Top Job Sites In Australia For Employers

Here’s a detailed list of some of the most popular job search websites in Australia, with their pros and cons weighed. We hope you find exactly who you’re looking for!

Seek

Seek is Australia’s leading job site, with over 14 million candidate profiles. It also operates in Australia and New Zealand, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, Brazil, and Mexico. If you’re hoping to attract many applicants, this is the place to be. It’s one of the most popular sites across a range of sectors, meaning you have a wide reach.

More candidates to wade through isn’t necessarily a good thing. It means you have to spend a lot more time finding the right one. To counteract this, Seek also provides an advanced job search engine and filter tools. You can use them to sort candidates based on specific criteria, making it easier to find the perfect fit for your business in less time. Here are some more of Seek’s best features: 

• Detailed job posts: You can include essential qualifications, experience requirements, and company information in your job advertisements.
• Candidate Management: You can use Seek’s tools to sort through candidates and schedule interviews directly through the platform.
• Company Profiles: Showcase your company culture, benefits, and job openings one one centralised profile.
• Market Insights: Data and analytics that covers market trends, salary benchmarks, and competitor analysis. This can help you ensure you have competitive offers, or at least in line with the Australian job market.

We’ve used Seek many times in the past, and it’s one of the best places to post job ads. The downside is that posting a job listing on Seek is one of the more expensive options, and there is no option for free job postings.

It’s hard to get a clear idea of the price for one job listing upfront. They don’t give you a cost estimation until you post the ad. Pricing varies from industry to industry and fluctuates depending on demand. You can save money by paying upfront for many job ads at once. As of April 2024, posting 2–3 job ads over 12 months costs $1,150.

Indeed

Indeed is a US-based job board with over 350 million monthly visitors from across the globe. Unlike Seek, indeed offers both free and paid listing options. This flexibility, along with its powerful search tools, makes it a great option. It’s easy for both employers and job seekers to navigate.

Here are some of the features that make Indeed so popular:

• Free Job Postings: You can post jobs for free. This is particularly beneficial for small businesses or those with frequent hiring needs.
• Sponsored Jobs: You can opt to sponsor posts if you need an extra visibility boost. This ensures your listings appear near the top of search results.
• Resume Search: Access to a vast database of resumes means you can proactively search for candidates who meet specific job requirements.
• Screening Questions: You can add customised screening questions to job postings to weed out unsuitable candidates.

Indeed’s huge reach and easy application process does have a downside. You might find yourself with lots of unsuitable candidates. This is why it’s important to use their custom screen question feature.

It’s also important to note free job listings run this risk of getting lost under sponsored posts. According to Indeed, employers are 4.5 times more likely to make a hire if they sponsor their job listings. 

Paying for sponsored posts also allows you to unlock the ‘Matched Candidates’ feature. This automatically creates a list of candidates whose resumes on Indeed fit your job description. You can then invite as many of these candidates as you’d like to apply. Sponsorship runs on a CPA (Cost Per Applicant) pricing model, and you set a daily budget. 

LinkedIn

We all know LinkedIn is a great professional networking platform. It also doubles as a recruitment tool, thanks to its comprehensive job board feature. It goes without saying LinkedIn’s focus is on professionalism. As a result, it tends to draw in more serious candidates for white-collar jobs and senior positions.

Another advantage of LinkedIn is that it’s easier to find passive candidates. These are people who may not be actively job hunting but might jump on the right opportunity. This can expand the pool of candidates and increase your chances of finding the right fit.

LinkedIn also allows you to see more detailed candidate info than other job sites. You can see their full list of skills, peer recommendations, and social posts. Deeper insight into your candidate like that means better hiring decisions.

Here are some of LinkedIns best features for employers on the lookout:

Features:

• Targeted Job Ads: You can use LinkedIn’s advanced targeting tools to post jobs to specific groups, like people in your industry with the right level of experience.
• InMail: This premium feature lets employers send personalised messages directly to potential candidates, including those not actively hoping to find a job. This helps you tap into the passive job seeker market.
• Company Pages: You can use your business profile to showcase your company culture, values, and employee testimonials. This will help candidates better understand your business and whether they’re a good cultural fit. Your company page might make them realise you’re offering their dream job!
• Applicant Tracking System (ATS) Integration: An ATS is a hiring software tool that helps employers manage candidate data. If you use an ATS, LinkedIn makes it easy to integrate. This helps you keep track of candidate data and track the recruitment process efficiently.
• Recruiter Profiles: As a recruiter, you can create a detailed profile. This makes you more visible and more credible to potential candidates.
• Analytics: LinkedIn provides detailed analytics on job post performance. This includes the number of views and applications for each post. It also includes the demographics of the applicants. This helps you tweak and further refine your job posts over time.

You can post jobs on LinkedIn for free, but you’ll have limited reach and fewer features. For starters, free job posts are only active for 21 days and have a cap on the number of applicants. Before that, the post drops down in search results every day that it’s up.

In contrast, paid ads always appear at the top of search results and can stay up as long as you want. You also gain access to the InMail tool we mentioned above and instant mobile job alerts to qualified candidates. Paid ads on LinkedIn run on a cost-per-click model, meaning you can set the budget to suit your needs.

CareerOne

CareerOne is a joint venture of NewsCorp Australia and Monster Jobs, a global job board. Its focus on AI features and career resources has made it one of the most popular job sites in Australia.

There’s one thing that makes it stand out on this list: The ability to post interactive multimedia job ads. You can post virtual office tours, pictures of your teams, and video job descriptions. This is great for getting candidates’ attention. It also gives them a better sense of your workplace. It’s great if you work in a creative field and want to show prospective candidates a bit of your style.

Here are some more of CareerOne’s best features:

• Match Score: CareerOne uses AI to assess how well a candidate suits your job listing. It provides a ‘Match Score’ out of 100 to reflect this. You can sort candidates by match score, from highest to lowest. This means less sifting through unsuitable candidates.
• Career Resources: CareerOne has a wealth of articles and tools to help job seekers improve their employment prospects. This also benefits employers by attracting more informed and prepared candidates.
• Customisable Search Filters: You can tailor your search for candidates using filters like location, industry, people looking for work from home jobs, and expected salary. This makes it easier to find the best matches for job openings.

The biggest downside to CareerOne is its limited reach, with a much smaller user base than global sites like LinkedIn or Indeed. Fewer applicants can limit your chances of finding just the right fit. On the flip side, it can also make your job listing stand out more among less competition.

CareerOne allows you to post either free or paid ads. The paid ads are a bit more affordable than other job platforms, starting at $185 for a 30-day ad. You can also try it free for a 14-day trial period.

Adzuna

Adzuna is a job search engine that compiles listings from multiple job sites in Australia to help job seekers find work. This gives a full view of the job market for job seekers and employers in Australia. Pulling many listings into one place has earned Adzuna quite the following. They get 155 million site visits each year and 1 billion job postings. Although Adzuna is more geared toward job seekers than employers, it’s still a great place to post if you want to cover all your bases. 

Features include:

• Smart Search Options: You can filter candidates based on specific criteria, like experience, location, and expected salary.
• Salary Stats: You can see current salaries from other companies in your sector and whether they offer flexible job opportunities. This allows you to gain a better understanding of industry standards and set competitive salaries that attract the right talent.
• Adzuna Connect: This feature allows employers to connect directly with potential candidates, making the recruitment process more direct and personal.
• ACM Coverage: Adzuna distributes all job ads to the regional Australian Community Media (ACM) job boards.

To maintain uniformity on the site, Adzuna standardises all listings. This means it offers a lot less customisation than other job search sites. There’s also no candidate management dashboard available. Lastly, there’s no free way to post jobs online with Adzuna – instead, it’s $199 per post.

ArtsHub

ArtsHub is a large membership organisation catering to creative professionals. One of their membership offerings is their industry job board. The ArtsHub job board gets 130,000 unique page views each month and 36,000 subscribers to its job newsletter. While not as large a viewer base as a more general job board, that’s nothing to sniff at. It’s the perfect place to help you find the right candidate if you want someone with plenty of experience in the creative industry.

Here are some of the best features of ArtsHub’s job portal:

• Industry-Specific Listings: ArtsHub connects job seekers with employers in the performing and visual arts, writing, publishing, film and music industries. This is a pretty wide scope for an industry job board, increasing the visibility of your job listing. 
• Networking Opportunities: The platform hosts industry events and news, providing a space for employers to connect with potential candidates and industry peers.
• Resource Centre: ArtsHub provides articles, career advice, and sector reports that help employers stay informed about industry trends and best practices.
• Targeted Audience: By catering to the arts community, your job posting can reach a relevant audience, ensuring better alignment with job seekers’ interests and qualifications.

You can’t post a job listing on ArtsHub for free. Instead, they have a tiered pricing system: Standard, Premium, and Featured. If you’re not already a member, only the Featured tier is available, which costs $825. Your ad remains active for 30 days, appears in two job newsletters, and shows on the homepage.

Conclusion

Choosing the right job site is essential to find the right candidate without too much hassle. Each platform we’ve discussed has different features that cater to different hiring needs. You have to decide what matters most to you. Is it reaching lots of candidates? Or only those with specialised skills? Do you need a cost-effective solution above all else? Knowing the features and drawbacks of each job site will help you make an informed decision.

For hard-to-fill roles, post your job on multiple job sites. This will maximise your reach and increase your chances of finding the right candidate. Remember, the goal is not just to fill a vacancy. It’s to find someone who will help your team and business thrive. If you can, take your time making a decision and trying different job boards!

