13 Oct

Posted at 15:19h in Digital Marketing

how-seo-can-help-your-business-grow

 

In the current business environment you may question what is the value of SEO when you can reach your target audience through pay per click, let’s look at the difference between the PPC and SEO

 

What is SEO

Search Engine Optimization is a methodology of strategies, techniques and tactics used to increase the amount of visitors to a website by obtaining a high-ranking placement in the search results page of a search engine (SERP) — including Google, Bing, Yahoo and other search engines.

 

SEO versus PPC

Pay-per-click(PPC), also known as cost per click (CPC), is an Internet advertising model used to direct traffic to websites, in which an advertiser pays a publisher (typically a website owner or a network of websites) when the ad is clicked.

 

PPC is the simplest way of being on the first page of a searcher’s results, since it’s either the ad is on the first page or the side of the page depending on the PPC package you have chosen, where as SEO is process of improving your content which causes you to move up organically on the search engine results.

 

PPC is geared towards more immediate results of customers being able to see your product or service but it can be costly depending on how competitive is the keywords you are you competing for. A good PPC Champaign would be incomplete if a website is not optimized for converting the potential clients that land on the website. So it goes without saying that even if you are focusing on PPC you still need to do SEO to ensure that your potential clients find what they are looking for on your website or you will have a high bounce rate on you website.

 

SEO is more long-term since you do not see the results immediately, but it has more benefits since your website ranking will be high you have more credibility with people looking for your product or service. Most people generally when they are looking for anything on the web  they  look at the first page of search results.

 

 

Moving up on search rankings

The question that most people with websites ask is how do I move up on my Google rankings?  and when people are looking for my website or service will they be able to find me?

 

The major thing that determines your Google ranking, or other search engine rankings is the content on your website, it’s said that content is king for any search engine to rank you high they look at your content and other aspects such as titles, links, and reputation.

 

 

Value of SEO

SEO enable your company to rank high on SERP, as a result that increases your credibility to potential clients, since when most people search for services they generally focus on the first page of results. And they are aware that to be high up on SERP your website is relevant to what they are looking for. Since it is the search engine that is ranking you people are more inclined to believe second party appraisals than just your company starting it

 

In the current business environment when people look for businesses they search for them on the Internet, so regardless of what industry you are in you cannot afford not to have any digital footprint or you will be at the mercy of other people to the tell your story which might not be the way you would tell it. If you have a website it is in your best interest to tell your our story on the Internet about your services. Just like a pamphlet after you create it you have to get it into the hands of customers, SEO just like PPC enable your service to be found when people are looking for them.

 

Reference:

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/SEO.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay_per_click

 

 

12 Oct

Posted at 08:27h in Advertising, Digital Marketing

shutterstock_290513420

Digital marketing is the wave between the future and present. It is used to market products or services using digital technologies mainly Internet or other digital mediums. It uses systems such as social media, marketing influencers, and online advertising to help brands connect and engage with customers.

 

Digital marketing strategy confronts how the Internet has transformed the world of marketing. It also provides a solution on how to best apply digital tools and tactics to achieve effective marketing strategies. The Internet is an interactive channel that allows for currency to be exchanged and more importantly, value to be exchanged. A brand gains value online in the form of attention, engagement, and consumer advocacy. Value is created for the consumer when they are entertained, enlightened or find utility. One of the most effective ways a brand can deliver value for audiences is content marketing. The important aspect is the mutual benefit created; both the consumer and the business benefit from the transaction.

 

The internet provides a new platform to build on marketing and business principles. The internet does not change the how revenue is determined. A considerable number of organisations have recognised the value of an online presence and are allocating portions of their marketing spend on digital. Many are still, however, hesitant when it comes to digital marketing and are not willing to invest a great deal. Although it is true that digital advertising can be relatively cost-effective, it still costs money. You may very cost-savvy and know how to make a rand go the distance but you should still be wary not to fall into the trap of relying on just having a website and assumption that you don’t need to spend on digital to have an impactful online presence.

 

This is a list of indication that it may be time to invest more in your digital marketing.

 

  1. When your social media is not active

Social media is the fastest growing marketing channel. It is effective in that it is able to direct traffic to your main website or lead generating landing page. It is a process of gaining traffic or attention through social media platforms. Out of all the social media platforms, LinkedIn has been the most effective in B2B lead generation. Examples of other platforms include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

 

  1. Competitors outperform you in SERPs (search engine results pages) ranking

When you do not publish new and relevant content on a regular basis, search engine platforms such as Google will not boost your rankings. It is important to remember that online, you are also creating content for search engines, not just human audiences. When other websites (in the same industry) begin to rank higher than you, it means they are doing more in terms of search engine optimisation (SEO). This could mean that their content is of greater quality or maybe there are doing a better job at targeting keywords. Unless you have high-quality content on your website, you will not achieve meaningful ranking. If you are to outperform your competitors in ranking, you will have to spend on SEO services and content marketing.

