Candace Freeman Consulting
Marketing in Johannesburg

Communications is defined as.
consultant, that is my approach to both my business and yours and most.
been intriguing, relevant and above all, forthright.As an external communications.
that the most effective marketing and public relations campaigns have.
information or ideas.As an individual, I have found.
being the art and technique of using words effectively to impart.
importantly to the audience you are aiming to engage with.

With over a decade of experience in the online and mobile worlds, Creative Spark Interactive is an experienced South African company, providing digital and social media solutions for all businesses: big, small, international and local. We don’t just create and build web, mobile and social media products; we also offer strategic advice for the long-term as well. We pride ourselves on our strategic advice, and are well-placed to step into any project at any stage and offer real business problem-solving and project management. While corporate executives are willing to spend thousands of Rands on dedicated marketing and public relations budgets, the majority of small business owners still find it hard to justify the spend. At which point do you decide that you would like a bigger slice of the pie and take your brand to the next level? Well timing is everything and it’s not always an easy call. You want to be able to give your audience a positive brand experience, but ultimately there is no point in having a great idea, working endlessly to perfect your product only to have someone else with a fairly decent knockoff come along and steal your thunder. Where and how are they keeping their brands at the forefront of people’s minds? Realistically, the brand names that jump out at us are the ones we are constantly confronted with. It stands to reason that this could be exacerbated at the SME end of the business spectrum. SME owners can ill-afford the time and money it takes to recruit staff in the first place, whether recruiting in-house or using an agency. To widen the net they have to advertise and process the applications themselves, wading through literally hundreds of applications, weeding out the irrelevant ones and, like searching for a needle in a haystack, hoping to spot the great applicants amongst the dross. The service is particularly suited to SMEs, as it allows the business owner to control the recruiting process and find the right talent for their company quickly and cost-effectively, any time, day or night. Because companies can talk directly to candidates, the JobCrystal service bypasses the lengthy, costly and inefficient process typically experienced with recruitment agencies. Then, they can filter these candidates according criteria such as industry experience, BEE rating and suburb to ensure a better success rate at the interview stage. The service is closer to that of a headhunter, as it gives companies access to candidates that have not yet entered the job market, but have registered their interest in finding out about relevant opportunities. JobCrystal’s pricing however, is lower than that of a recruitment agency. Putting the finishing touches on a first class project proposal has required repeat pharmacy checks ins since having to deal with power drills, walls being knocked down and general renovation noise pollution from my usually sedate neighbor who is now, on my deadline, finally realizing his suburban dream. If your life is not a humdrum of conundrums then you are either wishing it was or you’re dead and ruing the fact that you didn’t figure things out when you still had the chance. Solving one part of the puzzle is only half the battle won (rejoice in this triumph for you will never master them all). Staying true to your path and going the distance is the real test. The trick is to pick yourself up off the floor, touch, pause and engage! Well okay maybe some of those lessons were actually reinforcements of what should be ingrained knowledge and plain common sense, but sometimes you need a hair raising moment or two to regain some perspective. Self-belief coupled with relevant knowledge and a killer strategy can only reap rewards.