The Direct Guru

13/04/2022

I said this to a client the other day, then realised it might be good enough to share!

15/03/2022

[RECENT WORK] Inspired by the union of fragrance and light!

1 Lux Candle Co is an artisanal candle producer that merges unique hand-blended fragrances with natural waxes and wicks.

[Positioning] We worked with 1 Lux Candle Co on positioning to convey their differentiation and relevance in the luxury candle market. We sifted through an extensive 'brain-dump' of thoughts and ideas and created distinctive copy, taglines, and unique selling points.

[Imagery] is crucial for most websites, and top-quality imagery can differentiate between success and failure online. Fortunately, 1 Lux Candle Co is owned by , a photographer of distinction and working with her imagery was a pleasure.

[Branding] We wrapped [positioning] and [imagery] in [design] and developed an elegant website to present this fantastic product.
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10/03/2022

[About us] Most websites have an 'about us' section, and ideally, they're created to give customers genuine insight into who you are and to build trust, the most crucial element to an online presence. Unfortunately, most businesses fail to personalise their online presence adequately and present 'about us' pages filled with overused adjectives and generic promises.

Customers want to know who they're dealing with, and offering authenticity is a vital element to online success.

We had fun in Kenya recently on an impromptu team photoshoot to create content for the 'About us' section of a client's website. Real people, genuine smiles... I'd book a safari with them, wouldn't you?

22/02/2022

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18/02/2022

As much as we love digital, sometimes there's nothing better than a flipchart and some marker pens when planning a sales lead-nurture sequence!
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11/01/2022

[RECENT WORK] Design a website without pictures... wait...what?

Anderson Leadership Consulting, owned by the dynamic Erica Anderson, is a change management consulting and leadership coaching business.

Erica approached us to help enhance the presentation of her value proposition and digital presence, and using a framework we've developed, we worked with Erica to unpack her offering in detail and repackaged it for maximum impact.

Content in hand, we set to redesign her website, and faced with the challenge of marketing collateral that was 'heavy' on copy and 'light' on imagery; we opted to design a website without pictures, and we love the result (even if we say so ourselves)!

Using a combination of brand colours, animation and the newly packaged value proposition, we created a single page long-scroll website that leads users on a journey through her offering.

A fun and rewarding project with a dynamic and inspiring person!

PS If you're in the market for change management or coaching, get hold of Erica 👉 https://anderson-lc.org/

12/11/2021

Jetting back from Nairobi where I’m consulting to a Kenyan tour operator to enhance their digital presence, build new sales channels and develop the sales teams’ skills and capability.

It’s not often you see Kilimanjaro and Mt Meru completely open as you’re winging past, but today they were. 🗻
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19/10/2021

[RECENT WORK] Accessible Art specialises in creating bronze sculptures and was inspired by wanting more art in the home that was more accessible than the high priced gallery pieces that are generally available.
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[Value proposition] We worked with Accessible Art to develop their value proposition and transform it into engaging content for their website development.
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[Website design] Using the striking imagery made possible by the incredible artwork, we designed and developed a website focused on exhibiting the art and presenting Accessible Art's offering.
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[Social media and advertising] We established social media channels and created an integrated digital ecosystem between Instagram, Facebook and https://accessible.art/ to promote the business using a combination of paid and organic marketing campaigns.
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[https://accessible.art/]

A striking range of bronze sculptures. Made accessible via our unique Accessible Art membership, or for purchase direct from the artist.

11/10/2021

[RECENT WORK] 'my love for africa' designs, sources, produces and sells a diverse collection of authentic handcrafted products from Africa and uplifts the lives of local artisans.
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[Value proposition] We worked with 'my love for africa' to consolidate several disconnected value proposition elements and reformat them for presentation in a new homepage design.
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[Redesign] We completely redesigned the 'my love for africa' website and online store to produce a 'look and feel' that more effectively highlights their value proposition and, most importantly, improved online shoppers' user experience.
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[Data migration] We managed the online store migration, with a little over 200 products, from WooCommerce to Wix. The previous WooCommerce / WordPress had become problematic and unmanageable for the small owner-run business. We suggested the migration to Wix to provide 'my love for africa' with a hassle-free website and user-friendly business dashboard to manage the online business.
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At my love for africa, we design, source, produce, market and sell a diverse collection of authentic handcrafted art & craft products from Africa. We also design and manufacture a range of table linen, apron and bed linen using Shweshwe fabric.

19/08/2021

[Image Reproduction] Finalising image collateral for a new website and e-commerce solution. What a thrill to be working with such beautiful imagery and such an exciting product.

12/08/2021

[LATEST WORK] Trust Garde Services consults, designs, installs and maintain domestic electronic lifestyle & security systems. Having grown by word of mouth, the business had no digital marketing presence whatsoever and were in search of a modest landing page reflecting their value proposition and values.

We worked with Paul, the owner, to develop their value proposition and translate it into the landing page copy, we shot drone imagery featuring his installation crews and vehicles with a classic Cape Town background, and we designed and developed https://www.trustgarde.co.za/.

Trust Garde consults, designs, installs and maintains domestic electronic lifestyle systems, including security systems, intercom and access control, CCTV and audiovisual entertainment media.

10/08/2021

[Drone Shoot] We spent a beautiful winter’s morning on Signal Hill in Cape Town recently, capturing a few images for a clients website.
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