merger!

As the name suggests, a microsite is a miniature website made up of a single, dynamic webpage, with multi-dimensional functionalities. It is simple, cost-efficient and a visually appealing platform with which to deliver snack-sized, but relevant, information about a business, product or service.

When we marry one with your company profile, it becomes a powerful tool with which to market your business online.

Our company profile microsites help you to establish an online presence fast, so that prospective clients and investors can find you in the digital space. You can include titbits of information related to your company history, products and services, vision and mission, track record and what differentiates you in the market – all the info that helps people decide that you’re a good entity to do business with.

We can also incorporate SEO and mobile-friendly functionality, making your business easier to find, and contactable on the go! Sure, the name may have ‘micro’ in it, but the rewards of our microsites are macro in nature!

If you already have an existing company profile that you feel is bang on the money… great! You’re halfway there. We can make that into a website. Let’s get started! Give us a call or drop us a mail to set up a meeting for a chat about how we can help you!

Our Coffee Products and Packages Are Made Espressily For You!

At Coffee Creative Studio, we’re committed to the challenge of helping you achieve your business goals, big or small.

So, to help you turn your business dreams into a reality, we’ve carefully enhanced our services, products and packages to best suit your needs!

In fact, we’re so proud of our new and improved services that we want to shout it from the rooftops, but, being the social media experts, we know we’d be more successful if we told you about them here!

So, without further ado, here they are!

Graphic Design
Website Design and Development
Brand Strategy and Consulting
Copywriting and Content Creation
Online Communications Services

Graphic Design
From logo, corporate identity, website, brochure or poster design, we do it all! We carefully consider every project so that your design is unique and not only builds a strong and identifiable brand image, but also resonates with your company ethos, mission and vision.

We’re not afraid to push the boundaries of design, and we’d describe ourselves as fresh, innovative and being able to think outside of the box!

Website Design and Development
We all know that in this day and age, an online presence is everything! One of the first things people do when they hear about your brand is a Google search for your website. If they find nothing – that doesn’t bode well for you.

We’re really passionate about website development, design and maintenance and, not to boast or anything, but our developers have mad skills and are pretty epic!

Our website packages range from:

A template-based Landing Page, ideal for a start-up business
A Mini-Site with a little more functionality
A fully customised and designed Micro-Site with some serious pizazz
An E-commerce package that’ll have your customers shop ‘til they drop and
A Customised Website package, which is the most comprehensive of our website offerings and has all the bells and whistles!

Check out the design and website development we did for https://wearefood.co.za/ and https://silkbydesign.co.za/

Brand Strategy and Consulting
“Behind every successful business is a unique and hardworking brand strategy!”

There are literally hundreds of ways to market your business and deciding where to spend your money is vital! With a solid brand strategy in place, we’ll help you develop a clear plan of action, and once you have that, it’s easier to know which marketing campaign will work best for you!

With years of experience, our strategists will unpack your brand and help you lay the foundations you need to establish a clear brand strategy.

Copywriting and Content Creation
We’ve all heard that age-old saying, “content is king” and it really is! Clever copywriting attracts people rather than interrupts them, and in this busy world we live in, that’s more important than ever.

Our copywriters strive to keep their work charming and creative so that whatever your brand objective is, they’ll make it sound awesome. There’s no topic they can’t write about and trust us, they’ve had to write about some weird and wonderful topics.

Our content services include the following:

Concept Development
Content Creation
Content Editing

Online Communication Services
The newest and coolest kids on the block are our social media packages! We’ve spent months cultivating and roasting them to perfection to best suit our clients’ needs, and we’ve got to say, we’re super proud of them!

Our bespoke social media packages are as follows:

Instant Coffee
Green Bean
Light Roast
Medium Roast
Dark Roast

These packages vary in social media offerings so that we have a flavour to suit each clients’ needs and budget requirements. But, whether you take our smallest Instant Coffee or our biggest Dark Roast package, each has been carefully roasted to ensure they communicate your brand’s personality and take your social media to the next level.

