In mid-2020, Launch Housing, a non-profit organization that provides shelter opportunities to those that are sleeping rough throughout Melbourne, needed assistance to help them with the redevelopment of their website.

Their brief was to create an easy to use, secure, and quick loading eCommerce enabled website. They also required the ability to manage it internally. It was a great honour to be entrusted with the task of rebuilding the website for them.

What we delivered was a fully responsive website, built within a decoupled platform for optimal performance and security, that also uses a Headless WordPress CMS.More specifically, this it was built using React.js framework, the latest in web technology framework developed by Facebook. This carry’s not only the benefit of advanced speed and security, but the flexibility to use many of the most commonly used CMS’s, which should please many an IT department.

Beyond the technological approach, it was just as important that we design a website that would work for Launch Housing’s distinct groups of website users. From people in need of support, to donors, to the general public wanting to find out more.

We wanted to help consumers to find information easily by improving site navigation and simplifying the path to service information.

For content, we redesigned the website to reflect the new branding and create a non-corporate look and feel. Launch Housing is a non for profit based in Melbourne, we wanted their website to reflect this. We achieved this through the use of hand-drawn elements and textures.

Another important element was creating a design and using photography that aims to change stereotypes about homelessness. Homelessness doesn’t look a certain way and Launch Housing is working to break down that stigma.

It was a pleasure to work with Launch Housing, to support their goal to end homelessness.

To view the website, or perhaps even make a donation to a great cause, click here.

If you like what we did for Launch Housing and would like to find out what we can do for you, contact us now!

“Richard, Chris and the team always kept our organisation’s goals and purpose at the heart of the project. Their genuine skill, extensive experience and good humour shined throughout every stage of website design and development,” – Davida Aerlic, Launch Housing Digital Marketing Specialist

Victorians, we hear you. Working from home is hard.

Especially when you’re trying to teach your kids long division and run a meeting at the same time.

We understand that this is a busy time, so we’ve compiled a list of small business grants and initiatives to help get you started/keep you going, so you can get back to the important things, like remembering how to do long division.

1. Australian made and owned marketplace | Buy Aussie Now 
A marketplace for Aussie made and owned businesses and a destination to shop Australian. 
 

2. Click for Vic 
The State’s primary tourism, business, and major events company, working in partnership with the tourism industry to market Victoria and Melbourne.

 
3. Facebook Black Owned Small Business Grants Program | Facebook for Small Business
To support the Black business community, Facebook is offering $100 million to Black-owned small businesses, Black creators and non-profits serving the Black community. 

 
4. Third Round of Business Support Fund Grants | Business Victoria 
The Victorian Government has announced a third round of the Business Support Fund to provide direct financial support to businesses impacted by restrictions in Victoria. 

5. Go Local First
A campaign encouraging Australians to back small businesses by purchasing goods or services from either them in person or online. Register to add your business to their inventory.
https://golocalfirst.com.au/register/ 

If you need any advice on what or how to apply for or if you just need to chat, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. 

One month, a 2,000% increase in engagements and a 21,000% increase in post link clicks. That’s the difference a social media strategy and carefully curated content can have.

We started working with HomeGround Real Estate at a pro-bono rate a couple of months ago. As one of Melbourne’s oldest digital agencies we have the privilege to choose clients who’s values we align with, and we are very proud to be working with this enterprise. HomeGround is a premium real estate and social enterprise. All of their profits are funnelled back into the community through Launch Housing to help end homelessness.

Our focus was to build a social media presence for HomeGround to create a distinct brand that would inspire people to use their services and give back to the community. The strategy involved organic and paid content across Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

One of the most significant improvements, was setting up the company LinkedIn as well as personal LinkedIn for the Company Director. This last year LinkedIn has grown from a site mostly used by HR departments, to one of the fastest growing social media networks, with nearly 700 million active users.

Within a month of working with HomeGround their social media had led to an increase in customers signing on and using the service. They had an increase in engagement and had established a unique brand online. This was all during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Social media has continued to grow during the pandemic. It has become an essential tool for any business to succeed, and is more important than ever.

Contact us now for a free social media consultation at info@volume.net.au

Melbourne Water works hard to protect and enhance our waterways but can’t do it alone, they came to us wanting to inspire people to get involved.

We established a strategy knowing that in order to motivate people, they first need to be engaged with the industry and understand the services.

It was wonderful to work with the team at Melbourne Water as were eager to express the different dimensions of their business.

Alongside water management, Melbourne Water is also responsible for sewerage, drainage, and our waterways. Our job was to find a creative way to express this. This was made more challenging as COVID-19 restrictions came into place. We needed to be innovative and flexible, and consider how people were consuming social media in lockdown.

As schools closed and parents were faced with the challenge of homeschooling, we utilised the extensive education materials available on the Melbourne Water website. We made a time-lapse of the waterways colouring-in sheets, interactive games, and animated water facts. For the older demographic, there were quizzes on Instagram to test their knowledge of sewerage and the heritage of our drainage system. Believe it or not, these were some of Melbourne Water’s most popular content ever posted on their Instagram…poo puns and all.

With the restrictions of lockdown meaning we couldn’t go out and capture content we created animated videos from scratch, that were educational and perfect for the whole family.

Within the first month of working with Melbourne Water, their engagements and followers both increased. People responded well to nuanced design and the detail of the work being created.

When working in social media, it’s important to continuously review and refine your strategy. 2020 has been a perfect example of how quickly things can change. In our monthly report, we recognised the opportunity to utilise the Melbourne Water LinkedIn channel. It had the most followers but the fewest posts.

