Calling themselves “The New Gentlemen’s Journal”, this beautiful little digital magazine offers the perfect escape: interesting articles, interviews of fascinating people, gorgeous photos and videos – and this is a refreshing change – no annoying advertising.

www.grainandgram.com

Apartment Therapy

Cleverly disguised as a mere interior design blog, Apartment Therapy is in fact an amazing resource of inspiration about cooking, technology and green living. Just beware that reading this blog can cause I-wish-I-lived-in-Manhattan syndrome.

www.apartmenttherapy.com

PostSecret

Got a deep, dark secret you’re dying to get off your chest – but not keen to suffer the consequences of revealing it? PostSecret is a community art project dedicated to publishing anonymous secrets. Whatever you do, do NOT tell your stickybeak pals about it.

www.postsecret.com

“I’m on a horse.” The marketing/advertising team behind the new Old Spice campaign deserve a raise. A big one. If you haven’t seen the hilarious and original commercials, visit this site and watch our favourite that had the office in stitches.

www.oldspice.com

Art Wolfe

Don’t you just love when a person’s name matches their profession? This is a double whammy: Art Wolfe is a world-renowned nature photographer from Seattle, USA. His stunning images hail from all over the world and are not to be missed.

www.artwolfe.com

Uniqlo

It’s no surprise that the Japanese were the masterminds behind this visually stunning website made of dynamic moving scenes created with a combination of thousands of photos. Use it as a calendar or a screensaver… or a sublime timewaster.

www.uniqlo.com

It attacks every winter – that mad desire to escape the cold, soggy weather and jet off any place requiring sun cream and air con.

We at Clue Design have been dreaming of tropical beaches (Bora Bora to be exact), which is why we’re so crazy about the VideoMask – an underwater mask that allows snorkelers and divers to take underwater photographs and video. Sure, the 5 megapixel camera hardly rivals today’s above-water cameras, but the mask does offer a 136 degree wide angle lens, and operates in depths of up to 40 metres. But the best part? Having two free hands to help you better explore your next aquatic playground.

DB: We set up a Facebook page for the Winery in October 09, although March 2010 is when we started to be more active in managing pages. First, we setup a bunch of pages to test, noticed the pages that sparked the highest reactions online, and then cut out the ones that weren’t performing, and focused on the ones that were.

CD: How many hours do you devote to maintaining your page?

DB: 1 to 2 times a week for ½ hour to 1 hour within those times. Sometimes I delegate to get others to work on it while I’m away.

CD: What strategies have you employed to increase your fans?

DB:  Don’t over-post, and don’t under-post – use moderation. Don’t assume or expect people are interested in your business, company, product, service or brand. Know your audience, what they value. Add relevant content, try to communicate your values in terms of theirs or balance it out so there is a fair exchange to some degree. Many Facebook pages from companies or businesses tend to talk all about themselves. It’s like an IT professional on a first date with a chick whose highest value is socialising and fashion and he is talking about how much he loves the old Microsoft platform to Windows Vista, and the latest episode of Star Trek – there will be no second date. The second you project your values onto somebody else and minimise them and exaggerate yours, you start to break up communication.

CD: Have your efforts with Facebook provided the winery positive ROI?

DB: It has been great with working directly with proactive restaurants and bars – for example, in one case the George Restaurant who also has an active Facebook page. We worked directly with the bar, commenting about the wines on the night and engaging with the customers. The night of the event the owners of the bar showed up and commented that they had a whole range of people there that they would not normally have seen, with the bar close to maximum capacity. They said it was most likely due to what we have been doing online. Another key thing is building the relationship with customers and allowing them to engage with you and your brand – it’s free advertising. Where eyes go – money goes, there are more ways to capitalise on the opportunities social media presents, but this requires a bit of innovation and thought.

CD: What’s the greatest lesson you’ve learned from your Facebook campaign?

