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When your bakery becomes an international destination…

18 September, 2025

The Ross Bakery in Tasmania found itself an unplanned tourist attraction – for Japanese anime fans.

The sign outside proudly declares “World’s Best Vanilla Slice” (the third I tried on a recent trip!). But it’s believed that legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki, co-founder of Studio Ghibli, visited the bakery and was inspired by its rustic charm when creating Kiki’s Delivery Service – Majo no Takkyūbin (1989)(1).

Today, there’s a steady stream of Japanese tourists visiting the bakery – seeking that real-life connection to the animated world of Kiki, a coming-of-age story. This brings both opportunity and challenge:
·     Emotional connection to the store and brand
·     New customers – and an international profile
·     A commitment to keep the shop’s look and feel consistent, to preserve the magic fans are seeking (2)

Building an emotional connection with the brand can bring repeat business, advocacy, less price sensitivity. If it is unplanned, however, it also brings a certain level of commitment and constraint (3).

And yes – they do make a very good vanilla slice.

hashtag#SmallBusiness hashtag#BrandExperience hashtag#CustomerConnection hashtag#Tourism hashtag#BrandConsistency hashtag#MarketingInsights hashtag#RossTasmania

1 https://lnkd.in/gCATfrwp
2 https://lnkd.in/gNMqQJxr
3 Norris, Craig (2013). A Japanese media pilgrimage to a Tasmanian bakery. University of Tasmania. Journal contribution. https://lnkd.in/gWKM9aS2

Social media or being social?

8 August, 2025

Attracting new customers is a core goal for any business. For small businesses especially, social media offers a cost-effective way to connect with potential clients. But simply being active isn’t enough—real success comes from being strategic and informed.

There’s a key difference between using social media and being social. Businesses that get results don’t just post—they ask:

• Is this a one-way message or a conversation?
• Does it build trust and connection?
• Is it relevant and useful to my audience?

Recognising this distinction helps guide customers through the funnel—from awareness to enquiry and purchase.

To do this well, research is essential:

• Pay attention to what your customers are saying online.
• Track what content drives real conversions—not just likes.
• Map the customer journey across channels.
• Spot trends and insights that set your business apart.

Social media should serve your broader marketing goals. With clear intent and the right insights, it becomes a powerful way to attract and retain the right customers.

Creating a brand

31 July, 2025

This picture is a sign for a local Melbourne fitness centre.  I was not clear if this was a brand promise, positioning statement and who it was targeting!  People who want to be harder to kill? I guess if you are healthier, lose excess weight it follows that you may be more resistant to disease. Or is it to be able to defend yourself?

Every strong brand starts by defining:

• What are your brand objectives, mission statement
• What problem are you solving?
• How does your brand speak with customers – friendly, authoritative, sophisticated
• Who are your customers – demographics, job, interests, purchase habits, communication preferences?
• What do you want your customers to associate with your brand that is different from competitors?
• What will your brand look like – key visual elements of logo, colour, font, images?

Being consistent in the what you say, how your brand communicates across all platforms can increase revenue by 23% (Casey, 2022): This creates a strong brand identity (the brand elements you have chosen to set your company apart. Contributing to a brand image – how these elements are seen and understood in the market by consumers.

Customers will judge the brand and decide how they feel about it, the experience they have in purchasing a product or service. The ultimate point to reach is for customers to feel loyalty and attachment to your brand. They are actively engaged through repeat purchase, user generated content on social media posts, customer surveys, response rates to emails.

Casey, 2022, Tone and Voice: The Secret to Building a Brand. Iconic Digital. Mark. Agency. URL https://iconicdigitalagency.com/blog/strategic-marketing/tone-and-voice-the-secret-to-captivating-customers-and-building-brand-loyalty/ (accessed 10.24.24).

What if your audience is shopping… just not with you?

24 July, 2025

When you look at your current customers what do they look like – age, job, demographics, social channel preferences, interests. Are there some customers who are not represented?  Do you have a lot of older customers but nobody under 25years?  This process should identify customer groups that can be represented by a ‘persona’ or typical buyer. Once you know your customer groups you can then critically look at how they interact with your organisation. Is it a good experience or are their points where you are making it difficult to engage through processes, lack of information, or service? Or are you not communicating in the right ways so that they don’t know about your organisation.

• What are your customers seeking?
  Identify what different customers are hoping to achieve, solve, or improve by engaging with your brand, product, or service. If your customer research shows that each customer group has different interests, challenges then you need to consider this when designing your website, social content, advertising and sales processes.
• How many competitors are your customers considering?
  Gaining insight into the competitive landscape will help you understand what sets your business apart and what factors influence a customer’s shortlisting or selection process. Are you the best priced, quality or supported by superior expertise? Being clear on these points will give you the filter for web content, advertising, social posts, email content, sales presentations. They should all reinforce the same points of difference.
• What information do your customers need to make a purchase?
  Knowing which details—such as pricing, benefits, testimonials, guarantees, or comparisons— you can create web pages, FAQs, or guides to assist. Each customer type or persona will likely want different information – if a teenager, versus parent, or retiree for example. Determine what content or details are most influential so you can tailor information to their specific needs in their preferred channels from email to TikTok

What is ‘Domain Strength’ and is it important?

17 July, 2025

Domain strength is how much search engines trust your website. The more trustworthy and credible your site appears, the higher it will rank in search results. This trust is built through your organisation’s reputation and the quality of the content on your website.

• Use your network for backlinks
  Ask people you already know—suppliers, partners, customers, or community contacts—to link to your website from theirs. This tells Google your site is trustworthy. If you or your team are well-connected in your industry, start there. A few quality links can go a long way.
• Think like your customer
  Walk through your website like a first-time visitor. Is the content helpful, clear, and easy to find? Does it answer common questions? Make sure you have information for your different customer types—whether they’re new buyers, younger or older, or need more detail before making a decision. Mix it up with text, images, videos, and links for those who want to dig deeper.
• Focus on your most important pages (pillar pages)
  Choose a few key pages that really show what you do best—your main services, top-selling products, or expert advice. These “pillar” pages should give useful, in-depth info that proves you know your stuff. Google notices when visitors spend time on high-quality pages—and so do your customers.