Halo Media

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a communications specialist at Hillside Aluminium, which is a smelter based in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. We are part of the South 32 group.

What challenge were you trying to address with Halo Media?

We needed to enhance the profile of our organization within the local area, specifically within the province.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We already had a logo and branding in place, so all Halo Media had to do was enhance it to increase brand awareness. To help them with this, we provided brand guidelines for them to follow.

To help us achieve our goals, they assist us with both internal and external communications. Internally, they have helped us introduce more digital channels for communicating with our employees and contractors. They’ve also devised campaigns around the safety and health of our workers.

In terms of external communication, they have helped us roll out a COVID-19 corporate campaign by writing and designing content for billboard ads, street posters, and newspaper ads. Aside from print ads, they also circulate digital ads through WhatsApp messages and create animations for screens near the factory.

What is the team composition?

I think I have worked with the entire team, including the owners, designers, admin personnel, and receptionist. 

How did you come to work with Halo Media?

I worked with them in my previous job. Initially, I spoke to quite a few agencies that colleagues suggested to me, but I reached out to Halo Media anyways. During our first meeting, we just clicked. We decided to work with them for 3–6 months to test the waters, and we haven’t looked back since then. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Halo Media came on board in March 2019, and the partnership is still ongoing. For now, we don’t have an end date.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

After every campaign, we usually do short surveys with our internal teams, and around 80% of the feedback is positive. We like their work — once we give them a brief, Halo Media always comes back with something good, and they never disappoint. They are in a league of their own, and I don’t say that lightly.

How did Halo Media perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is impeccable. They are a team of brilliant individuals who have various strengths that just mesh so well — any client would be happy to work with them. They are so on the ball, and I can’t fault them for anything. Sometimes I’m the one who forgets things, but they’re always there to remind me. They are such authentic people, and working with them makes my job so much easier. In terms of communication, we usually connect through email, telephone calls, and Microsoft Teams.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their quick turnaround time is really impressive. The team can also spot any inconsistencies and correct them immediately, which shows that they really took the time to understand our brand guidelines from top to bottom. It’s such a treat to work with such a fantastic team of professional, friendly, and warm people — we have a happy relationship.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s tough for me to try and find fault with them. It sounds too good to be true, but Halo Media really does stand out amongst its competitors.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Once you have given them the project brief, give them creative freedom, and they will come back with something that will blow your mind. Anyone who chooses to work with Halo Media will never be disappointed with the work that they deliver.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of The Talent Hunter. I offer sourcing and training services. I train talent acquisition teams and recruiters on how to find the best talent globally.

I do a little bit of sourcing on the side myself. It’s a two-fold business; I do a bit of consulting and whatever is really needed.

What challenge were you trying to address with Halo Media?

My company had been running for about 18 months, but I realized that I needed a bit of a revamp. I’m running a small business, and during the times of a global pandemic, I realized that my value offerings had changed.

I wanted to redo the look and feel. I had some professional photographs taken, and I almost wanted to relaunch the business, and I wanted to highlight more in line with what I’m actually doing at the moment.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Halo Media suggested we do the website update. Along with the website, they updated my marketing materials, put certificates together for after the training, and refreshed and updated the look and feel.

I already had the site in place, but because my value offering had changed, we had to add in new content and update the blogs. It just basically needed a general update. They assessed my website and encouraged me to send them some content, which they proofed and help me with, and then uploaded onto the site.

What is the team composition?

I mainly worked with Louise (Brand Director). Other people were involved in the background, but Louise was my contact person. I did everything through her.

How did you come to work with Halo Media?

I had worked with them on the first iteration of my site about two years ago, and I had a pleasant experience with them, so it made sense to go with them again. There was no reason to change or look elsewhere, to be honest.

How much have you invested with them?

It was under $10,000 for the site refresh and marketing collateral.

What is the status of this engagement?

While we started talking about it in December 2020, I started working with them on it in January 2021, and we finished it quickly. It must’ve taken us three weeks to a month, and everything was pretty much done.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Feedback has been very positive regarding the website’s new look and feel. It’s also brought in new business for me. I have a lot more inquiries about the business, but what I like the most is that they allow me to update the site myself. I have the autonomy to go, upload, and make changes, so I don’t need to rely on them as much to update the content.

As a result of the good work they had put together, many of my clients have been in contact with them to do refreshes of their own brand websites. I think them working on my site has actually brought them quite a bit of business, which is wonderful.

How did Halo Media perform from a project management standpoint?

It was very good. I feel like I was in the loop the whole way. It was almost like they were pre-answering my questions. I think they have just done this for so long that they actually guided me because you don’t know what you don’t know.

Working with a company like Halo Media guided me in order to think about things I wouldn’t ordinarily have thought of.

We mostly communicated through email, and we did use a little bit of Skype and WhatsApp. There wasn’t anything like Slack or Trello. I think we just decided upfront that Skype would be quicker for both of us, and it would be the easiest way for us to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team knows what they’re doing, and I felt quite safe the whole way through the process. Some of the feedback from people who have viewed the website is that they really captured my personality, business, and what I do really well. I’m really appreciative of them doing something like that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not necessarily. If I compare the hassles that other people have with their website and how long it takes, mine has been smooth sailing. I can’t actually think of anything for them to improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’m quite tech-savvy myself, and I have an interest in learning how to add my own content to the site. I would encourage people to get them to build the frame of the website and then show you how to upload your content, so you aren’t sending them content all the time to upload it.

Take a bit of onus and responsibility on yourself too.