 

Another important consideration to keep in mind is backlinks, which are regarded as the main building blocks of good SEO.

 

  1. Website is not user and mobile friendly

When your website is poorly designed, content is poorly written and potential clients struggle to navigate they will be bored and will end up exiting the website. Broken links that point to the wrong pages can encourage clients to also exit the website. Most people use mobile devices to go the Internet as opposed to desktop computers, so when designing websites developers need to create websites that offer friendly functionalities for such devices.

 

  1. Your blog has not been updated in a month

Blogs are one of the best ways of improving your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), but if it is not updated on regular basis it will lose value. As your blog gets old it receives less traffic and less value to the marketing o f the company. Increasing your publishing frequency can double your inbound sales leads. But sacrificing quality in exchange of quantity will lead to your audience moving away from you. And always ensure that you select content that appeals to your audience and meets your business goal.

 

Reasons you should use Digital marketing

 

  • Digital marketing helps generates better revenue

With better revenue growth small and medium organizations using digital marketing have better chances to expand workforce and business reaching larger market both locally and internationally.

 

  • Builds brand reputation

Digital marketing aims at attracting a new audience, this type of audience could be individuals who already know about your product or service offering or have an interest in your brand. Keeping promises and delivering to clients will get improve customer relationship. Satisfied customers tend to speak highly of a brand, product or service, which can be very beneficial for your brand reputation.

 

  • ROI on investment marketing

Traditional media can be expensive for small and medium companies to leverage on; it’s difficult to measure. But with digital marketing can be easily tracked and monitored as soon as clients subscribe to newsletters or make a purchase.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

07 Oct

Posted at 07:15h in Copywriting

bwd_advertising_copywriting

 

The term ‘usability’ is a well-known concept in the world of digital communication and advertising. This principle is an especially important guideline when brands create websites; users should be able to find relevant information effectively and efficiently when engaging with online platforms. If users don’t find the information they need within a reasonable time, they will simply seek another source.

A lesser known principle, yet a critical one, is readability.

Readability is defined as ‘the ease with which a reader can understand a written text’ and this depends on finding the right balance between content (vocabulary and syntax) and typography (font, spacing, and paragraph length).

Similar to usability, the aim of readability is to ensure that your audience understands the argument you are trying to make, the supporting claims/facts, and the overall message of the piece.

 

It’s complicated

The mistake writers often make is that they think complex subjects require the use of complicated language, terminology, and tonality. It may come as a surprise, to those writers, to learn that most presidential candidates speak at grade 6-8 level.

In a research study conducted by Carnegie Mellon University’s Language Technologies Institute, most candidates use words and grammar typical of high school students. Speeches were analysed based on elements such as average sentence length, vocabulary, and the number of syllables per word.

Historically, President Lincoln set the highest benchmark – he boasted grammar at the 11th grade, with Donald Trump and President George W. Bush ranking at 5th-grade grammar levels.

 

bwd_advertising_copywriting_reading

The Flesch-model

There are several ways that one can use to measure a piece of text’s readability. According to the Readability-score website, there are several algorithms available to measure scores. These computer-calculated tools will estimate what level of education someone needs to understand your piece of text easily.

The most frequently-used algorithms are Flesch-Kincaid, Gunning-Fog, Coleman-Liau Index, SMOG Index, and Automated Readability Index. Microsoft Office Outlook and Microsoft Office Word, for instance, use the Flesch model. This model tests readability based on the average number of syllables per word and words per sentence. The Flesch Reading Ease test rates text on a 100-point scale. The higher the score, the easier it is for a reader to understand the content. Ideally, writers should aim for a score between 60 and 70.

The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level test is another methodology available for writers. It rates text based on a U.S school grade level. A score of 8.0 implies that an 8th-grade student would be able to grasp the text sufficiently.

Some simple principles

 

writing-828911_1920

 

Although these algorithms can be fairly complicated, there are a few simple principles that writers can implement to ensure that their piece of content receives a good readability score.

According to James Chartrand from “Men with pens“, these are some of the most effective ways:

 

  • Short sentences

If a sentence is long, it tends to become complicated and difficult to follow. Instead of trying to make too many points in one sentence, rather split it up into two. A good principle to follow is breaking up sentences that contain too many commas. This will immediately improve readability. The same applies for the length of paragraphs. In an online environment, shorter paragraphs are much more digestible.