In addition to these social packages, our online offerings extend to e-newsletters and SMS services, so no matter your social desires; we’ve got you covered!

If any of our services have tickled your fancy, pop us a mail and come visit our Studio for a cuppa and a chat

From Garage to Greatness

Once upon a time in a garage far, far away (well, not really, just on the other side of the hill in Westville), a couple of ambitious (and crazy) youngsters took on a freelance job. They had no idea at the time that this little job would be the beginning of an epic adventure.

If you’d told us six years ago that we’d be sitting in a super chic office in the middle of Umhlanga with a staff of sixteen, that we would be the creative agency for The Sharks and would have just landed an incredibly exciting project with The SPAR Group, we absolutely would NOT have believed you.

But, here we are, going from strength to strength and still loving what we do!

From working in a leaky garage to an office in La Lucia and then a move to Umhlanga, it’s been a journey of epic proportions that has certainly kept us on our toes! There has been plenty of laughter, tears, late nights, moments of “what the heck are we doing” and of course, copious amounts of coffee.

Over the last six years, we’ve been fortunate enough to work with some really inspiring brands and people, some of which have included well-known names like, FutureLife®, The Dolphins, Belgotex Sport and Fidelity Security and start-ups, including Republik and We Are Food. In addition to awesome clients, we’ve also been surrounded by a great team of staff (who we consider family)!

Our team of Coffee Beans are the life and soul of our business, after all, without them, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Their passion and commitment to each job has been phenomenal, and every one of them adds their unique flavour to our Coffee Culture. Thank you, Beans, for being an integral part of this crazy, exciting journey.

So, on our sixth birthday, we want to raise our glasses (and mugs) and toast to each and every one of you, big, small, start-up, and everything in between and thank you, from the bottom of our caffeine racing hearts, for trusting us with your brands and business, and allowing us to walk along side you as we help you achieve your business goals!

Here’s to another six and many more to come!

What Is E-commerce?

Exciting. Economical. Efficient.

Just a few reasons why e-commerce is a growing retail trend in South Africa and around the world.

In fact, according to MoneyWeb “online retail continues to grow at a rapid rate in South Africa, having maintained a growth rate of above 20% since the turn of the century.”

So what exactly is e-commerce and how do you go about making it work for you and your business?

To start, it is important to define what e-commerce is.

E-commerce is defined as a “commercial transaction conducted electronically on the Internet.” So, simply put, online shopping.

E-commerce offers a wide variety of benefits to both customer and seller.

Here are just a few:

For the Customer

Around the clock availability
Accessible
Convenient
Offers variety
Fast delivery

For the Seller

Efficient
Reduced costs
Local and international reach

Sounds like a win-win right?

And it is, well, rather it can be. But only if you have the right strategy and tools in place to really leverage your brand and reach your desired audience.

To do this you will need to develop a solid, professional, easy-to-use e-commerce website that effectively reaches your target audience.

Here’s how to get started:

Choose a company that has experience in developing and setting-up e-commerce sites (Hi there!)
Ensure that you discuss and outline all the requirements of your online shopping experience upfront
Product display
Capturing orders
Billing
Shipping
Start the conversation with your bank (you will need to apply to be an online merchant and this can take some time to finalise)
Choose the correct payment portal for your business (your chosen developers should be able to assist with this)
Get sufficient training on how to maintain and operate your online store
Develop an online strategy to promote and advertise your store
Integrate this with your offline processes
Partner with an experienced agency who can help you implement your online and offline marketing strategy

Following these steps, we have successfully assisted some great local brands with their e-commerce businesses, including Jitterbug, We Are Food, and Canvas Print Co.

Each of these sites is unique and was developed to suit the specific offering of the brand to help them successfully achieve their business goals.

“Products can’t all be marketed and sold the same way. This understanding is crucial as the first stepping-stone when starting an e-commerce project. We have to understand the product, its market (how to sell it), and only then, define the scope of the project. We create custom solutions that suit the specific needs of each of our clients, including unique product delivery functionality and pricing structures.

