SWiM Communications

In a world where digital marketing and your website are critical to running a business, it is essential to have someone in your corner who can help you stay at the forefront of technology.

Joe Manariti and his team at SWiM Communications can do just that.

“We're a digital agency, and our core business is building websites and e-commerce websites for all manner of businesses,” Joe explains.

“We also help with digital marketing, including social media and electronic direct mail. We'll even help our clients with offline activities and integrate them with the online results.”

Joe began his career in advertising and project management in the print space. In 1997 he made the decision to start his own digital agency, noticing a gap in the market to work with smaller businesses.

“When I was working for other employers, I was confined to just one or two verticals. I wanted to be able to offer customers and businesses a broader set of solutions for their business goals and needs,” says Joe. “By setting up an agency, I was able to have the flexibility to do that. And help people as I wanted to, across different types of marketing.”

After working in Armadale and East Melbourne, Joe chose to move his office to North Melbourne, given its proximity to the city, as well as being close to his home.

SWiM Communications’ building was built in 1940 for Trevor Boiler and Engineering Company.

“I think that they had some profitable contracts come out of World War II, and this building was built using those funds,” says Joe. “It housed administration and accounts for the metal works, and downstairs was the drafting room.”

Joe and his team began their North Melbourne tenure in 2016 and have grown to a team of eleven over the years.

When asked about how SWiM Communications are different to other digital agencies, Joe explains:

“We're problem solvers, with depth.”

“We've got a positive attitude towards helping clients because of the strength of our client relationships. And not only within the core expertise but also when the client needs us to learn something new to help them through a situation. Learning is a constant part of our culture.”

SWiM Communications works with local organisations as well as managing projects in South America, China, Europe, and Antarctica. Clients range from manufacturing industries to service industries to consumer products, and they’ve carved out a niche servicing member organisations that evolved from a relationship with Master Builders Association.

The focus in the coming years is to scale the business and to keep pushing the quality and delivering innovation for its clients.

“We want to keep pushing boundaries in design and doing innovative work, such as introducing biometrics. While that's still important, I think what drives me is growing the team and seeing the people you employ get better at what they do and to share those skills with our clients.”

Words by Joyce Watts & Photography by Anna Encio