  • Avoid jargon

It can be tempting to use a lot of jargon, but if your audience isn’t familiar with the popular terms in a specific industry, it can negatively affect their engagement with the writing. Also be aware of acronyms. Many writers make the mistake of assuming an audience is familiar with the parenthetical definition. Rather play on the safe side and spell out abbreviations, or avoid them all together.

  • What is the point?

You need to ensure that you keep your readers’ attention at all times. Although metaphors and examples are useful ways to explain a complicated point, using too many will not clarify – it will only confuse. Make sure that your points are clear and that you aren’t trying to make too many statements in one sentence or paragraph.

  • There’s an app for that

An extremely useful app to evaluate the readability of a piece is the Hemingway app. It will highlight the sentences that are difficult to understand and are negatively affecting your readability score. As with any computer program, it is important to keep in mind that your knowledge and judgement as a writer still trumps the recommendations.

Practice makes perfect

The more you use readability as a guideline, the easier it will get.

My golden rule is that proofreading a piece at least twice after it has been completed is a very important step for any writer. If possible, an external, qualified party should review the work before it is published.

What readability does not cover is the level of relevance and uniqueness of the piece. It is, therefore, important to remember that getting good readability score is not the only goal. Writing should always be based on solid research, interesting insights, and have a clear point of view.

28 Sep

Posted at 08:01h in Video Animation

 

render

 

It is easier for a client to command for a change to be implemented whether small or big, without considering the rendering time. It doesn’t matter if you are using latest Final Cut, Avid, Premiere Pro, or whatever else is out there, the evils of rendering are not prejudiced. Rendering is one of the crucial and time consuming element in video editing, it can take hours to render just a simple 20 seconds video. What does really a small change mean in rendering, first of all you need to understand what does rendering entail.

ip-video-tutorial-rendering

What is rendering?

The computer needs to render each individual frame. Any time an editing software must perform more calculations than your computer can handle in real time, you need to render. Rendering is the process of creating temporary video and audio render files for segments of your sequence that editing software cannot play in real time. When you render a segment of your sequence, editing software substitutes a render file for the segment during playback. Render status bars above the ruler in the Timeline indicate which sections can play back in real time and which segments require rendering.

Because rendering takes time away from the editing process, the goal is to render as little as possible. For more information about real-time playback.

 

Rendering requires:

  • The use of filters, transitions, generators, or any combination of effects that exceeds your computer’s real-time playback capabilities
  • High-quality final output. Real-time effects that play back at preview quality must ultimately be rendered for high-quality video output.
  • Video clips using codecs that Final Cut Pro can’t play in real time
  • Multiple audio tracks that exceed your real-time playback limit
  • Clips with audio effects that require too much processing power
  • Some nested sequences, which can include layered Photoshop files

ram

 

 

 

Frame rate

Frame rate translates to the number of still images that are projected in your video per second. The higher the frame rate, the smoother the motion in your video will be.Frame rate is technology that has adapted as television has evolved over the decades. If you have been unaware of frame rate up until this point, choosing a frame rate for your video from a list of varying numbers may seem daunting.Typically, in animation and film, the frame rate is clocked at 24 frames per second (fps). However, it is common now for digital cameras to record up to 60fps, and YouTube supports this frame rate. This frame rate is the new standard for high definition video.

 

Format

Just like image files, there are dozens of video formats to choose from when rendering your video file. You may have seen common file types including, ‘mp4’, ‘mov’, and ‘avi’ ect. The format will determine the rendering time, so it is important for the client to be specific of the format they want.

file_icons

 

 

Client’s check list for rendering

Normally a client will be sent a first draft of the video which will be a low resolution video, were they can implement all the changes required. At this stage all changes will be made, second draft will be sent

to the client for approval and once it’s done the last stage is to render the final high resolution video.  At this stage its crucial for the client give all the necessary information to speed up the rendering

process, mainly because the high res render will be time consuming. Here is what a client should consider when approaching the last stage of rendering.

 

  • Format: the client should be specific of the format the video should be rendered in.
  • Resolution: Will determine the final look of the video, whether it will be standard or HD

And this also will limit the size of the of the final video.

  • Audio: At this stage selection of audio must be finalized as it will affect the whole video feel.

 

The more we know what rendering entails the better understand what is crucial when implementing changes and saving time. It doesn’t matter which fastest machine you using, rendering will always be a tedious time consuming process. It advisable for a client to have all checklist and changes implemented in the first draft before proceeding to last stage of rending a final product.