However, deciding what kind of headshot you want, booking a photographer and knowing what to expect from your photo session can be a bit daunting, especially if you’ve never been in front of the camera before. In this article, we’ll give you the low-down on headshot photography services in Canberra. 

Why Choose Professional Headshot Photography?

Professional headshot photographers in Canberra do more than just take a photo – they capture your personal brand in a way that viewers can instantly understand. A polished headshot gives an impression of attention to detail and professionalism, setting a positive tone before you even meet someone. 

As your headshot is often the first impression people have of you and your brand, it’s crucial you take the time to decide on a headshot style and location and find a photographer who ticks all the boxes for you. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a professional in a corporate setting, or a creative individual, your headshots need to reflect your values, vision, and message. 

Choosing Your Headshot Style

Your headshot options go beyond just a shoulders-up picture against a white wall.  It’s important to be open to exploring creative or different solutions – making your headshot more memorable than the stock-standard ones you commonly see being used. Your options vary from the classic black-and-white headshot to a classic portrait style or duotone studio shots. The choice depends on what kind of industry you’re in and how you want to represent yourself online. 

We have a guide to some different headshot styles you might want to try to give you a headstart. 

Choosing The Right Photographer For Your Headshot

Once you’ve decided on a headshot style, you need a photographer with the right expertise to execute it. This is the most important step of all! No two photographers are the same – aside from having different styles, they might also have very different pricing and ways of working with their clients.  Here are the steps to take and what to look for:

1. Researching And Comparing Photographers’ Portfolios

Begin your search by exploring the portfolios of different headshot photographers in Canberra. Look for the style, quality, and variety of their work, and assess whether their aesthetic aligns with the image you wish to portray.

2. Reading Client Testimonials And Reviews

Client testimonials and reviews can provide valuable insights into the photographer’s professionalism, work ethic, and ability to deliver on their promises. Pay attention to the experiences of past clients to gauge the photographer’s reputation and reliability.

3. Experience And Portfolio

Look for a Canberra based photographer who specialises in business headshots or professional portraits in the style you want. A deep experience in headshot photography services will be a great advantage – they’ll be better equipped to coach you through your portrait session. Make sure you take the time to go through their gallery of images and assess whether their style of imagery matches what you’re looking for.

4. Comfort And Rapport

Make sure you read any client reviews or testimonials before you make a decision. One of the most important things to look for is a Canberra photographer that’s easy to work with, and that makes clients feel comfortable and relaxed. Being able to develop a good rapport with your photographer will result in a more enjoyable experience and can make a big difference to your expression and how relaxed and approachable you look in your headshots.

5. Good Communication Skills

‘Easy to communicate and collaborate with’ is also one of the biggest green flags to look for when you’re going through reviews! It’s important that your photographer is responsive and a good listener –  they need to develop a clear understanding of what you expect from your headshot shoot in terms of style, location, and editing. This will make the whole process as fuss-free as possible and give a better guarantee you get the results you’re looking for. 

6. Communicating Directly With The Photographer To Discuss Your Needs

Once you’ve shortlisted potential photographers, reach out to them to discuss your specific requirements. Communication is key to a successful collaboration, so ensure that the photographer understands your vision and makes you feel comfortable and confident in their ability.

The Importance of Location and Setting

Studio vs. Outdoor Shoots

Your options are almost limitless in terms of locations for headshots in Canberra, from dedicated headshot studio setups to natural outdoor backgrounds or iconic Canberra backdrops like the brutalist architecture of the National Gallery. Consider what backdrop best suits your image and the message you want to convey.

One benefit of choosing a photo studio rather than an outdoor location is that it allows for a more highly controlled, seamless photoshoot – the lighting can be perfectly tailored, and you don’t have to worry about background distractions or unpredictable Canberra weather. 

Whether you choose a studio or a more natural setting, make sure you consider how accessible and convenient the location is for you and the photographer, including parking and ease of getting to the venue.

The Corporate Headshot Session: What To Expect

A professional headshot photography session typically involves a few key stages, including consultation and planning, the session itself, as well as the review and selection of images.

Consultation and planning the session: Prior to the shoot, you’ll have the opportunity to discuss your requirements and preferences with the photographer. This may include the style of headshots, the background and lighting, and any professional retouching or editing requests for the final images. The more you plan and collaborate with your photographer, the more likely you are to nail your shoot!

The photography process and poses: During the session, the photographer will guide you through various poses and expressions to capture a range of images. They will direct and communicate with you to ensure that the shots reflect your personality and convey the professional image you seek to portray. Make sure to be punctual to get the most out of your shoot!

Reviewing and choosing your images: After the session, you’ll have the opportunity to review the images captured. The photographer might give a selection of proofs for you to curate, and you can discuss any additional editing or retouching requirements before the final images are delivered.

Depending on how many final images you choose and how much editing the images need, the turnaround could be anywhere from a day or two to a week – make sure you clarify your expectations with your photographer in advance and let them know if you have a time crunch.

Headshot Photography In Canberra: Pricing

Pricing for headshot photography in Canberra can vary based on the photographer’s experience, the length of your session, and any additional services, like studio hiring or having your pictures professionally retouched. It’s important to understand what’s included in the pricing, like the number of retouched images you’ll receive and what your usage rights are.

While pricing is an important consideration, remember that an exceptional headshot from a talented photographer is an investment in yourself and your personal image. Choosing a photographer whose style aligns with your brand and who can deliver quality results that reflect your standards will result in a better headshot and a higher return on your investment.

Branding Photography And Headshot Photography In Canberra

Futuretheory is a Canberra digital marketing agency specialising in websites, design, marketing and branding.  Whether you’re looking for an individual headshot or a branding session and corporate headshots for your whole team, we have the expertise and experience to help you present better online. We’ve been honing our craft since 2008 and have worked with clients across Australia. 

We’re happy to come to your office and capture you in your element, or you can choose to make use of our 126-square-metre studio in Canberra. Having such a large, fully equipped studio on hand means your options are limitless, and you can be as creative as you want when it comes to your business headshot, ensuring you stand out even more. Get in touch with us today if we sound like the right option for you. We’d be happy to provide an obligation-free quote and discuss your options with you.

We’ve got some helpful tips that will help you prepare your business for the festive season and drive more conversions. We hope these tips take some of the pressure off, whether you’re a small business owner and this is your first holiday season or you’re a veteran of the holiday shopping frenzy.  Ensuring you follow these tips and give yourself plenty of time to prepare will help you avoid common mistakes many businesses make during the holiday season.

5 Tips For Holiday Marketing

The festive season is an important time for business – it’s the perfect time to reach new customers and increase your cash flow. However, it’s important to take the time to create a holiday marketing strategy and start preparing early so you don’t get lost in the crowd. Here are some tips to help your business get ready for the holiday season through marketing to have a successful holiday season:

1. Run Digital Marketing Campaigns

Investing in digital marketing this holiday shopping season will help your products or services reach a wider audience. Consider running social media campaigns, email marketing, and online ads. This will give you the extra boost you need not to stand out. You should highlight any seasonal deals your business is running and make sure your advertising is holiday-themed for better customer engagement. 

However, make sure you don’t wait too late to start marketing!  Many people start shopping for the festive period as early as November – getting your campaigns out in advance will help you make the most of the early crowd. 

2. Plan Your Holiday Promotions

You should give yourself plenty of time to plan and prepare your holiday sales and special offers well in advance. You should consider offering holiday promotions such as:

• exclusive discounts
• bundle deals
• buy-one-get-one-free offers.

These promotions help increase sales and attract customers. Planning these promotions early will give you plenty of time to communicate them through your marketing channels to build customer anticipation!

3. Create Gift Guides And Recommendations 

You can take some of the stress out of festive shopping for your customers by curating gift guides on your website and categorising your products according to common gift preferences, for example: ‘Gifts For Him’. This will help your customers make purchasing decisions, and it’s also a great way to promote the specific products you want to sell the most.

4. Offer Limited Edition Holiday Products

Introducing limited edition holiday-themed products is a great way to build excitement and generate a sense of urgency to buy your products. Limited edition products can create a sense of scarcity, encouraging customers to make purchases sooner rather than later. 

5. Create A Festive Atmosphere In Your Store

Decorating your business for the holiday season is a great way to generate increased foot traffic and let customers know you’re offering seasonal deals. To further add to the festive flair, consider offering gift boxes and gift wrapping. Don’t forget to show off that holiday spirit!

7 Ways To Prepare Your Business This Holiday Season 

If you’ve marketed your business effectively, you can expect a big uptick in both web and foot traffic. It’s important to start planning and preparing your business early to ensure you have the infrastructure to handle the increase in traffic and sales. A little preparation goes a long way during the busy time of year! Here are some essential tips for preparing your small business this year:

1. Make Sure To Adjust Your Business Hours

If you plan on closing your business between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day or just for the public holidays, make sure to inform your customers of your seasonal hours. This will mitigate any confusion or possible frustration from your customers. You should post your changed hours on your website banners, Google My Business Page, and over email campaigns. 

2. Ensure You Have Enough Stock

Inventory management and inventory tracking are important before any big sale, and the holiday period is the biggest of them all. Inventory management ensures that you:

• Have sufficient stock to meet the increased demand 
• Prevent disappointment for customers eager to snag the best deals 
• Can make as many sales as possible. 

