BIG MEDIA

We tell stories about our clients. Stories that engage the imaginations of readers, and change their perceptions.

Every organisation has a message for the public, one that will build brand and reputation. But communications can be a treacherous field. Messages can be unnoticed, unread, or worse, misunderstood. We help clients with what to say, how to say it, where to say it.

Communications is the most neglected aspect of web development. Web developers generally leave the content for last, or squeeze it into the gaps between icons, or regurgitate it from printed brochures. But content is the reason the internet exists. And it's the reason Big Media exists - we produce high-quality written, pictorial or video material, tailored to deliver the client's message. Aren't clients best qualified to write their own information? After all, they know their own business best. Yes, but knowledgeable insiders are not always best qualified to write for outsiders. There's an art to reshaping complex, technical information and presenting it so that ordinary readers will want to read it, will understand it, and will be persuaded by it.

Content-rich websites.
Our speciality is constructing and managing information websites. These can be as small as a few pages, or large enough to contain tens of thousands of documents. We've proved ourselves able to handle a wide range of difficult topics, from economics to health to tourism to municipal finances to arts and entertainment. Our skilled staff can research, write, edit, categorise and present information in the most compelling, reader-friendly way. Other web development companies don't offer these services.

But what really sets us apart, is that we don't simply produce web sites and walk away from them. We provide long-term management and content updating. Information needs to remain fresh. An organisation whose information does not constantly change, is an organisation not doing anything.

Social media.
Communications, these days, is about dialogue, not monologue. Increasingly, there's a need for pro-active engagement with online communities. Reader feedback is the best form of market research. We employ social media specialists, who manage the interactions between the content and the readers, on the client website, on mobile phones, and on social media such as Facebook, You Tube and Twitter.

Site architecture and graphic design.
Getting the foundations right is essential. Structuring large sites with thousands of documents is a complex skill in which few web development agencies can claim experience.

Technical development.
The wrong technology can cripple a large website. Our technical teams can speedily customise large web site management systems, and offer a variety of interactive elements. Modules can be provided that allow clients to upload their own material or interact online.

Newsletter design and production.
A professional team of journalists write, edit, design and produce high-quality newsletters, either online or in print.

Online communications strategy.
Senior staff have more than 15 years experience online and can advise on what the internet can do and what it can't. We can advise on choosing the right online channels, user-friendly site architecture, building an audience, social media, the difference between 'pretty' and 'functional', and on using computers and mobile phones as communications mediums.

Newspaper consulting and design.
We don't only do online. We offer a range of cross-media talents. Former newspaper editor Irwin Manoim is the country' s most experienced newspaper design and editorial consultant. He produces prototypes for market research and redesigns existing publications. We also do magazines, posters and brochures.
See: Newspaper design and consulting

Media and communications workshops.
More organisations are realising that the first step towards reaching the media is to understand how the press and broadcast actually work. Journalists will pay attention when you get something wrong - but it's much harder to attract their attention when you're getting things right. We offer communications strategy workshops, and can customise half-day, one-day or two-day modules, led by media veterans, to suit client needs.