DB: Social media has been perceived in many ways; it is vastly hyped up by some and resented by others as it’s the new kid on the block. Although there are fads, trends, and things that are timeless – people in general are herd animals: there is an innate drive for most to be social, to connect and communicate and that is timeless. How one chooses to do that changes throughout the years, and in order to continue growing, it is vital to be contemporary.

  www.facebook.com/pages/A-glass-of-wine-solves-everything/109894633186

The way we see it, Facebook isn’t perfect for every business. It entirely depends on your resources, client base and industry. We aren’t going to tell you whether or not your business should use Facebook. Instead, we want to explore the advantages and disadvantages of using the popular social media site as part of a business strategy – ultimately helping to guide you in the important decision.

Having a company Facebook page provides a few major benefits for your business, including improved customer service, greater brand awareness and increased sales. Facebook is one of the best ways to engage with customers on a deeper level. As Facebook expert Mari Smith says, “You need to focus on building rapport, reaching out to connect with others, adding value, sharing information relative to your niche and marketplace.” By listening and interacting with customers, you gain valuable insights into ways to improve your business while simultaneously increasing brand loyalty within your customer base.

Facebook brings you to where your customers are. Here in Australia, a 2010 Nielsen report shows that 59% of Australian internet users have a Facebook profile and 37% of them visit the social networking site daily. A Facebook campaign increases brand awareness, meaning that your company is more “top of mind” for consumers. It offers an excellent medium for promoting products, services and deals – as well as establishing your expertise in your field. It’s also a great way to drive quality leads and traffic to your website.

Naturally, there are some disadvantages to Facebook as well. First of all, it takes time to maintain a Facebook campaign, consuming company resources. This may be fine for a large company, but for a small one, employee time and energy are on short supply. What’s worse, after investing company resources, the Return on Investment (ROI) is often difficult to measure and it usually takes a long time to see results. How can you ever know that your efforts on Facebook are actually encouraging sales?

While Facebook is a great tool for spreading positive PR, it can just as easily backfire and actually damage a company’s reputation. A message written in poor taste, a ill-timed joke, heck, even misspellings can turn off or even offend fans. We all know how fast news spreads on the internet once news goes viral – Domino’s Pizza and United Airlines offer excellent, cautionary examples. Extreme care must be taken to ensure to protect a company’s reputation – making you wonder if it’s really worth it.

All things considered, do you think your organisation is ready for its own Facebook page? Read our tips on how to do it right:

• Customise your page. Complete your company profile with as much information as you can. Add photos, videos, blog posts, event info, discussion forums, etc.
• Improve ROI. Create exclusive deals, discounts and competitions for fans – increasing both sales and brand loyalty.
• Communicate! That’s the point, isn’t it? Do more listening and responding and less self-promoting. You’ll learn heaps about your customers and ultimately serve them better.
• Be a good host. Send personalised messages to new “fans”, introducing yourself and welcoming them to the community – fans who are treated well are more likely to suggest your page to others.
• Go slow and be patient. It takes time for a social media campaign to blossom, so invest just a little time each week, adjust your strategy as you go and learn, learn, learn….

How do I…

…start my own Facebook fanpage?
…advertise with Facebook?

We want to know your feelings on Facebook! Send us an email, comment on our blog, become a fan on Facebook or follow us on Twitter: @cluedesign.

Neptune Marine Services have been loyal clients since we designed their site in 2007. Three years on, it was time for a revamp – the new site reflects the company’s changing business needs, while simultaneously maintaining the brand’s unique style.

 www.neptunems.com

GSR Laser Tools

This survey instrument service and repair business asked Clue to design the best technical laser tool website in Australia – one that would promote its products, build a community of customers and implement a fully automated order system.

www.gsrlasertools.com.au

Batchcrete

This family-owned company provides a variety of services including fuel sales, delivery and storage. Batchcrete collaborated with Clue because it was looking to establish an online presence with the intent of increasing sales and brand awareness. 

www.batchcrete.com.au

Seapower

Seapower, a leader in the marine engine industry, wanted to upgrade its website to increase sales though a user-friendly e-commerce system. With the help of Mintox, Seapower staff can easily add, update and remove product information.

www.seapower.com.au

Austurban

Austurban is a Perth home building and developing company who proudly construct “value-for-money homes with designer flair”. The company was looking for a website that would showcase its portfolio and increase brand awareness.

www.austurban.com.au