In the lead-up to the holidays, it’s a good idea to look at your sales and monitor the popularity of products. This will give you a better idea of what will sell out quickly and what you need to stock up on so you can order early!

3. Hire Seasonal Employees Early

You’ll most likely need to hire seasonal employees to be able to handle the extra demand. However, hiring extra help as early as possible is important so you have plenty of time to train them. Seasonal employees can make the festive period much easier, but only if they’ve already had time to learn about your product and store policies! This extra training time will allow them to provide a better customer service experience.

4. Get The Roster Out A Soon As Possible 

Don’t forget to plan and communicate your holiday roster as soon as possible – this will help you pick up on any gaps early. The festive season is a busy time for everyone, not just businesses – getting the roster out early will also help your staff plan their schedules and ensure everyone is on the same page.  Having the roster set in stone well in advance will also help prevent any last-minute staff call-outs.

5. Ensure A Smooth Checkout Process

A smooth and hassle-free checkout process will make everything go a lot smoother, especially if you’re an online business. Consider streamlining the process as much as possible before the silly season. Some ways to do this are:

• Setting up a one-page checkout process
• Optimising the page for mobile as much as possible 
• Setting up Apple Pay, Google Pay and other quick payment methods

This will reduce friction during checkout and increase your chance of conversions. 

6. Optimise Your Website For Increased Traffic

If you’ve done your marketing right, you’re bound to see a surge in website traffic during the festive period. Ensuring your website can handle the extra traffic will prevent slow load times and provide a better customer experience. You should test your website’s speed before your business’s most busy period so you can troubleshoot any issues ahead of time!

7. Take Time To Reflect On Post-Holiday Sales

When everything is all said and done and you’ve settled in nicely to the new year, it’s important to take the opportunity to analyse what worked well for your business in terms of marketing and customer experience and what you could have done differently. This reflection will help you better prepare for next year’s busy season and help you become a better business. This step is especially important if it’s your first year in business! The team at Futuretheory wishes you luck.

In this article, we’ll explore key areas where delegation can significantly benefit your business the most.

Accounting 

Carefully handling financial matters is essential for any business, but it doesn’t mean you have to be the one crunching the numbers. Delegating accounting tasks like bookkeeping or tax preparation to a professional not only ensures accuracy but also frees up your time to concentrate on your business. 

A professional account also saves you from having to bear the brunt of worrying about tax compliance yourself. Additionally, you won’t have to worry about integration and fees for accounting software like Xero or MYOB yourself.

Marketing

Effective marketing is important for any business, established or new to the market, to consistently generate new leads and build brand awareness. However, an effective marketing strategy takes time to plan and implement, as well as multifaceted experience in content creation, SEO, copywriting, and more.  If you’d like to learn more about the ins and outs of marketing strategies, we’ve got an insightful article on how to create your own marketing strategy.

Delegating these tasks to a digital marketing agency can help grow your online presence without you having to spend 100s of hours on it yourself. Professional marketing experts are also better equipped, both in terms of tools and expertise, to navigate the ever-changing algorithms on social media and search engines.

Web & Graphic Design

Your website and logo design are often among the first impressions potential customers get of your business. These first impressions are vital to create a positive brand image. 

While it can be tempting as a business owner to handle something so important yourself, web and graphic design are often a lot harder than they look to an untrained eye. Delegating your design work to someone with plenty of experience helps ensure you have a user-friendly website that matches your branding and a logo that stands out.

Website Maintenance 

A well-designed website is a powerful asset for your business, but its effectiveness relies on consistent maintenance. We recommend running maintenance on your website at least monthly to keep it fast, secure, and functioning as it should.

Website maintenance includes tasks like updating plugins, fixing bugs, and checking for broken links. Not running frequent maintenance can negatively affect your search engine ranking and even cause your website to go down.

These tasks, essential as they are, can be tedious. Website maintenance requires a high level of expertise and large amounts of your time, both things that are hard to come by as a business owner when you’ve got other aspects of your business to focus on.

You’re better off delegating web maintenance tasks to another member of your team or subscribing to a monthly website maintenance plan from a qualified web development team. This will save you time and keep your website running smoothly.

Data Entry & Filing 

Data entry includes tasks like updating customer information, logging sales, scanning documents, and a lot more. While these tasks are important and need attention to detail, they’re also incredibly time-consuming and repetitive.

Data entry doesn’t require a high level of skill – this means almost anyone in your office can do their share of data entry, and there’s no need for you to do so when you could instead be focusing on decision-making.

If you have a small team and no one else in your business has the time to do data entry, consider outsourcing it to a data-entry service that can take care of all the nitty-gritty details. 

Packing & Sending

If your business involves shipping products, the logistics of picking, packing, sending and rerouting orders can be overwhelming. Although making sure all your products are packed and sent with care is an important part of the sales and customer experience journey, it can very quickly take up a lot of your time.

Your time is better spent on expanding your product line or improving customer service. Consider training or hiring a staff member to do it instead. Alternatively, you can outsource inventory management and order fulfilment to a reliable Third-Party Logistics (TPL) partner such as ShipBob, Shipmonk or even Amazon. 

By outsourcing this task, you can rest assured that your orders will be handled professionally, and it will also reduce the likelihood of shipping errors and delays if you’re already stretched too thin to focus entirely on packing and sending products yourself.

Cleaning

While cleaning seems like a task of lesser importance for your business when compared to other things like accounting, maintaining a clean and organised workspace is important so you and your team can maintain focus and stay productive. It’s also important to boost staff morale and leave a positive impression on any clients or customers that come to visit your office. 

However, if it isn’t delegated to anyone in particular, it can very quickly fall completely on your shoulders or not get done at all. As soon as you have an office space, you should consider hiring a regular cleaner to ensure your professional space is always presentable. 

For the smaller tasks like unpacking the dishwasher, wiping down eating spaces and keeping the office kitchen tidy, consider creating a chore chart for your team to make sure everyone carries the load, not just you. Chore charts are also a great team-building tool – they foster a sense of community and give your team more responsibility for the physical space they share with their colleagues.

Office Administration 

Office administration comprises a million different tasks that, although small, help to keep your office and business running efficiently and effectively without any hiccups. These tasks can include anything from ordering more printer paper and office supplies to troubleshooting broken equipment to liaising with your office’s landlord. 

If you have to focus on growing your business, increasing revenue, and project management, office administration tasks might quickly fall through the cracks if you try to do them yourself. Hiring an office assistant or manager can keep your office running smoothly and save you a lot of stress. 

Teamwork Divides The Task And Multiplies Success

It sounds like a cliche, but it couldn’t be more true when it comes to running a business. As a business owner, it can sometimes be hard to let go of the reins and trust that things will still go smoothly, but trying to do everything yourself is a surefire way to burn out and lose sight of the bigger picture you should be focusing on.

By outsourcing time-consuming and repetitive tasks, you can focus on what truly matters—innovating, strategising, and growing your business. Evaluate your business needs, identify tasks that can be delegated, and watch as your efficiency and productivity increases tenfold.

By keeping an eye on the local news, businesses can gain valuable insights into market trends, consumer behaviour, and competitors, which can help them make informed business decisions. Being aware of local events and issues can also help businesses engage with the community more effectively, which, in turn, can help build a positive image, foster trust among local customers, and improve their overall brand reputation. 

Keeping up with the local news can also help businesses to better understand the needs and preferences of their local audience, allowing them to create more relevant content for their target audience and improve their content strategy. Here are some of the best ways to stay up to date with what’s going on around Canberra:

1. The Canberra Times

The Canberra Times is one of the most prominent newspapers in Canberra, established in 1926. They cover everything a traditional newspaper does, from international headlines to local news.  They’re a highly reliable source for breaking news in Canberra, and they cover a wide range of topics, including politics, business, sports, entertainment, and lifestyle. 

The Canberra Times is available both in print and digitally. Their digital articles are the best source for real-time and breaking news. However, access to these articles is restricted behind a paywall, and you need to subscribe to read them. Subscription starts at $4.95 per week.

2. ABC News Canberra

ABC is Australia’s national broadcaster and has dedicated news services for different regions. ABC News Canberra‘s primary focus is to deliver news that is relevant to Canberra, but it also covers the broader ACT region, including Queanbeyan, Yass, and Bungendore. 

ABC Canberra has a strong online presence, and you can also find them on TV and radio. Overall, ABC News Canberra is a valuable source of information for staying up-to-date with local developments and understanding the political landscape.

3. The RiotACT

The RiotACT is a locally owned and operated news and opinion website focusing on Canberra and surrounding regions’ news and events. The RiotACT was founded in 2000 and since then has become hugely popular thanks to its focus on independence and reader input. 

The RiotACT website has a thriving Canberra business news section, where they feature stories about entrepreneurial Canberra figures as well as news about the local economy and business openings and closures.

4. HerCanberra

HerCanberra is an online magazine that caters to women residing in Canberra. The magazine focuses on lifestyle, culture, health, and local events. In recent years, HerCanberra’s ‘Food & Drink’ section has become increasingly popular among readers. It features regular restaurant reviews and announcements of newly opened hospitality businesses in the area.

Besides food and drink, HerCanberra is also a reliable resource for information on upcoming events in Canberra. The magazine publishes a comprehensive weekly list of events happening in the city over the weekend. HerCanberra also regularly highlights local businesses in Canberra.