It is great working with our clients and developing exciting solutions that will assist in making their business goals and dreams a reality”- Scott Smith, Head of Development (Coffee Creative Studio).

Looking to start an e-store? Give us a shout and let’s chat about how we can assist you in achieving your e-goals.

“The best website developers in the country! Thanks to you my new website is absolutely stunning. It is definitely something to be proud of. Thanks so much for your hard work and dedication.” – Tamlyn Doig, Jitterbug

Get a quote

Let’s Talk Video

The Buggles once sang, “Video Killed The Radio Star”, but it’s fast becoming a case of “Video Killed The Print Star” as more and more brands are regarding video as the most effective way to speak to their audiences.

Given the sheer volume of what is available to consumers in the digital world, it’s now more important than ever to stand out from the crowd. Brands are pushing the boundaries when it comes to content, and by doing so, they are raising expectations. Users want an interactive and entertaining experience where they can get immersed in the content they’re engaging with.

Videos do just this. They’re able to create a narrative, pulling users into the story, allowing them to create an emotional connection, which invariably, manages to hold the consumer’s attention for longer. In a recent study, it was found that one-third of online activity is spent watching videos and over 500 million people are watching videos on Facebook every day! If these statistics aren’t enough to convince you to buy into the growing video content trend, then perhaps this one is. According to Forbes Insights, 80% of senior executives watch work-related videos on business websites at least once a week and more than half of these executives share those videos with colleagues weekly.

With video content, brands can extend themselves beyond the usual posts on the general services and the products that they offer. We’ve seen first-hand how video content has pushed some of our brands out of the generic content mould and set them a step above their competitors on social media.

Examples:

Together with The Sharks a fun video content strategy around their team mascot, Sharkie, was developed. The introduction of this content has seen a rise in page likes, shares, comments, and overall interaction across The Sharks social platforms. This video storytelling was a highly effective way to build excitement around games, allow fans to get to know players, evoke emotion and generate support for the team.

We’ve also been working with Belgotex Sport on creating a range of videos. Some of these have included hockey skills videos, interviews with the likes of David Miller and behind the scenes videos with Crossfit Kaiyay on the training and conditioning of the players who participated in the Kearsney College Rugby Festival.

So, if you’re reading this and thinking to yourself, “Man, I need to get my brand out there”, give us a shout and let’s talk video strategy!

What’s Your Strategy?

Scott Cook once said, “a brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is—it is what consumers tell each other it is”. And nowhere else is this becoming more apparent than online where social platforms have made it easier for customers to engage with their favourite brands and in turn, publish and promote their (unfiltered) opinions.

So, as Social Media continues to be an important and popular platform for individuals and businesses the question is, “how are you using these channels to leverage your business offering and achieve your goals?”

With over 1.870 billion active users on Facebook, a billion on Whatsapp, 600 million on Instagram and 317 million users on Twitter it’s more apparent than ever, that if your company doesn’t have a digital strategy or presence, it’s seriously going to get left behind.

Here are five reasons why your business needs a digital marketing strategy:

Gain direction
If you don’t have a clear set of goals for what it is you want to achieve online (i.e. new customers, deeper relationships with existing ones) then you won’t know which resources to put in place to reach your goal.
Stay ahead of your competitors
If you invest in dedicating time and resources to your digital marketing approach, you’ll have the upper hand. If you’re not doing this, your competitors will leave you in the dust, taking potential clients away from you. An ad-hoc, throwing caution to the wind approach leaves you too vulnerable in the social media world.
A digital presence = more clients
With a social page and a plan in place, you can reach more people. When consumers and potential clients can find, and engage with you online, they’re more likely to give you their business than those they can’t find online.
Better understand your marketplace
Having an online strategy can help your business understand how potential customers think and interact online. It also helps you build a customer profile and monitor their behaviour in terms of their likes, dislikes, gender, age, location, specific interests and what they’re searching for. Knowing this will help when you’re looking to grow other aspects of your business.
Stand out from the crowd
With a strategy and clear plan, you can start figuring out how to differentiate your business from the rest. Customers want relevant, unique content and experiences and if you can give it to them, you’ll build brand loyalty.