 

26 Sep

Posted at 14:04h in Thought Leadership

https://youtu.be/j-6d2oy0scU

Overall Look & Feel:  We decided to revise our BWD Marketing Podcast’s look & feel with a fresh modern design. We chose to keep it out of the box with our stunning 3D intro and then keeping it clean with our choice of minimalist lower thirds. We also took the opportunity to keep our viewers up to date with what’s happening at BWD by dropping interesting links throughout the video.

Description:

We interview our super talented designer Alexia Cost to find out what she does at BWD.

Video Production Team

Video Editor: Thabelang Nthaba
Director Of Photography: Thabelang Nthaba
Camera Men: Venus Bambisa, Thabelang Nthaba

 

Video Transcript

Interviewer: Welcome back to the BWD Marketing Podcast. Today I’ve got with me Lexy, one of our superstar designers. Lexy, how are you doing?

Lexy: I’m good, [inaudible 00:00:23], thank you. And you?

Interviewer: I’m fantastic. So, Lexy, could you just give us a brief rundown of where you’re from, where did you study, that kind of thing?

Lexy: I am from Joburg, born and raised here, I went to Wits University in my first two years I did a fine art degree there for four years, I did an honors. Within that, my main subjects were of course fine arts, I did other things like design and drawing classes, dabbled a little bit in animation, some web design classes as well, very rudimentary. And a lot of exhibition, exhibition stuff. Yeah, very different sort of world.

Interviewer: So, throughout your studies you’ve just mentioned quite a few classes that you’ve taken. In terms of what you do specifically at BWD, what does a normal day entail?

Lexy: So at BWD I’m labeled as a designer, which basically means I do web design, I do logos, corporate identities, can even stretch into things like campaign pictures. My day could even start with clients coming in for training. There’s so many different things.

Interviewer: So, Lexy, tell us what are some of the activities you enjoy doing at the office and in your spare time.

Lexy: So, at work, although we’re predominantly web-based, I really enjoying doing mainly the logo designs and corporate identities. I don’t mind training clients, it can get a little bit energy draining sometimes but it’s nice to be able to pass on your knowledge to other people. And we also do some blog writing at BWD and I really enjoy that part of my days as well.

At home I try…I do a lot of reading, I really do love it, which filters into a little bit of writing as well. I love doing some drawing when I have some spare time as well, I love illustrating. Yeah, so those are the main things I suppose. Also I think at home another thing of course from studying is I don’t get a lot of time to do art anymore but where I can, I do sort of that, try and do a little bit here and there.

Interviewer: Double-deck…

Lexy: Yeah.

Interviewer: So, Lexy, what are some of the challenges that you face in your career thus far?

Lexy: I think the biggest challenge has been because I went to art school and not design school. So a lot of the time my first instinct is to jump straight into the physicality of the work and even try it out in different mediums. As a designer, I don’t get the opportunity or the time to do a lot of that. So I’ve had to adapt very quickly and learn to work more efficiently. When you’re in art school, you have projects that span over months and when you’re a professional artist, those months turn into years on just a single concept. When you’re a designer, those time frames shrink into a couple of hours, a couple of days. So that I think has been a learning curve for me.

Interviewer: So, Lexy, I know every creative has their own kind of perspective that they bring to each project and their own unique style. What do you think is one of your defining characteristics as a creative?

Lexy: I think from the onset, it’s my ability to approach projects purely conceptually from the start. This is just coming from my training at Wits, they’re very different in comparison to say Cape Town where you’ve got very traditional modes of art happening. In Joburg and at Wits, it’s very much about the ideas and the concept more so than about the end product. And so I think that would be my defining factor is just learning to think about the project before jumping into it, I suppose.

Interviewer: Now, I know every creative has their own design resources and that kind of thing. What are some of the things that you do personally to grow you as a creative and in your own personal capacity?

Lexy: So a lot of this happens mainly at home in your spare time, purely because during work it’s…you know, you learn from that as well and projects that you do but your spare time I think is where you capitalize on your growth. And things I do during that time would be just trying to draw whenever I can. I do a lot of reading, sort of get into bed at night and I’ve got my laptop in front of me, going through some PDF or other…

On top of that, it’s just your software and tutorials as well, trying to keep up to date with the latest that’s going on. I mean, with technology these days everything is always updating. So I try to keep on top of that as much as I can.

Interviewer: So building that technical skill?

Lexy: Yeah.

Interviewer: So in the near future, where do you see Lexy?