5. OutInCanberra

OutInCanberra is an online platform and lifestyle guide that focuses on events, entertainment, dining, and nightlife. One of the most popular features on the OutInCanberra site is its comprehensive event listings, including details about upcoming concerts, festivals, cultural events, and more.

Keeping an eye on the OutInCanberra website can provide insights into popular events, trends, and opportunities for digital marketing campaigns targeting those interested in Canberra’s social scene.

6. Canberra Weekly

Canberra Weekly is a free print magazine that’s distributed across the city on a weekly basis. You’ll often find copies of it available outside supermarkets, at local shops and community hubs. It covers a wide range of topics, including local news, events, lifestyle, entertainment, and community. 

It aims to provide a comprehensive overview of what’s happening in and around Canberra and often features grass-roots stories and profiles of Canberra residents, businesses, and events.

7. The Canberra Post

The Canberra Post is an independent local website providing ‘views and reviews’ from the Canberra Region. It offers local content, covering news and lifestyle stories from around the capital, as well as national and international issues of interest to Canberra readers.

The Canberra Post is a great place to find interesting facts about Canberra, food reviews, and suburb-specific information about local businesses.

Forums, Facebook Groups & Notice boards

While established news websites are great for finding reliable information about Canberra, the value of informal groups and forums online can’t be underestimated, especially for small businesses. They’re a great place to interact with the community directly, network with other businesses and gain local insight. 

However, make sure to check each individual group’s rules around self-promotion before you plug your business! Some groups are monetised, and you need to pay a fee before advertising.

1. Canberra Notice Board

The Canberra Noticeboard on Facebook is huge, with 148,000 members – that’s over a third of Canberra’s population. The purpose of the Canberra Notice Board Group is mainly to share information, news, and events and pose questions to the community.

Members often turn to the group for recommendations – an example of a typical post would be ‘Best place to have brunch in Canberra?’ This, combined with the large number of group members, makes it a powerful place for word-of-mouth marketing.

2. R/Canberra

Reddit is a hugely popular forum site, and Canberra has its own subreddit! It allows users to post links to local news, start a discussion, ask questions, share Canberra memes and vent about any local issues they have. It’s a great place to join in on community engagement and gauge public opinion on Canberra-related topics.

3. Local Area Community Groups

Almost every region or suburb in Canberra has at least one dedicated Facebook group. They’re a great way to tap into the community closest to your business, engage with potential customers, post updates, and promote local events.

4. Special Interest Groups

Special interest groups, like ‘Canberra Knitters and Crocheters’, for example, are a great way for Canberra businesses to reach niche target audiences locally. There’s a Canberra-centric group for almost any interest or hobby you can think of, some with thousands of members.

Finding the Facebook groups most related to your niche can help generate a loyal customer base.

5. Canberra Hospo Network

Canberra Hospo Network is a Facebook group with 17 thousand members. If you’re in the hospitality industry, joining is a must – it’s a great place to find relevant news about the Canberra hospitality industry, post job ads, and ask for advice.

6. Things On In Canberra

Things On In Canberra allows users to promote and discover local events around Canberra, like small business markets, live music, and community get-togethers. If you’re hosting an event or running a promotion for your business, it’s an ideal opportunity to reach a wide range of people and drum up excitement – the group has almost 40,000 members!.

Trying To Reach More People In Canberra?

At Futuretheory, we’re passionate about helping other small Canberra businesses grow forward online through marketing, websites, and design. We offer knowledge of the local market and friendly, personal support. We understand what it means to be a Canberra business and all the unique challenges it carries.

As a Canberra-born digital marketing agency, we’ve been helping Canberra businesses reach more people since 2008. We have a lot of trust and belief in Canberra and the potential it provides for growth and prosperity. Helping businesses realise this potential is why we do what we do.

Contact us to discuss how we can help you – whether it’s through our digital marketing services, creating a website for your business, or consulting and training.

The key to success is ensuring your business stands out amidst all the chaos and can handle the surge in traffic and demands. In this article, we will explore some essential steps to help you get your business ready for Black Friday.

Marketing and Promotion

Ensuring your business gets the traffic it deserves for Black Friday is the first step to maximising your outcomes. With so much fierce competition between businesses on the day, developing a strong marketing strategy ahead of time to generate hype is essential. Here are five good places to start:

1. Local SEO Optimisation

Local SEO optimisation will help you improve your online visibility in local search results, making it easier for potential customers in your area to find your business, especially in the lead-up to events like Black Friday. 

Some of the easiest ways to improve your local SEO are to:

1. Ensure your Google My Business page is up-to-date and accurate
2. Make sure your website content includes localised keywords (like Web Design Canberra)
3. Create content that speaks specifically to your local audience

2. Early Bird Discounts

By offering early bird discounts to incentivise early shoppers, you can help spread out the amount of traffic in-store or online on Black Friday itself and increase your sales over a longer period of time. An example of this might be offering free postage or a bundle deal for your customers the day before Black Friday.

3. Pre-Black Friday Teasers

If you wait to implement your Black Friday marketing strategy just before the big event, you risk losing out on traffic (especially in competitive niches).

Some channels you can utilise to build interest early are:

• Social media
• Email marketing
• Paid advertising (like Google Ads)

Some ideas on what you can post as teasers on these channels:

• Sneak peeks of upcoming offers
• Hints (like a blurred photo) of what’s to come

4. Customer Loyalty Program

Customer loyalty rewards are a highly effective way to increase customer retention and repeat business year-round, and targeting these rewards during Black Friday is a great way to ensure your most loyal customers feel appreciated and allows you to potentially tap into word of mouth from these loyal customers.

You can do this through segmented emails to your customers who make purchases the most frequently or use an existing membership basis. Some ways you can reward customer loyalty are:

• Early access to the sales
• Free shipping
• Increased discounts.

If you want to up your marketing game even further ahead of the big day, check out our list of 25 Black Friday Marketing Ideas.

Prep For Increased Traffic

If you run adequate promotion in the lead-up to the event, an uptick in foot traffic, website traffic and sales is almost guaranteed. Ensuring you have the infrastructure in place to handle the extra load is vital to providing a good customer experience and increasing your revenue on the day as much as possible. 

Here are some of the most important things to consider when preparing for the big day:

1. Inventory Management

Effective inventory management is vital before any big sale. It ensures that you:

• Have sufficient stock to meet the increased demand 
• Preventing disappointment for customers eager to snag the best deals 
• Ensuring you can make as many sales as possible. 

In preparation for Black Friday, it’s important to keep a close eye on your stock levels and monitor the popularity of your products. This will help you identify which items will likely sell out quickly and need additional stock ordered in advance. You should also consider ordering extra stock for any items that you plan to offer at a particularly good value for money.

2. Make Sure Your Website Can Handle the Load

Black Friday sales might result in a surge in traffic to your website, likes of which you’ve never seen before. Remember to ensure your website can handle the extra load before Black Friday – slow, unresponsive websites are a surefire way to deter customers and lead to missed opportunities! Even worse, your website could crash entirely due to server overload, and all your marketing efforts would have gone to waste.

By conducting load and performance testing of your website before the spike in traffic, you can take preventive measures ahead of time. If you find your website doesn’t perform well during testing, consider switching web hosts or upgrading your current plan!

If you find your website often goes down, check out our article on the most common reasons why.

3. Ensure A Smooth Checkout Process

A smooth and hassle-free checkout process is the cornerstone of a successful Black Friday. Consider streamlining the process as much as possible before the day. Some ways to do this are:

• Setting up a one-page checkout process
• Optimising the checkout page for mobile as much as possible 
• Setting up Apple Pay and other quick payment methods

This will reduce any friction during the checkout process and increase your chance of conversions. 

Black Friday aside, these changes are a good idea in general. Making the shopping process as effortless as possible will leave a positive impression on customers and increase their chances of coming back.

4. Roster Extra Staff

Accurately predicting staffing needs is a foolproof way to ensure your customer service is up to scratch, even with the increase in business. Rostering extra staff can help handle the surge in:

• Customer Inquiries
• Order processing
• Customers needing in-store assistance

Making sure your team can handle the load means you can maintain efficiency. Creating a smooth shopping experience means happy customers!

It might also be worthwhile considering extra training before Black Friday – well-trained staff will play a crucial role in ensuring everything goes smoothly. Make sure they know how to answer any questions customers might have and know what to do in case any problems arise.

5. Set up Increased Customer Support

Another way to handle the increase in customer inquiries and requests is to up your customer support. Consider providing live-chat support to address customers’ concerns in real time. This will:

• Improve the overall customer experience
• Increase their chances of making a purchase
• Decrease the chances of post-Black Friday returns

If this isn’t on the cards for your business at the moment, a more straightforward solution is creating an FAQ on your website. Consider answering common questions surrounding:

• Expected shipping times for different areas
• What your return policy is 
• Product specifications and features
• Sizing

These FAQs might save you future hassle and take the pressure off your customer support team.

6. Conduct Post Black Friday Analysis

Once all is said and done and the Black Friday rush subsides, take the opportunity to analyse what worked well for your business in terms of marketing and customer experience and what you could have done differently. This reflection will help you be better prepared for next year’s Black Friday and help your business evolve overall. 

You can conduct post-Black Friday analysis by looking at your sales and marketing metrics, like:

• Click-through rates
•  revenue by product 
• Bounce rate on your website
• Ratio of new to existing customers

 It’s also worthwhile checking in with your team – by having a staff meeting to talk about their experience over the Black Friday sales, you can uncover any friction points and problems that arose. 

