✦ The old saying “what a difference a day makes” is one we at Brilliant-Online take very seriously. It’s something we have been employing for the past 730 days to help make a difference to our readers and the local business community.
That’s right, we officially celebrate our second year anniversary next month and we would like to invite our business and community partners, columnists and any interested business owners/managers to join us on the 21st January for a fun, leisurely afternoon cruise on the Hastings River aboard the Port AdVenture Cruises Rhythmboat.
Coincidentally, we welcome the Year of the Rabbit that day so it will be an Oriental theme as part of the Lunar New Year Celebrations! Numbers are limited, so be quick and RSVP today.
Looking back
Looking back, what an incredible journey it has been so far. When we officially launched way back in January 2020, nobody had the slightest inkling what was on the horizon and, even if you had been afforded a sneak preview into the chaos that was set to ensure, we doubt anyone would have believed it!
Starting a business during COVID is even more challenging, we were forced to adapt and be smart
Starting a business at any time is a challenge but starting it just before the most devastating pandemic in recent living history elevated things to an altogether different level! However, in the expertly capable hands of Captain Veronica Lind and First Mate Chrissy Jones we were able to react and respond, to look inwards and call upon the very virtues that we believe we were founded on and have flourished under, namely resilience, innovation, teamwork, passion and belief.
As was the case with pretty much every business out there, we were forced to adapt and be smart. This meant working remotely and separately from afar, ensuring we were all reading from the same page and following the script to stay on track. Having said that, several of our team are based overseas, in Thailand, Spain and Indonesia, and we manage to function perfectly as a dispersed, remote workforce, so we kind of had a head start in that respect! However, it also meant being there for one another, offering support and advice when and wherever needed. It often meant calling upon a sense of humour and having fun to ensure we enjoy our job, something we encourage and which we feel helps us thrive individually and collectively as a team.
From the outset our primary focus has been the local community
Providing brilliant stories to help connect our readers and customers while providing a platform for them to flourish was, and remains, our objective. During the darkest days of COVID this was even more important in that we allowed businesses and individuals to maintain a level of connection, even helping businesses survive by reminding customers they were still there, keeping their brand front and centre and allowing them to still interact with their most valued asset: their customers.
Resilience was crucial during this time, in and out of business.
We all had to really dig deep during such uncertainty to keep our morale, and sometimes sanity, intact! As a business at the heart of the local community it was heart-warming and reassuring to see how people and businesses pulled together during times of adversity to help one another and offer hope and we like to think we played a part in that, however big or small.
We also like to think that, as we ploughed on through those dark days of lockdowns and the myriad of restrictions that came with it, we helped bring a little sunshine and positivity to our readers by the array of stories we continually produced. The world certainly was a pessimistic place for a significant period of time and having something to distract you, something positive and non-COVID-related, we hope, was invaluable. This was especially relevant for those who were separated from families for long periods of time, who truly felt the undermining feeling of loneliness as the world seemed to be crumbling around us – the combination of distance, disconnection and absence can be a truly dangerous one.
You cannot underestimate the true impact of a brilliant story and the power of technology delivering these stories.
This is something we are especially proud of as we have told many during the last 24 months (reaching 700 Brilliant stories by January 2023). Whether it was focused on local businesses such as Port AdVentures and its Rhythmboat, Reptile Solutions or TG’s Child Care, Samso’s investment tips (whom Noel refers to as the Red Seagull because people actually will look at the articles) or a community-based event such as the Lasiandra and Love Local Festivals, we are confident we entertained and maybe even educated!
Likewise, it may be a story from further afield such as the LGBTQ+ community’s ongoing struggle for equality in professional sports, travel tips when in Spain, a focus on men’s health or the tale of an Aussie Muay Thai fighter overcoming all the odds in Thailand - we personally invest a significant amount of time and effort researching, interviewing and compiling our stories specifically for your enjoyment.
"Personally, and I believe I speak on behalf of all my esteemed colleagues here, it has been an absolute pleasure to undertake this task every month and bring to you such a varied range of weird and wonderful tales!" - Ben Tirebuck, Editor, Brilliant-Online
Ad results are Brilliant!
Here are some examples of what our clients are achieving with interactive advertising.
Port AdVentures and its Rhythmboat's online advertorials rocketed 10 folds with a minimum of 94 booking clicks each month
John Clarke, Success Tax Professionals has 117 clicks to book appointments with him
TG's Child Care has 873 actual online enrolments
Yes, the results are real and trackable with our Brilliant interactive advertorials.
Our magazine has 204,278 impressions and our readership grew to over 35,000 readers during this two-year period, as did our customer base, and for that we would like to extend a very warm and sincere thank you as it makes all our hard work worthwhile to know we cater for such a wonderful collective of people.
It is also reassuring to learn that over 70% of our readers and subscribers are business executives as it reaffirms our objective of being positioned as a pillar within the community by providing an invaluable resource to local businesses and professionals. We like to believe the differential value add we provide is instrumental to this by offering multi-channel platform engagement which truly allows our readers to become part of the story. Likewise, it allows our customers to showcase their business and their stories in a unique and intimately engaging way.
So, two years down but it’s really just the start of things! We are excited by the future and know we are equipped to handle whatever life throws at us – after all, being born only a matter of months pre-COVID, then navigating our first two years during such trying circumstances, we feel that we are able to take on anything!
We very much look forward to having you onboard as part of this journey as WE grow together. Because ultimately that’s what it’s all about and what we are all about: community, partnership, togetherness. We genuinely love sharing stories and those of the businesses in our community and hope that you love reading them – here’s to the next two years and many more beyond!
Our readers love Brilliant!
CONTACT BRILLIANT-ONLINE
a/ P.O. Box 9339, Port Macquarie, NSW 2444
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✦ The purpose of Brilliant-Online is to push for a better world in the digital era.
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