South Australian businesses who invest in their brand and online presence in a tough economic market will prosper most as things improve, according to award-winning Adelaide design firm Flux Visual Communication.
Many businesses respond to negativity about business conditions by retracting or tightening the belt … but they are actually costing themselves business, Flux Creative Director Frank Stillitano said.
“There’s a lot of negativity going on – both here in the State and also nationally – and that’s really weighing down on business confidence way too much,” he said.
“The reality is that when times are tough, customers do even more research before engaging with businesses. Those businesses who don’t have the right brand portrayed in the right way through their website end up putting potential customers off.
“So doing less when times are tough actually hurts more in the long run.”
Flux has three key lessons for business tempted by spending less on their brand:
“Firstly, a memorable brand identity and an attractive web site is a solid business investment,” Mr Stillitano said.
“You should be looking at how you’ll get the most out of your investment: think new leads, new business, increased sales – not just costs. If you fail to invest in good online branding, customers will just choose your more digital savvy competitors.
“Secondly, if your competitors are pulling back – that is the ideal time to move forward and increase your market share.
“Thirdly, you should realise that good branding and web sites aren’t luxuries – they’re now minimum expectations in the marketplace. Customers are pickier than ever … and you may be pushing them away because your brand doesn’t properly reflect your business.”
These are lessons Flux has applied itself. The company is growing against the trend among many small businesses and winning design awards.
It is about to upgrade its office space for the second time in four years to accommodate the growth of both the creative team and an expanding portfolio of clients that includes WorkCoverSA, the City of Unley, City of Adelaide and a host of small and medium-sized business from a range of industries around Adelaide.
Flux has also provided high-quality designs to public events such as the Double Shot Coffee Fiesta and Ride for Pain.
“Our approach at Flux is to ensure we produce branding and designs that truly reflect a business and to place them in front of their customers to ensure it grows their business,” Mr Stillitano said.
“That’s what we’ve done – we’ve been able to market ourselves effectively digitally, embraced digital design, expanded our knowledge base, listened to a lot of people and evolved as the technology has.
“We have benefitted from that, mainly through the benefits delivered to our clients.”
For more information, please contact:
Frank Stillitano
Creative Director
Flux Visual Communication
Phone: 08 8431 9570
Email: frank@designbyflux.com.au