Lexy: So I’ve in the last couple of years become very interested in branding and I’d like to very much pursue that a little bit further and that would include just building on stuff like logos, brand identity, corporate identity. I really love print work, I know everyone’s very into digital but I think there’s still something to be said for the traditional quality that is in print. There’s so much you can do with it. I think people also enjoy seeing things physically, still. So there’s that. And then I think my other main thing would be just trying to bridge the gap between what is art and what is design. I feel like too often it’s looked as a separate thing and I hope in a lot of my work that I can start to bridge the two concepts together as I continue to work.

Interviewer: Well, Lexy, I thank you for your time, I think we’ve learned quite a lot.

Lexy: Thank you.

Interviewer: Join us next time for the BWD Marketing Podcast.

26 Sep

Posted at 11:41h in Advertising

alexia_cost_blog_d-02

“Good design is innovative, useful, purposeful, aesthetic, understandable, honest, focused, resourceful and long lasting”. These characteristics exist in a ‘creative vacuum’ if the journey of design thinking cannot be mapped through a process that allows both the client and the creative to engage with a project on a common level, from initiation to completion. A clear structure enables the designer to navigate the project goals and deliverables and allow them to explore the project for areas of creative opportunity from a more deliberate perspective. Activities such as research, strategy, development, refinement and production allow the designer to begin to solve the challenges of the project and, ultimately, solve a problem for your business.

 alexia_cost_blog_d-03

Project Initiation

This first stage is critical to the success of any project. It involves the collection of material required to understand the client, their company, project needs and objectives. It is then important that the client and designer engage directly and a project brief is filled out to iron out questions like target markets, project scope, expectations and timelines. A company profile should always be provided where available. The more information a designer has available in their toolkit, the better the product they create and the fewer revisions between stages.

 alexia_cost_blog_d-04

Research

Following a project initiation, further research is conducted to develop an understanding of the client’s competitors, market trends and end users. This allows the designer to ensure that the project communicates a sense of relevancy with its consumers or users and differentiates itself from its competitors. The designer will also use the information already supplied and expand on it gauge background history, employees, existing clients or gather additional industry specific information to position the client or company within a contextual framework.

alexia_cost_blog_d-05

Strategy

Strategy usually determines the long-term plan for achieving the project goals and objectives using an analysis of the information supplied and the research conducted. Strategy is usually implemented for projects with a larger scope that require a definitive alignment with other project activities; undertaking a brand overhaul for example would require some kind of brand strategy to compliment the various projects. Strategies are also useful for campaign pitches that map out everything from concept execution and resources to the budget plan for the convenience of the client awarding the project.

alexia_cost_blog_d-06Development & Design

Once a clear understanding of the above three stages has been achieved, the designer will begin to visually map out a variety of initial concepts, rough drawings, layouts, font, colour and image choices. This stage is both the most conceptual and creative for the designer or creative team and provides a starting point for the look and feel of the project. Internal review processes between members of the creative team will help narrow down the options before presentation to the client.

alexia_cost_blog_d-07Maphalane Disability Trust: Website Design

Presentation/Refinement

The best options from the development and design stage are supplied to the client for review and the opportunity for changes and revisions, or project approval, is provided. Any revisions would be communicated to an account manager and implemented by the designer before representing. The design presentation is often managed through the use of mockups, to give an idea of the final product, accompanied by a strong rationale of the concept. Assuming that an adequate amount of time and energy has been dedicated to the activities of stages one through three, the need for revisions should be negligible. Following the revision and/or approval, the designer can move on to completing the remaining deliverables.

 alexia_cost_blog_d-08

Emilio’s Gourmet Popcorn: Business Profile design

Production/Launch

The remaining production on a project will implement the remaining content and resources supplied at the onset of the project. For a website this may include loading copy, contact details, employee images or products onto the remaining pages of the site. The production stage would be supplemented by a final client review before all deliverables are packaged and sent out either for printing or launching. [In the case of a website ‘go-live‘ or a campaign activation for example]

alexia_cost_blog_d-09Completion

The final stage in the process is managed largely between the account managers and the client. This has little to do with the designer, however, assuming that the clients needs and objectives have been met through the above process, a continued partnership for potential future projects can be ensured, and with it the convenience for both client and service provider of familiar business opportunities and working relationships.

Understanding the design process is often limited to the activities outlined in the Development and Design stage. It is important, as a client and/or business owner looking for a partner in design, to identify the agencies that jump straight into design and those that implement the above structure as a model for their working methods. These are the agencies, designers and creative that are going to help you, as the client, track the process, and progress, of your project in a way that offers you a shared entry point and understanding into their activities, thoughts and perspectives, as they are applied to your business. You will happily find that it is these people that will also tick all the boxes of ‘good design’ along the way.