Good luck and happy sales! If you’re looking to improve your marketing strategy year-round, read our guide on the types of digital marketing Canberra businesses should be using.

AI, then, should be considered something additive to our jobs and something that can replace menial tasks or tasks that require the recall of large amounts of information. AI is also good at recognising patterns and detecting anomalies, but ultimately, AI is a tool we can use to augment our capability – not replace it. What if AI didn’t stand for Artificial Intelligence, but it stood for Augmented Intelligence – something that can add to human capability but is more akin to a tool in a toolbox rather than the only tool you will ever use or need?

AI is Generative, It Can’t Come Up With New Ideas

At the core of the AI debate lies a fundamental misconception. Rather than viewing AI as an autonomous, all-knowing entity, let’s see it as a tool. AI systems, such as language models (ChatGPT, for example), are trained on vast datasets containing existing human knowledge. They then recognise patterns and synthesise the information we feed them to generate text, make predictions, and assist in creative tasks. What gives a semblance of intelligence is simply a hugely complex series of logic loops looking for the answer it deems to be most correct based on the historically correct answer (thanks to the data they were trained on).

AI, as a result, doesn’t know what will become trendy in the future or what will become the next hit song. However, because humans are relatively predictable, AI can make a pretty good guess at what a song needs to do to become the next hit, but it doesn’t allow for the human anomalies we see all the time. These anomalies or shifts away from the norm are what it takes for a movie to stand out or a song to top the charts. If it were simply down to formulas, then we could all create a hit song.

Enhancing Human Capability

If we follow my thesis that AI is Augmented Intelligence, it doesn’t seek to replace human knowledge but to enhance it. Here are a few examples of how we use AI and how AI can augment the abilities in other professions:

• To apply the findings from extensive studies- we use an eye-tracking study from MIT to apply the results on designs to test for attention and clarity
• Monitoring active email or advertising campaigns to look for anomalies and alert us when this happens so that we can review it ourselves
• Lawyers can use AI to scan historical cases and condense this information to then apply to new cases
• Tesla uses AI in cameras to learn the world around it using cameras to get better at recognising objects and even predicting what cars around it are going to do

Marrying Creativity and Data

In our line of work at Futuretheory (and likely your line of work too, if you think about it), creativity is paramount. Augmented Intelligence allows marketers and designers to harness the power of data to inform and inspire creativity. For example, by analysing user behaviour and preferences, AI can indicate areas of a design that are too information-dense or instances where a layout draws attention to the wrong place.

Time is a precious resource, and one can use AI to automate routine tasks, such as data collection and analysis, freeing up more time for strategic thinking and innovation. This newfound efficiency can be a game-changer for startups and established businesses alike.

The Journey Ahead

As humans, we are responsible for ensuring that we use AI ethically and responsibly moving forward. Augmented Intelligence should be wielded as a force for good, enhancing our knowledge while adhering to ethical guidelines and respecting privacy. Like anything powerful, the wealth of data and information could easily be weaponised or used in nefarious ways.

The transition to integrating AI is not about fearing the rise of machines but embracing the possibilities of collaboration and increased efficiency. It’s about using AI as a powerful ally in our quest for knowledge, innovation, and success.

Embracing The Change

In conclusion, AI is like every other innovation that has come before it. The car replaced the horse, accounting software replaced spreadsheets, and email replaced letters. These aren’t bad things inherently, but the increase in efficiency left less work for humans, and these humans had to upskill or do a different job than before. Humans have always sought efficiency; that is what has allowed mankind to progress. If it weren’t for this innovation and ingenuity, we would all still be toiling away outside with rudimentary tools, and we wouldn’t have time to do things like putting the effort to get to the moon.

By looking at AI as a collaborator rather than something seeking to replace humans, we can harness its potential to enrich our expertise, drive innovation, and shape a brighter future. So, let’s embrace this journey and let AI augment our intelligence to do more, or do faster, leaving more time (hopefully) to spend with family, on hobbies or on your next business idea!

Search Engine Optimisation

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the bread and butter of any digital marketing agency. If you’ve ever wondered why certain sites pop up first when you Google something – it’s because they’ve been well-optimised.  Simply put, this means ensuring the content on your website contains the keywords people are likely to type in when Googling topics related to your business. This means it will rank higher on search engine results pages. By doing this, businesses can attract more organic traffic to their online presence and improve their chances of generating leads and sales.

SEO always starts with keyword research. Keyword research is the process of narrowing down exactly what words and phrases related to your business you need to use to rank higher on search engines. There are lots of tools available to help you do this, like Google’s Keyword Planner.

Adding SEO to your digital strategy will also help you reach Canberrans specifically. Canberra’s diverse business landscape and focus on innovation make SEO an essential tool for local businesses, so you can effectively reach the vibrant community of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across sectors such as government, education, technology, and healthcare Canberra has to offer. 

While Canberra has a smaller population compared to major cities like Sydney and Melbourne, it also presents a less saturated market than other cities in Australia. This provides businesses with an opportunity to gain a competitive edge using SEO strategies. By targeting specific keywords and optimizing their online presence, businesses can position themselves prominently in local search results, capturing the attention of potential customers and outshining their competitors.

You can do this by using location-specific keywords, such as making sure your website includes the phrase ‘in Canberra’, and making the most of your Google My Business profile by customising it with all the relevant information, such as your phone number and address. For instance, a local boutique can optimise its website by creating a blog that highlights the latest fashion trends and uses keywords such as ‘Canberra fashion’ and ‘affordable clothing in Canberra’. This can increase the boutique’s visibility on search engine results pages and attract more localised traffic to their website.

However, keywords aren’t everything. It is important to make sure the mainstay of your website is engaging, quality content. While keywords are important, Google will penalise websites that rely too heavily on them – otherwise known as keyword stuffing. A balance between keywords and great content should be the goal.

Content Marketing

Let’s expand on content, an entire digital marketing strategy in itself. Content marketing involves the strategic posting of high-quality, valuable content relevant to your industry on your website and social media platforms to attract new customers and keep the existing ones engaged. 

The different formats you can use are endless: blog posts, videos, infographics, and podcasts are just a few. The key is to always keep your audience in mind: think about what might interest them, and what they will find valuable, informative and relevant to them. This will get easier over time through trial and error and taking note of the content your target audience appreciates the most as you go. 

For example, a business that specialises in outdoor gear can create content that appeals to Canberra’s active and adventurous population. This will allow them to build a loyal following of engaged and interested followers who are more likely to convert into paying customers.

 Content marketing can also be a cost-effective way for businesses to drive traffic to their website and improve their search engine rankings. By creating high-quality content that is optimised for specific keywords and phrases, businesses can improve their visibility on search engines like Google, which can lead to increased organic traffic and ultimately, more conversions.

 Here’s another example: a local restaurant can create a blog post about the history and culture of the local food scene in Canberra. By incorporating relevant keywords and phrases, the post will rank highly on search engines for people searching for information on Canberra’s food scene. These viewers are all potential new customers – and if they found your blog post genuinely informative, they’re more likely to spend longer on your site, check out your menu what you have to offer, and ideally plan a visit. 

Canberra is the perfect place for businesses to make the most of content marketing, with its vibrant intellectual and cultural climate. Thanks to its numerous universities, research institutions, and government agencies, Canberra is a community that appreciates intellectual discussions, engaging content, and thought-provoking ideas. By posting content that stimulates conversations and resonates with Canberra’s residents, you can make the most of your content marketing.

Visuals are also an important aspect of content marketing to get viewers’ attention in the first place, and Canberra’s beautiful landscape provides ample opportunities to source your own images. From the picturesque landscapes of Lake Burley Griffin to the surrounding mountains and national parks, you have a multitude of options to integrate into your content and show viewers immediately you’re a Canberra-owned business.

Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is one of the most popular and effective forms of digital marketing in Canberra – and for good reason: According to a study conducted by the Canberra Business Chamber, 87% of Canberrans actively use social media to discover and engage with local businesses. Make the most of this by using social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and the professional networking site LinkedIn to build a social media presence and connect with your local audience, tapping into the sense of community these platforms enable. 

It’s a great way to communicate back and forth with your customers in a way traditional advertising doesn’t allow. By consistently posting interesting content that is likely to engage your customer base, your business can build a loyal following and increase brand awareness. These will also allow you to have a consistent stream of feedback from your customers and get ongoing insight into their brand perceptions.

Social media platforms also offer many tools for businesses to promote their products or services, like paid advertising and influencer partnerships. Much like Google Ads, you can target specific demographics and interests on social media platforms, making it a highly cost-effective and efficient way to reach your target audience when done right. This allows you to build an effective online presence and grow your business at the same time for a relatively low cost.

A local focus is important in social media marketing. Businesses can use social media to share their brand values and showcase their involvement in the local Canberra community – whom they want to reach most. To become a trustworthy member of the Canberra community, share updates about local events, charitable initiatives, and partnerships with other local businesses on your social media platform.

Canberra’s annual events and festivals also provide plenty of opportunities to leverage social media marketing. The Enlighten Festival, Floriade, and the Multicultural Festival are just a few examples of events that attract a large number of attendees and generate social media buzz. Local businesses that strategically incorporate event-specific hashtags and creative content into their social media strategy can benefit from increased visibility and engagement during these events.

One successful example of this in Canberra was the ‘Live in Canberra’ social media campaign by the ACT Government. This popular social media campaign featured stories from locals about what they loved about living in Canberra and was promoted on social media using the hashtag #CBR. This way of inviting participation is a great way to drive engagement.