Last year in Australia, LinkedIn had the most growth of any social media platform and this trajectory has continued into 2020.

The following month there were almost double the number of published posts and a spike in followers.

It was wonderful to work collaboratively with a major Government Authority towards their goals of engagement and brand awareness.

The World is continuing to embrace social media and it crucial for the success of any business.

Creative quality is the variable of success. If you want to find out more about how to grow your social media presence online, contact us now.

Due to the current Coronavirus situation, we have decided that all Volume team members will work remotely.

Fortunately, we operate in an online environment, which enables us to work remotely without disruption. We also have a number of tools to ensure the Volume team is fully operational no matter where we are working. We will continue to provide digital services as usual and provide you with the same high level of support that you currently receive.

To ensure your needs are actioned promptly by us, we would be grateful if any emails you send could please include the following address in the cc field: info@volume.net.au

Naturally, we will also be available for phone calls as our office phones will be diverted. Therefore, if you have any urgent requests, please call 9108 1441 during business hours.

It is a challenging time for us all, but hopefully it won’t last too long! Take care and please keep yourself and your loved ones safe.

We are looking forward to returning to the office working environment soon, but until then we will continue to provide a high level of services to you remotely.

Did you know that we can create an ecommerce solution within the websites we build?

Creating an integrated shopping experience all in the one place, rather than using a separate store platform.

Last year 84% of Australians searched online for a product or service to buy, 69% went ahead and made a purchase. That’s over 17 million Australians using ecommerce to purchase goods and this number continues to grow.

Implementing ecommerce into your business website opens the door to a global market that is available anytime, anywhere.

If you want to improve your user experience, maintain your brand consistency and optimise your business, contact us for more information.

Some of our clients who have utilised this service include La Sirene, Biostime and Cat Protection.

Melbourne-based integrated communications agency THINK, has announced it has bought into digital agency Volume to strengthen its digital capabilities and...

Melbourne-based integrated communications agency THINK, has announced it has bought into digital agency Volume to strengthen its digital capabilities and grow its technical expertise.

THINK is a unique agency that forms part of the TPF Group which has grown a reputation for innovation and creativity built on three decades of experience.  Created by Marietjie Muijs, a communications expert and passionate businessperson, THINK has grown consistently since its founding six years ago. Winning design awards and working with brands such as Glad, Grill’d, Cancer Council and Chobani; THINK’s experience stretches across industries and global brands. It’s clients are long-term and relationship based.

And now, think Volume. Volume, one of the first digital agencies in Melbourne, is well-established working with brands such as AGL, Australian Unity, Regis, Australian Super, Intrepid Group, ARB and Swisse. With almost 20 years of experience, Volume comprises a team of digital marketing and e-commerce experts. Led by company founder and managing director Richard Branov, Volume brings depth of digital expertise and insight to complete the full digital offering at THINK.

Both THINK and Volume have independently built foundations of knowledge and understanding to chart long term solutions that are right for their customers and brands. Now, working together from their office in Prahran, they unite. The energy and excitement is tangible and the growth and opportunities are endless.

Says Marietjie Muijs, founder and director of THINK: “We are always searching for ways to improve and strengthen our offering to our clients. Being agile and free from traditional agency structures, allows us to stay a step ahead of the curve. Having a strong, full digital offering is essential for our – and our clients’ – future growth.”

Says Richard Branov, founder and director of Volume: “Joining forces with THINK represents more than just a business partnership. There is considerable synergy in the expertise that each side can bring to – and draw from – the other. That’s a really exciting prospect for Volume and our clients.”

Last month, we had the absolute please of working with the team at Intrepid Group Travel on the design and...

Last month, we had the absolute please of working with the team at Intrepid Group Travel on the design and development of the www.intrepidgroup.travel website.

Besides offering the world’s widest range of adventure tours, and being one of the nicest clients we’ve ever worked with, they also can boast to be one of one a few companies to be B Corp certified. A great achievement for and awesome organisation.
Their website was built within the Drupal 8 framework and you can view the website in more detail by clicking the link below.

Intrepid Group Website

After successfully helping Regis Aged Care to build their online presence over the past 3 years, through the design and...

After successfully helping Regis Aged Care to build their online presence over the past 3 years, through the design and development of their main website and a handful of microsites, we embarked integrating all website into one user friendly, information rich website that would better meet the users needs.

This involved a great deal of co-operation between the client and our IA’s to develop a website framework that could address the needs of website users that are faced with a very daunting task. More specifically, the website needed to have the ability to house all the information that’s needed for the website user (usually a family member caring for their partner or parent) to make a very important decision on where to place their loved one.

Pragmatically, Regis also offers so many different and diverse services from Aged Care Facilities, to Retirement homes, to in-home care, so the website architecture also need to be able to accommodate this information in a manner that was both easy to find and even easier to digest. More forever, the website needed to address all current accessibility standards and adhere to all best practices with regards to usability and SEO.

It was an ambitious undertaking and I’m proud to say that on the 3rd of June all the hard work from everyone at Regis and at Volume paid off.

Please click here to view the new and much improved Regis Aged Care website.

Volume has relocated to vibrant Cremorne!

We have been delivering exceptional digital projects for some of Australia’s leading brands for the past 18 years and now we are doing it from an exciting new location.
So if you are thinking about what to do with your next project, give us a call on our new number 03 9108 1441 or pop in to see us at 47 Cubitt Street, Cremorne, 3121