See the condensed version of our design process here.

02 Sep

Posted at 08:20h in Digital Marketing, Website Design

cover-image-Does-your-website-need-a-revamp-A website is the face and one of the main selling points of a company. The point of the website is to inform the user/customer about your business. The website needs to speak fully about the brand and what the customer can get out of doing business with you. A website needs to be a face and represent your brand correctly.

 

Many people do not know how important it is to keep the face of your business (website / online presence) as relevant and useable as possible. So how do you know if your website needs a revamp? There are many factors that can make you consider a website revamp. Below are 6 points that will tell you if your website needs a revamp.

 

  1. When was the last website update?
  2. What is and is not working with the current site?
  3. Are you receiving positive feedback about your online presence?
  4. Is your current content speaking to your customer?
  5. Does it adapt to mobile device screens?
  6. Is your website style saying something different about your company?

 

1. When Was The Last Website Update?

 

As years go by your customers perceptions and thoughts change. What was relevant to your clients in 2010 is not relevant to them in 2016. Having content from 5 years ago is probably a big indicator that your website might just need to be retouched. Updating the content on your site keeps your business more current. Having a modern feel to your website gives a fresh appeal to your business. The more you refresh the site the more interest you will get to your site.

 

2. What Is And Is Not Working With The Current Site?

 

Now you site used to be the talk of the town, but lately there is lack of interest towards your online presence. Why is that? Simple there are elements on your site which are not working.

What does not work: low quality visuals, lack of reviews or testimonials, confusing or busy content, outdated content, hard to find contact information, unnecessary/irrelevant  popups and ads, slow loading times, and non responsiveness.

 

3. Are You Receiving Positive Feedback About Your Online Presence?

 

This should play a role on your website’s online presence, the feedback and reactions from your clients will help in aiding the growth of your website. The 1st thing would be feedback from the actual customers, do not listen to every person who complains about everything but to the majority of the complaints. That feedback will aid in better understanding how your market navigates your website. The second thing is to use the aid of google analytics, Google analytics is a statistics and analytics tool which you can use for better marketing purposes. This tool basically helps you see how long people are on your website for; which pages do the users migrate to; and also are those website users turning around and becoming customers.

 

4. Is Your Current Content Speaking To Your Customer?

 

Customers would want their experience on your website to be focused on them. If your website is only boastful and does not help the customer with their need it will help you generate any sales. What this means is that your website needs to answer their questions and needs. So for instance if you sell popcorn the website needs to specifically answer the questions that your customer would ask eg: What are you selling? What are your differents popcorn ranges/services? Where/how can I get your product?

 

5. Does It Adapt To Mobile Device Screens?

 

It’s all good that your website looks modern fresh and is up to date on computer but does it translate well when it is viewed on mobile devices? If the answer is no, then your business is losing out on a growing population of audiences which are becoming accustomed to doing everything on their devices.

 

6. Is Your Website Style Saying Something Different About Your Company?

 

Does your website say playhouse instead of lawfirm, if your website doesn’t feel like it provides your product, it’s probably the reason why people don’t stay on your website. The way your website feels has a big impact on how people perceive your business. If your website looks fun and playful yet you provide a serious service, your customers will not take your business seriously. The same works for if you have a fun service yet your website looks like you sell vintage carpentry. If you have the wrong feel on your website then you probably need to redesign the way it looks.

 

If you recognise any of these points as something you see familiar in your website, you should consider Redesigning, Retouching or revamping your whole site.

Considering a website redesign have a look at some of the websites we have done.

26 Aug

Posted at 07:33h in Thought Leadership

 

https://youtu.be/8DAip48d89o

Overall Look & Feel:  We decided to revise our BWD Marketing Podcast’s look & feel with a fresh modern design. We chose to keep it out of the box with our stunning 3D intro and then keeping it clean with our choice of minimalist lower thirds. We also took the opportunity to keep our viewers up to date with what’s happening at BWD by dropping interesting links throughout the video.

Description: We interview our super talented project manager Malebo Leepile to find out what she does

at BWD.

Video Production Team

Video Editor: Thabelang Nthaba
Director Of Photography: Sibusiso Radebe
Camera Operator: Venus Bambisa, Thabelang Nthaba, Sibusiso Radebe

 

Video Transcript

Lesedi: Hi guys, I’m Lesedi. I’ll be here interviewing Malebo on what it’s like to be an Account Manager at BWD. So, Malebo, maybe you can give us a brief history about yourself, where you’re from and what did you study.