The popular Canberra coffee shop, “Brew & Sip,” also saw a substantial increase in customer traffic and brand recognition after launching an engaging social media campaign featuring behind-the-scenes videos of their skilled baristas crafting unique coffee blends. The campaign encouraged Canberrans to share their coffee experiences using a dedicated hashtag, creating a sense of community and sparking conversations about local coffee culture.

Pay Per Click Marketing

Pay-per-click (PPC) marketing is another strategy with a high potential ROI (return on investment). It involves placing ads on search engines and social media platforms and paying a fee each time someone clicks on the ad. This form of digital marketing is highly targeted and can be incredibly effective in driving business growth and traffic to your website. When you search for something on Google, often the first half dozen results will have the word “sponsored” above them. These are companies using Google Ads, which allows advertisers to bid on keywords. The winning bid appears at the top of the search result and the advertisers pay Google each time a user clicks on it. Additionally, PPC marketing can be highly measurable with data analysis and analytics, allowing businesses to track their (ROI) and make data-driven decisions about their overall marketing strategy, allowing businesses to make the best use of their marketing budget.

PPC marketing in Canberra offers the advantage of precise targeting to specific requirements, enabling businesses to reach specific segments of their intended audience. Businesses can improve their chances of making sales by displaying their ads to the right audience at the right time. They can do this by targeting specific groups based on factors like location, age, and interests, and using relevant keywords. Here’s an example: if you run a beauty salon in Canberra, Google allows you to target women in Canberra aged 18-25 specifically. PPC marketing is different from other digital marketing methods like content marketing and SEO, because it can produce immediate results by directing traffic to a website. This makes it a great option for businesses looking to boost their website traffic vastly in a short time, generating leads and sales quickly in the digital space.

Canberra, being a city known for its vibrant food scene and love for local flavours, provides opportunities for businesses to deliver paid advertising campaigns to effectively to showcase their product or service. A restaurant in Canberra, for example, can utilise paid ads to promote its unique dishes and culinary offerings. By targeting keywords such as “organic restaurants in Canberra” or “locally sourced ingredients in Canberra” through PPC ads, a restaurant can capture the attention of Canberra residents who value high-quality, environmentally conscious dining experiences and compel them to give their venue a try.

Another way paid advertising can be leveraged in Canberra is by tapping into the city’s thriving arts and culture scene. Canberra is home to numerous galleries, exhibitions, and cultural festivals that attract both locals and visitors. Businesses such as art galleries or boutique stores selling unique handmade crafts can utilize paid advertising to promote their products or upcoming events during popular cultural festivals like the Canberra Balloon Spectacular or the National Multicultural Festival. By running targeted PPC campaigns with relevant keywords and demographics, these businesses can effectively reach art enthusiasts and festival-goers who are actively seeking unique experiences and products.

Another benefit is that because Canberra is relatively small compared to other major Australian cities, there might be less competition for online advertising space, causing lower costs per click, and increasing the ROI even further.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is another form of digital marketing you can use to drive forward your business goals, build brand recognition and increase engagement locally. We’re all familiar with email marketing; the average person probably receives at least 10 promotional emails in their inbox every day. However, there are lots of email marketing software tools available and strategies to ensure you don’t get lost in the crowd and can connect with your target audience on a more personal and direct level via email. 

Make sure you’re on the pulse of what’s going on in Canberra so you can integrate this into your email marketing campaigns and make them as relevant as possible to your target audience. By doing this, you can increase open rates on emails significantly by putting time-sensitive, topical local information that your customer base is interested in at the forefront of your emails.

For example, if you won a bookstore in Canberra, the Canberra Writers’ Festival would be a perfect time to email your client base offering a sale on books authored by speakers at the festival. The subject line could be: “Get read up before the Writer’s Festival with this deal.” If you have a clothing wear business, you can send your customers an email on a particularly cold day in Canberra showcasing your outerwear options, with the cohesive subject line “Make sure your coat can stand up to the coldest Canberra mornings yet.”

Digital Marketing Agency Canberra

Digital marketing has become a crucial business growth strategy to keep meeting objectives. While implementing one of the marketing solutions alone is useful, by combining the different strategies simultaneously and adapting them to Canberra culture, you’ll not only be able to reach your audience more effectively but also keep them engaged. If you want guidance or more tips, you can read more of our digital marketing resources here. 

We’re a Canberra-based digital marketing agency with a talented, expert team. We offer a range of digital marketing and web services, including custom web design, web development, branding, and SEO. If you’re looking to build a strong online presence to take your business to the next level, you can get in touch with us for an initial consultation at 02 6169 4422 or hello@futuretheory.co.

A good, professional business card is much more than just your name and contact information on card stock – it’s an extension of your brand. This article will explain everything you need to include and what design choices are available to create a standout business card and make a great first impression.

What Information Your Business Card Should Include

While the typical business card of days old tended to just include your contact details, company name and job title, there are many more options today for what to put on a business card. Your website URL, logo, and social media handles are options to include as well. With so many possible details to include, it’s easy to err on the side of clutter when creating your business card. It’s important to pick and choose which options reflect your business best – if you have a well-designed, regularly updated website, make sure to include your URL. If your social media game is especially strong, your social media handles are a must.

One good way to ensure your business card doesn’t look too busy is to minimise the number of words and include a QR code linking to your business’s website instead of a long URL. This is easy to do, with websites such as Canva and Vistaprint you might use to design your card also offering free to use QR code generation.  

Your Business Card’s Visual Design

Once you’ve established which information is essential to include on your business card, it’s time to start thinking about the visual design. Designing business cards is a lot easier than it used to be, with free business card makers being available online and thousands of templates available from professional designers. With so many options to customise your business card and tools that make the design process simple, the hardest part is making clear choices and picking a definitive design direction to take.

Make sure the design is cohesive with your business 

With a plethora of free business card templates available online today, your design options are endless. It’s important to think about the impression you want to give and pick a business card design that is cohesive with your existing branding in both colour scheme and overall style. Your card’s design should match your profession to be on-brand: for example, if you’re an architect who specialises in brutalism, you might want a business card that has a sleek layout with hard lines, and modern font and a grey and white colour scheme. If you’re in a creative industry like graphic design, your business card is the perfect format to show off your design skills and make bold, colourful choices with fun typography to match and capture the essence of your brand.

Strike a balance between visual interest and clutter

Part of creating a business card that’s eye-catching means choosing a simple and effective visual design. While you might want to include as many colours, patterns and text as you can, this can be confusing to potential clients. When it comes to designing a custom business card, making use of white space to reduce visual noise is key. You can make use of premade business card templates to help ease the design experience if you’re not sure where to find the balance.

Get creative with your business card size and shape

No rule says your business card has to be rectangular, read horizontally and have the standard 55 x 85mm card dimensions. One way to differentiate your business from the competition is to get creative with the shape and size of your card. While it’s also important to consider that most people put business cards in their wallet or pocket at first, a square business card, for example, is a lot more likely to stand out among a stack of other business cards or on a bulletin board.

If that seems too radical and you’re a traditionalist at heart, a business card with rounded edges might be a safe compromise for you. Vertical business cards, read from top to bottom, also stand out.

How To Design Your Business Cards Online

The internet is full of handy business card printing services and design tools that make it easy to bring your vision to life, meaning anyone can create business cards online. Whether you chose Canva, Adobe Illustrator or Vistaprint as your business card creator, the process is simple: Start by creating an account on the service which will make your design editable at any time so you can save it and pick it up later. Next, browse and choose from thousands of templates available until you find one that suits your brand. Have one last think about the information you’d like to include, any extras such as a logo, and input it. 

Afterwards, it’s time to choose your card stock, size and finish. Some easy-to-use business card makers offer more out-of-the-box options, such as linen or plastic at a premium. They’re a great option if you’ve got the room to increase your budget a bit more and really want to explore more business card options.

Most services that allow you to do business card design online also allow you to print business cards through their platform. But the most important step is yet to come: making sure you’ve put exactly the right details before you make your business card design final and send it off to the printers. There’s nothing worse than ordering a large number of business cards from the printers and realising when you receive them that you’ve made an erroneous error, so make sure to double-check for typos and that all your details are correct. Once you’ve done this, you’re ready to make your card that sets you apart from the competition!

What Software as a Service (SaaS) means

SaaS is a software distribution model that uses the public cloud and is accessed via the internet. One of the main appeals of SaaS is that it is web-based software, requiring no traditional on-premises software, simply a web browser and a login. Software as a service platforms often only require minimal fees on a subscription, pay-as-you-go, basis. They require almost no maintenance or management from the user, saving greatly on time as well as cost.

SaaS has evolved significantly in recent years, allowing a dramatic shift in software delivery away from more traditional IT and one-off software licensing. The software vendors, such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, and Google Cloud are now responsible for storing and managing all data in the cloud, and software updates and maintenance are also provided automatically. This means the user is no longer burdened by the need for in-house servers, networks, or the storage required to use these essential tools.

Benefits of SaaS

The advantages of SaaS offers are many thanks to its generally flexible, affordable nature. Software applications, resources, and tools that small businesses previously did not have the time or resources to implement are now available in a few computer clicks, with lots of upsides:

Cost effective

Let’s start with one of the biggest advantages: the SaaS model helps keep down costs. They require no great initial investment, no on-premise software, with no hardware or installation costs. They also eliminate the need for an in-house data centre. The SaaS model often runs on a subscription-based, pay-as-you-go, basis, with most providers offering a free trial and different pricing tiers depending on your business’ needs and scale.