In this digital age, the way your brand presents itself online, is as important as the way you show up in person. As a branding and website development Studio our aim is to assist individuals achieve their business goals and make a great first impression.

So, if you want to leave your mark online, give us a shout and let’s have a coffee and chat!

Interns at Coffee Creative

At Coffee Creative Studio we are passionate about giving young creatives the opportunity to explore the world of brand and web development, and as such have welcomed numerous students and interns into our Studio over the years.

Our focus is on giving freshies a real-life experience – it’s not about making tea, (maybe sometimes the coffee), and filing. It’s about getting stuck in and running with live projects from the moment you walk through the door.

We are super proud of our little Coffee beans who have come a long way since their intern days, some of whom now play an integral party of our growing family.

“They really took a chance on me, it was risky for them, letting me come to client meetings, they had no clue how that would go, but it was cool that they had faith in me.” – Adam, Coffee Creative Studio Account Executive

“I feel like what you do in university is not what the real world is like. Coming to Coffee Creative Studio was a really huge learning curve, but it was so beneficial in the long run!”- Isabella, Coffee Creative Studio Junior Web Developer

“I really liked how there was only one intern at a time in each department. We could learn so much more, as opposed to just being lumped in a corner together. I got thrown in the deep end, being taken to client meetings and putting entire branding proposals together, but I learnt so much, so quickly, it was great!” – Lauren, part-time honours student and intern at Coffee Creative Studio

Our approach to internships at Coffee Creative Studio is a little different- we see it as a long-term investment in young talent and take the opportunity to really expose each newcomer to as much as possible during his or her time with us.

“Internships offer a great opportunity for students to really get a feel for the industry and understand a live working environment. Our goal is to give all our interns the tools they need, and as many opportunities as possible, to explore and understand their chosen field, by working on live projects and under the guidance of more experienced creatives.”- Chelsea, Director

“Sometimes interns forget that they’re walking into an already set-up situation where we’re all crazy busy, where the projects are not always the most glamorous, and where things can get a little crazy. This can be a bit of a culture shock coming from the more sheltered environment of university. The important thing to remember is that you will only get out of an internship as much as you are willing to put in. So our advice for any intern, whatever your field, is to take some initiative and get involved!”- Chris, CEO

Keen to learn more about Coffee Creative Studio and our internship programmes? Give us a shout; we’d love to have a chat over a good cuppa coffee!

When Last Did You Update Your Website?

What do websites and the movie, “How to lose a guy in 10 days” have in common? Wait for it… The “love fern.” Believe it or not, your website (and any relationship) is like a plant that needs to be watered, nurtured, pruned and even re-potted from time to time. If you don’t, well – we all know what happens there. It’s pretty dire and to be honest, it’s costly and best avoided.

Today, it’s no longer enough to have a website that’s up and running, because a presence alone just doesn’t cut it anymore. In fact, we’re firm believers in changing things up every now and then. Much like a logo or a brand identity, your site also needs a fresh new look and some current info to keep it from growing stale. This is for a number of reasons that we’re unpacking below:

Tech changes rapidly

This one’s pretty self-explanatory, but from platforms to plug-ins, and even enhancements, your site will become redundant if it’s left unattended. Sadly, this is something we’ve come to notice in the web realm. Brands are keen to get things going and once a site is up, it’s forgotten and outdated in almost no time at all. Make sure that your in-house web team, or your agency of choice runs regular updates and is always up to speed with new additions to your platform. That way, you won’t have a dinosaur on your hands, because we all know what happened to them…

New trends are always emerging

How boring would life (and websites) be if there weren’t any trends to keep things fresh and exciting? Your website deserves to remain current and relevant with updates that reflect the latest happenings in digital. Now, we’re not saying that you should become a slave to trends; but every now and again, you should refresh your site’s look and content. This will ensure that it delivers something worthy of your brand that’s worth revisiting. If you don’t, you’ll probably find that your traffic and stats are poor. If there’s nothing new to see and do, there’s no reason for anyone to return. Totally harsh, but totally fair.

