To say that we were excited to win the tender to provide marketing, PR and web design for a new project being launched by Creative Victoria and ACMI is an understatement. We were humbled to be chosen from a very competitive field to help the launch The Studio, Bendigo’s new creative coworking space. Here’s what we’ve done so far.
Once we stopped dancing around the office after winning the tender, it was time to roll up our sleeves and get to work. There was a lot to get done, in a short space of time.
One of the first things we needed to do was come up with a brand strategy, identifying the target audience and market positioning. The brand personality and brand promise emerged from this process, reflecting a space that is vibrant, connected and creative.
“Our space to create, connect, learn and grow”.
Its personality? Collaborative, inspirational, outgoing and professional.
Our brand had a strategy, promise and a personality - but it didn’t have a name. Originally known as the “Bendigo Creative Industries Hub”, we needed to come up with a name that reflects what the space is designed to be - a workspace for creatives.
We presented a number of concepts that spoke to the audience, but the simplest one was the most compelling. Where do creative people often work? In a studio. Bingo.
Now that we had a name, we needed a logo that resonated with the target audience and spoke to the brand strategy. We also needed to develop a logo in less than two weeks (no pressure!!), due to the extremely tight timelines on the project.
Our logo concept was bold, creative and interesting. Featuring an idiosyncratic yet elegant typeface, the dot on the “i” becomes a sort of beacon that is surrounded by a warm red glow, positioning The Studio at the heart of Bendigo’s creative community.
Once we had a name and a logo we could put together the brand style guide, containing all of the brand elements that define The Studio. Just as important as the logo, the style guide ensures that the visual elements of the brand are accurately reproduced.
The logo might be quirky and idiosyncratic, but the overall brand style is structured, understated and professional. The style guide also outlines the colour palette for the brand, a combination of warm muted tones inspired by interior design.
With all of the branding and visual design elements in place, it was time for us to design, develop and launch a new website for The Studio.
Our early efforts at social media were already generating lots of interest, so within a single day we built an elegantly designed “coming soon” landing page for potential tenants to register their interest, while we continued working on the main website.
This temporary landing page became a focal point for our Facebook marketing, and it attracted over 60 enquiries within a couple of months prior to the launch.
The website strategy is driven by a conversion strategy that takes prospective customers on a journey from awareness through to consideration and decision-making. In short, The Studio needs tenants to fill the space, so the website needs to facilitate this.
The purpose of the website is to inform potential customers about the different types of coworking memberships, and to allow members to make online bookings. This involved coordinating the front end user experience with an external platform.
We started by creating a mock up design, and then moved onto front end development once that was approved. With our easy to use content management system - Revolution CMS - we created a beautiful, responsive design that combines style and function.
Our team did all the copywriting for the website, and we launched the first version using premium stock photography that resonates with the brand style. Once renovations are complete, we’ll update the website with photography from The Studio’s interiors.
Part of our tender brief was to promote The Studio to the creative community in Bendigo. We did this via a combination of social media promotion and traditional publicity.
Social media accounts were set up on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, which we posted to with branded organic content. This generated awareness of The Studio, and helped to grow their following base in order to facilitate name recognition.
Content creation was backed by advertising - post boosts, carousel ads and page like campaigns. Two early Facebook posts announcing the launch of The Studio received 2.8K and 2.9K reach respectively, with help from a couple of tiny $25 post boosts.
Our strategic approach to creative planning of social media content - and the inclusion of a rigorous approval process - worked well within the government requirements.
We engaged PR partner Greta Donaldson Publicity to help get the word out about The Studio. Using a direct strategy, Greta coordinated a successful media launch, with widespread newspaper, TV and radio coverage across local and regional markets.
With doors set to open in April 2020, The Studio continues to generate a lot of buzz within the Bendigo creative community. Potential members have already registered to attend a “sneak peek” tour, and we’ll keep working on the launch in the meantime.
There’s still plenty of work to do!
Download our website design PDF to see the full details of our three most popular packages, including package levels, pricing, and features.
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