Accessible from anywhere

In the era of a hybrid or completely work-from-home culture, accessibility is a great power of SaaS. The cloud environment is more useful than ever as it allows employees to stay connected with their team from anywhere. All that is needed to run the software is an internet connection and a computer. Access to the software can be gained almost instantly.

Low maintenance

With SaaS, the onus falls on the provider to maintain the software. Unlike traditional IT, the SaaS cloud provider continuously updates the software automatically, meaning massive time saving for small businesses.

Worry-free security

SaaS allows businesses to outsource their security needs to the service provider. This eases the pressure on an in-house IT department to protect against malware and other security risks. Most SaaS providers invest heavily in security technology, ensuring peace of mind.

Scalability

Traditional software required a licence to be purchased for each user, whereas SaaS vendors allow customizable subscription models that can be changed at any time to accommodate changing needs, allowing new employees to access software in just a few clicks. The different subscription tiers SaaS providers offer also allow you to only pay for the services and software tools you need.

Ease of Use

Most SaaS solutions are often highly refined to be intuitive to the user and require minimal training. If any problems do arise, technical support is available from the SaaS provider as part of the subscription cost.

What are the Disadvantages of SaaS?

Before you start thinking it’s too good to be true, SaaS also has its drawbacks, and it’s important to weigh these up as well. Most of these stem from the fact that using the SaaS model does, by nature, externalise all your software needs and therefore take away some control and reliability. If you prefer to be in the driver’s seat of your business’ IT, more classic software products may be for you.

Connectivity requirements

Because third-party cloud based software relies on internet access and cloud infrastructure, if there are any connectivity issues, you will be unable to access the software.

Recurring fees

As opposed to the one-off licensing cost of traditional business software, SaaS runs on a recurring fee system, meaning that while upfront costs are low, you may end up paying more over time.

Vendor lock-in

Another potential problem with a subscription system is that service providers may make it difficult for the user to cancel their subscription and switch service providers. While they do not do this explicitly, you may find yourself jumping through hoops trying to cancel your subscription or finding it unnecessarily difficult to switch your data to another provider.

Loss of control

Unlike traditional IT, you are often at the whim of the SaaS business. Updates cannot be deferred, and any changes to the tools you use are at the discretion of the provider.

Risk of provider failure

According to a study from McKinsey, an estimated 92% of SaaS companies fail in the first three years of business. One SaaS provider, Nirvanix, abruptly went bankrupt in 2019. Users were given one month to pull their data or risk it being lost. This leaves SaaS users at risk of losing valuable data if anything happens to the provider.

Examples of SaaS

Some well-known SaaS products are Dropbox, Outlook, and Slack. Even the hugely popular Netflix runs via the SaaS model. Here are some other examples of SaaS platforms that are highly useful for small businesses:

• Square, payment processing: Square is a credit card payment platform that allows any laptop or tablet to be turned into a payment processing device by simply plugging in a handheld device. Square also offers free analytics and employee management software as an add-on.
• Monday, customer relationship management: Monday provides an all-in-one CRM service on a subscription basis with multiple pricing options. It is easy to use and highly customizable.
• Deputy, employee scheduling software: Deputy allows small business owners to schedule shifts while simultaneously taking into account budget and employee availability, making the often hard-to-juggle task of scheduling shift work much simpler.

SaaS vs. Traditional Software Licensing

As previously touched on, SaaS and cloud computing as a whole has some drastic differences from traditional software development. Traditional software requires installation on the user’s computer rather than simply loading a page, free trials are not available, and a new version of the software will often require a new purchase. A far cry from the flexible, automatically updated, and scalable software as a service offers. One of the benefits, however, of traditional IT and keeping software in-house offers increased customization and control.

SaaS vs. PaaS vs. IaaS

Now that you know the in and outs of SaaS and how it stacks against more run-of-the-mill IT, let’s delve quickly into the two other most popular cloud delivery models. SaaS is one of three, the other two being IaaS (infrastructure as a service), and PaaS (platform as a service). Google, Amazon, and Microsoft all provide SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS services. Which one you choose is up to your individual business needs and how hands-on you like to be with your software and hardware.

IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service):

Infrastructure as a service is a cloud-based service that offers computing, storage, and network resources. It gives users access to software services and hardware on-demand rather than having to purchase it outright.

PaaS (Platform as a Service):

Platform as a service is a complete, ready-to-go cloud-based platform that allows businesses to host and create their own applications. It provides users with a framework to build customised applications while the provider hosts the customer’s software, manages and maintains all the hardware and software included in the platform, allowing the best of both worlds.

SaaS Market and Pricing Models

Now that you’re up-to-date on what an SaaS is compared to traditional software and its many business applications, the question you probably have now is how much it actually costs to get an SaaS up and running for your business. The answer will vary greatly depending on how much you want to get from your SaaS service and what pricing model the SaaS vendor uses. The three most common SaaS pricing models are:

Usage pricing:

Some SaaS vendors price by usage such as how much data is stored on your behalf or how much time you spend actively using the service, similar to a traditional phone plan. This is beneficial to smaller businesses and ensures they don’t end up paying the same flat rate as a large enterprise for a different level of utility.

Freemium:

Freemium is one of the most common pricing models you’ll run into in the SaaS market, with it being adopted by giants such as Google and Dropbox. Freemium means that the SaaS vendor also offer a permanently free-to-use version of their service, albeit with limited features. Dropbox, for example, offers 2GB of storage for free to every user, banking on the fact that when users reach their limit, they’ll pick the easier method of paying for a subscription rather than transferring their data to another cloud service provider.

Tiered pricing:

Many SaaS providers use tiered pricing. This model means SaaS vendors will offer different pricing options with varying amounts of features. This enables you to pick exactly how much service you need from your SaaS application software and not pay for tools and features you won’t use.

It’s important to factor in that many companies make use of more than one SaaS, meaning costs do quickly add up. According to the career advising company Zippia, companies spend $2,623 on SaaS per employee per year on average, with the average employee making use of 8.3 different SaaS products.

The Future of SaaS and Cloud-Based Software

Today, SaaS’ already has hundreds of potential business applications and this number will only continue to grow. Another study from Zippia showed that 99% of companies in the United States use SaaS, with 38% of companies running entirely on SaaS. It’s clear to see that using SaaS applications is on the rise and quickly innovating. Here are some of the expected trends the SaaS space will be subject to in the near future:

Artificial Intelligence

Like many other industries, the SaaS software will no doubt be shaken up by the rise of artificial intelligence. Companies will be increasingly using cloud AI to do market research and even automate email marketing campaigns.

Mobile optimisation

Far from traditional software development and infrastructure, SaaS products are increasingly optimised for mobile devices, not just computers to use the software. This allows for software delivered on the go and simple-to-use systems. Now, software is located wherever you are.

Increased security

Global trends are showing an increased amount of spending on cybersecurity in 2023, with end users spending 23% more on cloud security this year. With it clearly at the front of users’ minds going forward, this is sure to accelerate SaaS development and innovation in data and cloud security.

Now that we’ve explained in depth what SaaS apps are and how it stacks up to other options, will your business be making the shift, or do you prefer more control over your IT?

The best way to securely store files

The best way to securely store files is to actually store files in at least 3 different locations. Ideally, they will be:

1. On a physical drive or device like an external SSD, flash drive, or Hard Drive
2. On a cloud storage system like Google Drive or Backblaze
3. On a physical drive or device (like example 1), but in a different location

By following the approach above, you diversify the storage locations of your sensitive data, important documents, and everything else. By doing this, you also diversify the risk of losing the files altogether. To break it down further:

• Location 1 ensures that you have a copy at hand, easy to access, and always on your person.
• Location 2 ensures that if your physical device was to get lost, stolen or destroyed, there is a back up on the cloud (generally understood to be a safe storage option).
• Location 3 allows for the worst case scenario where the cloud system goes down, or for cases where you have a large files that take too long or are too difficult to upload.

When storing your files, you may choose to encrypt them, or at least password protect them. Again, the decision to do this is a matter of personal preference, and potentially comes down to your perceived risk of someone getting access to these files.

Why are Facebook groups helpful?

There are over 650 million Facebook groups covering topics from all corners of the world. This means you’ll have no trouble finding communities full of like-minded members. For example, you can find a group dedicated to cool number plates, a group for sharing cool dogs, and for something really obscure, a group titled Tony Abbott Haiku Centre. With so many options, you’ll have no trouble finding a Facebook group to join that fits your needs.

Why should I join a Facebook group?

Business owners should be looking for any opportunity to network, learn and grow. A Facebook group can be that opportunity – find new ideas, ask for advice, ask questions, get feedback, and post about other business-related things.

Facebook groups are a community of like-minded people who want to keep up to date with social media trends, the entrepreneur community, or marketing and social media marketing ideas. They’re for people to ask for advice, learn to grow their business online, and find other related business ideas.

How active are Facebook groups?

Most Facebook groups (including the ones recommended below) have at least one post daily. How active a community is will change throughout the year, but you’ll always be able to ask for tips, support and ideas. The great thing about Facebook groups for business is that you only need to create a connection with one or two people for it to be worthwhile.

Most Facebook groups have content that has been built up over the years as members answer questions, share business success and other success stories, support members through everyday challenges, and so much more. Even groups that may not be active daily will have plenty of useful content to help take your business to the next level.