SEO

That’s “Search Engine Optmisation”, if you’ve been living under a rock. It’s the name of the game for anyone wanting to make sure they’re found speedily on Google (and not on the 5^th page either…) By keeping your web content updated fairly regularly with either images or blog posts, you could boost your page ranking organically. This makes regular site updates even more beneficial and essential to your business!

The bottom line: update or die

If you’re one of our clients (shout out to our clients!) you’ll know that whenever we create a site, we have a ritual that we like to observe. We gift each client with a little plant when their sites go live, telling them that their website is just like it. If you neglect it, it’ll be okay for a while but it’ll eventually join the afterlife. Sure, it’s a tad morbid but it’s supposed to serve as a reminder that websites are not meant to go live and be forgotten. As our most important marketing tool, we owe it to ourselves and our businesses to ensure that they’re kept up to date, both with software updates and even content ones.

If your website needs a little TLC, why not contact us? Our dynamic team of web gurus could brew a little magic to give you the online presence you’ve always dreamed of. Chat to us today, we’d love to see how we could help you.

Make Christmas More Creative This Year

Fine, we’ll admit it. There’s just something about Christmas that makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside! As much as it’s a celebration of traditions that go way back, we figured it’s time we create a few new traditions of our own. So if you’re keen to join us, here’s how we plan to make this Christmas one to remember…

1) Remix your tree
Nothing says “Christmas” like a Christmas tree but let’s be honest, our environment can’t really afford to be dishing out the live trees of years gone by. Why not find an epic way to create something original? You could even change it up by making or creating a new tree every year. Our favourite one has got to be this guy!

But if he’s not your cup of tea, check out a few more here:
http://thewhoot.com.au/whoot-news…

2) Give chocolate advent calendars the boot
Whilst we love them, we’re just not five anymore. So, if you’re a grown up wanting to get in on the count down to Christmas, you could always consider a boozy adult advent calendar. We’re big fans of this Ginvent calendar, and although it’s only available abroad, you could definitely make your own!

Get inspired and into the Christmas spirits (you see what we did there?) here:
http://www.independent.co.uk/extras…

3) Substitute the standard Christmas cake

Apologies to grannies and aunties everywhere – but Christmas cake is a tradition we’d like to see overhauled. Why not consider a cheeky cheesecake for the occasion or even a festive ice cream cake to suit the sweltering temperatures of Christmas in South Africa? This chocolate cherry cheesecake gets our vote, but there are plenty to be found online.

4) Update the usual spread

You know it’s Christmas when you’re left feeling stuffed like a Christmas Turkey once the massive meal is over. Why not make Christmas lunch a lighter affair with a large assortment of snacks, dips and cheeses? Or go a little more local with gourmet boerie rolls or a proudly South African potjie, there’ll be less to clean up after anyway.

5) Don’t forget to give back

Giving back to those less fortunate is an important part of the festive season that we often forget. As a family or with your significant other, why not choose a worthy cause to make a donation to each Christmas? It could be monetary, your time or even things around the house that you no longer have use for.

6) Pump up the jams

Yes, Christmas carols are a must but we like the idea of mixing up the playlist for your festive family gathering. Ahead of time, why not contact each person who will be attending your lunch or dinner and ask them to submit five songs that they’d like to hear. That way, you have a Christmas album that everyone enjoys that doesn’t only consist of Boney M… It also makes for great memories later on!

Sure, this post is all about Christmas, but we’d never forgive ourselves if we didn’t include a shameless punt about us. So, if you’re looking to add a unique spin to your brand why not give yourself the gift of a logo or website you can be proud of? For more on our range of services, contact us today!

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Category: Advertising