Malebo: Okay. I am from African. I studied with TUT, known as Tshwane University of Technology. I came to TUT in 2007, and that’s where I got my managerial diploma there, and I also got my certificate in management with TUT.

Lesedi: So, Malebo, I know a lot of people do a lot of different things here at BWD. Maybe you can just give us a quick run-down on what it is that you do and what it entails to be an Account Manager.

Malebo: Okay. As an Account Manager at BWD, what I do is I communicate with clients and also with designers. So, whatever that the client tells me that he or she wants, I tell the designer to do it, and make sure that it’s delivered on time and how the client wants it.

Lesedi: So what does a normal day entail for you at the office?

Malebo: Entail, is going through a lot of emails, making sure that the designers do their assignments or projects that are assigned to them, and then just making sure that everything in the office goes well.

Lesedi: Yeah, so you keep the ship sailing, hey?

Malebo: Yes.

Lesedi: Okay. So, Malebo, I’m sure you work with a lot of great people internally and externally. Maybe you can just tell us who are some of your favorite clients.

Malebo: Okay. My favorite clients has to be KTL and Three Coin Investment because when I started with BWD, they were very good to me. They’ve never been rude to me. Sometimes you get clients that are extremely rude, but they were just nice people.

Lesedi: Yeah.

Malebo: It was nice working with them.

Lesedi: So, in your experience, what are some of the challenges that you find in forwarding your career?

Malebo: I guess it has to be just maintaining long-term relationships with clients and pitching to clients because sometimes it’s not easy to just go in there and say, “This is what I want,” because not everybody’s reading to the same tune, but you have to say, “Either you’re going to…” But some people don’t just give you a chance to say whatever you have to say, so I guess pitches has always been the most challenging ones.

Lesedi: So, Malebo, what do you think is your defining quality as an Account Manager?

Malebo: Patience.

Lesedi: Yeah.

Malebo: I guess patience, because sometimes you get clients that are not very clear. They’re not even sure of what they want, so obviously you need to be patient to try to find out exactly what they want and how they want those things. So, I guess it has to be patience.

Lesedi: What are some of the things that you do on a daily or weekly basis that forward you as a creator and personally?

Malebo: Okay. Firstly, I do a lot of research because we’re working with a lot of things here in BWD. I read a lot, so articles that usually one of either my colleagues or boss just shares with me, and then I read that just to learn new things every day.

Lesedi: Where do you see yourself in the near future?

Malebo: Well, I want to grow as a person, professionally and personally, obviously, and study further. And so, I’m hoping to further study [inaudible 00:04:04] either something to do with marketing again or website design.

Lesedi: I know there’s a lot of people out there who are quite interested in the creative industry. What advice would you give those people trying to break into your field?

Malebo: Well, my advice is just finish your studies. Try to get as much experience as possible because this industry is very complicated. So, try to always…

 

16 Aug

Posted at 14:49h in Thought Leadership

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Creativity involves transforming imaginative thoughts and ideas into something real. Creativity is an act. It is characterised by the ability to allow oneself to see the world from different perspectives. In this way, creativity allows one to uncover hidden patterns, connect apparently unrelated things and begin to generate effective solutions. Not every original solution can be considered creative. If it is not applicable, then it is simply unreasonable and not creative.

 

“Creativity is the process of bringing something new into being. Creativity requires passion and commitment”. – Rollo May

Creativity; A Process

Creativity is not something that just happens. The process of creativity encompasses a cognitive aspect. This cognitive process is where new ideas are generated or old ideas are transformed into revised concepts. According to a research study by the University of Haifa, it was found that the process of developing ideas that are creative requires that two completely distinct networks of the brain be activated. They are the associative (more spontaneous) network and the normative (more conservative) network.

The 5 Step Creative Process

 

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Creativity in Action

The idea of packaging and a butter knife are not new concepts. However, when Korean designer, Yeongkeun Jeong merged the two concepts into one innovative outcome, he was creative. This did not happen spontaneously. The designer most likely enjoyed butter himself but might have struggled to find a spreader close by whenever he wanted to have bread. Or maybe he witnessed others struggle with this situation. He was nonetheless able to find a solution that provides convenience and ease for users, after observation and a process of connecting ideas.

 

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Almost anyone can come up with an idea in the spur of the moment that has never been heard of before. This does not, however, make an individual creative. Creativity requires time, commitment to research and a dedication to unearthing the most impactful resolution.

 

Why we need creativity in business

Creativity is the driving force for innovation. There can be no innovation without creativity. Both concepts have become critical in achieving success. Over the years, as business and management have been faced with rising shortcomings and challenges, the role of creativity and innovation has never been more important.

Well-managed organisations have always recognised the value of creativity and innovation in establishing success. A good example of such an organisation is Apple. They are leaders in the field of innovation and this happened as a result of the company adopting design thinking – an intrinsically human-centered creative process. When Steve Jobs introduced qualities of design thinking at Apple, the brand was able to achieve innovation while placing consumers at the centre of the process.

 

Is everyone capable of being creative?

Creativity is not a single moment of inspiration. It is a structured, systematic approach to solving problems. If you are successful at what you do (maybe a respected executive at a leading company), your success is a result of your ability to resolve problems. This makes you creative. Creativity does not mean you are a skilled artist you is able to produce beautiful works. Creativity means being able to solve problems. All problem solvers are creative.

14 Aug

Posted at 10:26h in Thought Leadership

2016_August_newsletterGood morning Vuyelwa,

Ultimately, we’re all in business for the same reason… growth. Growth of profit, growth of our people and growth of our clients.

 

But consistent growth is becoming an increasingly elusive concept. It is for this reason that we at BWD appointed a full time growth hacker. The purpose of a growth hacker is to place marketing data under a microscope – to find the most effective ways to grow your business.

 

We started building up to this milestone last year already, by creating our own marketing ‘data warehouse’ – to track and record all our marketing related statistics. The rationale behind it is simple… if you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.

 

Having a dedicated growth hacker has the added advantage that it empowers management to make informed strategic decisions – that are based on actual data. As a result, you have less variables and more predictable outcomes. Plus you’re more likely to yield a return on your marketing investment – much faster. Bonus right?

 

In June we were part of an awesome project. We assisted the international company T-Systems with the launch  Un-Outsourcer. Un-Outsourcer is a revolutionary way of outsourcing huge IT contracts. It challenges the industry by transferring risk from the customer – to the service provider.

 

This is done by giving the client an easy ‘out’, should the service provider not live up to the agreed service levels. It also pushes service providers to deliver. We expect that Un-Outsourcer will mark a historic milestone in the history of the IT arena. And we’re humbled by the fact that we formed part of it. An added advantage of this cool project – was that I got to snap a selfie with the 400m World Champion Wayde van Niekerk, a South African track and field sprinter who is sponsored by T-Systems. Check it out…

 

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We also assisted Statistics South Africa in the launch of the 2016 community survey results. This is the biggest research project that Stats SA has conducted outside of the census to date. Its objective is to help bureaucrats plan for service delivery, infrastructure development and so forth. It will also direct government policymakers to conduct targeted interventions.

 

The launch of the event was broadcast on live TV. Of course the hype around the event presented even more selfie opportunities ;). Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to take pics with his Honorable Minister in the presidency Jeff Radebe and Statistician General Pali Lehohla.

 

We also have a semi-celeb amongst ourselves. Our colleague, the awarding- winning designer Zweli Gamede delivered a talk at the esteemed Digital Economy Conference. The event took place at Monte Casino on the 22nd of July 2016.

 

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An interesting fact that surfaced from the StatsSA survey results – is that unemployment remains of the biggest challenges facing the youth of South Africa. The Mahikeng Mail recently also wrote an article about the issue and mentioned how some entrepreneurs are addressing it. BWD was one of the entrepreneurial companies that were referred to.

 

Based on the great feedback we got from the initiative in 2015, we had our Graduate Development Programme again during the June holidays. The programme serves to help some members of our youth get exposure to the working world. These are the young aspiring professionals who joined us:
John-dean Ashton – Designer – University of Pretoria
Edmond Hlophe – Copywriter – Vega
Nicola Graves – Strategist – University of Johannesburg
Mlungisi Kunene – Designer – Design School of South Africa
Erica Teng – Designer – Design School of South Africa
Sabelo Sibisi – Designer – Design School of South Africa
Nompumelelo Mdluli – Designer – Design School of South Africa
Nikita Lalita Garagh – Video Animator –  AFDA

 

Nikita directed the shooting of the video diaries that the interns created.  You can take a look here.

 

In hindsight, we managed to grow our company a little, grow ourselves a little, and grow others a little. Most importantly, we trust that we helped you grow a little. If we haven’t – please let us know so that we can change that.

 

Bongani Gosa
Creative Director
Email: bongani@bwdadvertising.co.za
Phone: 011 321 0193