Some of the groups listed below also organise in-person meet-ups for a niche community, post live streams and provide more real-time content that will help you learn.

To help guide you, I’ve included the number of members in each group and the number of posts from the previous month too. Each section of this list is organised by the number of members.

Which Facebook group should I choose?

With so many Facebook groups available, it can be difficult to choose which ones are worth getting involved in. The list below explores some good Facebook groups in Canberra, Australia, Internationally and for women to help get you started in your Facebook group journey. Use this advice as a starting point and explore the list below!

Facebook groups for business in Australia

Business Business Business

This is a Facebook group where business owners can network and support each other in a judgement free place. The group is founded on the basis of support, respect and good manners. The founders encourage members to ask questions, share wins, promotions and more.

Creation date: February 16, 2014

Members: 32,500

Posts in December: 178

Get involved here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BusinessBusinessBusiness

Check out the page on Facebook too: https://www.facebook.com/BusinessBusinessBusiness.com.au

Australian Small Business Network

The Australian Small Business Network is one of the largest Facebook groups for Australian small business owners. ASBN welcomes anyone with a business, whether you’re established or just getting started. It’s a great place for entrepreneurship and sharing ideas online.

Creation date: July 27, 2007

Members: 16,000

Posts in December: 40

Connect with other businesses here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/smallbiz.au/

Australian Small Business Network was started by Conn3cted: https://www.facebook.com/conn3ctedtech

I am a business owner in Australia

This Facebook group is all about networking with fellow business owners and helping others grow their business. It is designed to help surround you with people just like you – to answer questions, give support and provide feedback.

Creation date: August 14, 2014

Members: 14,800

Posts in December: 161

Get involved here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessowneraustralia/

I am a business owner in Australia was started by Paul Warren: https://www.facebook.com/paul.warren.page

Entrepreneur Australia

Entrepreneur Australia touts itself as a Facebook group for entrepreneurs (established and up and coming) who are passionate about promoting their business, who like daily entrepreneurial tips and updates, and who are passionate about business values, principles and ethics in Australia.

Creation date: June 16, 2017

Members: 3,000

Posts in December: 178

Join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ministryofmarketing/

Entrepreneur Australia was created by Ministry of Marketing: https://www.facebook.com/ministryofmarketing.in

Best Facebook Groups in Canberra

Canberra Small Business Network

Canberra Small Business Network is aimed at businesses who have just one person or a small team. The group is open to all and supportive of small business in Canberra.

If you are a business looking to do more marketing, list your services and products, or hire someone to join your team, join this group of Canberra locals.

Creation date: May 27, 2010

Members: 2,400

Posts in December: 166

Join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/124323580924534/

ACT Local Business Marketplace

ACT Local Business Marketing is a group to make local buying and selling simple. Small, local businesses can advertise new stock, share product offers, seek partner vendors, and even let others know about upcoming events. The group is open for all business types who have locally sourced or created products and services.

Creation date: November 15, 2019

Members: 2,300

Posts in December: 127

Join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/501962677060120/

The Canberra Small Business Directory

The Canberra Small Business Directory is dedicated to marketing local businesses, entrepreneurs, creators and other related services. Use this group to simply advertise your services, buy local or partner with others.

Creation date: October 8, 2015

Members: 1,200

Posts in December: 31

Get involved here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/564949996990549/

Canberra Events

Canberra Events is exclusively for event listings. Members here are either looking to share their own events or are looking to attend other events.

If you are a business that organises a range of events, you can use this group to share your event to different target groups. The group is open to all and has an average of two posts per day.

Creation date: January 31, 2018

Members: 680+

Posts in December: 20

Get involved here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/405423103225929/

Canberra Startups

Canberra Startups is an open, uncensored Canberra region startup group. The group has young students, entrepreneurs, and locals who are passionate about discussing the startup ecosystem.

The group is for anyone who is in search of a place to share and discuss all things startup, tech, entrepreneurship, investment, personal growth, business growth and even coworking.

Creation date: August 27, 2013

Members: 540+

Posts in December: 1

Join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CanberraStartups/

The Joyful Business Club

The Joyful Business Club is for anyone looking to have a side hustle or even quit their job to start a business. The group operates with a “no question is too stupid or silly” policy, making it a perfectly safe space for anyone seeking advice to being their entrepreneurship journey.

Creation date: June 11, 2020

Members: 420+

Posts in December: 18

Join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Joyfulbusinessclub

Business at Breakfast

Business at Breakfast is great for business owners looking to network, provide or find referrals and refine sales and marketing systems.

The group has Canberran members from different background looking to launch or grow their businesses and are simply interested in talking to people. There are two meetings each week, currently hosted virtually due to COVID-19.

Creation date: August 19, 2017

Members: 250+

Posts in December: 16

Deakin: https://www.facebook.com/groups/103803077017390/

Creation date: December 5, 2019

Members: 80+

Posts in December: 5

Queanbeyan: https://www.facebook.com/groups/839452276497540/

Future Tribe

A shameless self-plug, Future Tribe is a group for entrepreneurs, freelancers and business to learn tips on topics such as marketing, entrepreneurship, growth, online marketing, and software. The members of the group link relevant quick-read articles, share insightful podcasts and discussion on new things in the world of entrepreneurship, content, digital, growth, and much more.

Creation date: December 2, 2020

Members: New and growing!

Posts in December: 8

Get involved here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/joinfuturetribe

Future Tribe was created by Futuretheory: https://www.facebook.com/futuretheoryau

(While you’re at it, listen to our Future Tribe podcast)

Facebook groups for business worldwide

Millennial Entrepreneur Community

#MEC is a community of over 70,000 business builders from all over the world, of all ages, nationalities and backgrounds. This group knows that growing a meaningful business takes hard work, solid strategies, top notch resources and a support team with a range of skills – which is what you’ll find in this group.

Start off your journey in this group by completing their #builderchallenge in the about section of the group.

Creation date: June 28, 2016

Members: 79,800

Posts in December: 277

Start the journey here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/7daytrepchallenge/

Entrepreneur Hustle

The Entrepreneur Hustle Facebook Group was created for you to share your story, journey, success, failures and one thing that changed it all around.

Creation date: December 28, 2016

Members: 64,000

Posts in December: 10

Get involved here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dannyveigahustlegroup/

Entrepreneur Hustle was created by Danny Veiga, check out his Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/dannyveigahustle

Digital Nomad Entrepreneurs

This Facebook group was created for digital nomads who want to adventure and work with awesome like minded entrepreneurs. The founders create real life events and meetings around the world for the entrepreneur community to gather, creating amazing life-changing experiences.

Creation date: October 25, 2014

Members: 57,800

Posts in December: 25

Become a Digital Nomad here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/digitalnomadentrepreneurs/

Digital Nomad Entrepreneurs was created by Workew: https://www.facebook.com/workew\

Intrepid Entrepreneurs Community

This Facebook group is designed to help surround entrepreneurs with like minded people -people who are there to answer questions, give feedback and provide support. Intrepid Entrepreneurs Community runs a consistent schedule of topics so the group is always flush with conversation and idea sharing. Some of the themes include “Toot Your Own Horn”, “Monday Mindset”, and “WordPress & Hosting Questions”.

Creation date: October 28, 2015

Members: 17,600

Posts in December: 14

Join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/intrepidentrepreneurs/

IEC was started for entrepreneurs by Intrepid Introvert, take a look at the Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/intrepidintrovert

Humans of Online Business

Humans of Online Business is for people who are building an online business and you want to operate in “HUMAN” ways, this is the Facebook group for you. The founders and group members are there to help you, learn with you, share their tips and much more.

Creation date: July 29, 2015

Members: 9,800

Get involved here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/goindependent/

Facebook groups for women in business

Like Minded Bitches Drinking Wine

LMBDW is a group for entrepreneurial minded and business savvy women who love wine! They have regular events in over 40 cities around the world and the Facebook group is a hub for business savvy women to collaborate and share ideas. This group is one of the best in this list, in terms of number of members and number of posts in the last month.

Creation date: July 14, 2015

Members: 143,000

Posts in December: 3,495

Sip wine with like minded women here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LMBDW

Also check out the page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LMBDW

Entrepreneurs’ Abundance Mindset

If you’re an entrepreneur or small business owner with a “winning and abundant” mindset from all over the world, this is the group for you. The group helps each other by sharing tips and tools to take it to the next level. You’ll find help on marketing, digital marketing, webinars, personal development and more in this group.

Creation date: December 5, 2014

Members: 9,500

Posts in December: 568

join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Entrepreneursabundance

Entrepreneurs’ Abundance Mindset was created by Francesa Moi: https://www.facebook.com/themeetupqueen

Women in Business Collaborative with Angela Henderson

This group is for the entrepreneurs community to feel connected, seek business advice and provide advice in order to help everyone grow their business collectively.

Creation date: January 3, 2017

Members: 7,300

Posts in December: 121

Join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1322586367762977

Female Entrepreneurs Down Under

This group is for passion driven female entrepreneurs down under (Australia and New Zealand) looking to connect, meet up, share networks, inspiration, tips and support on a more local level.

The group has some themed days including Tuesday’s for tips where a member of the group has the opportunity to post a video or live in the group sharing tips relating to their area of expertise (for example, marketing or content writing) or Flaunt it Fridays for celebrating success from the week.

Creation date: January 2, 2016

Members: 2,100

Posts in December: 75

Get involved here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/108978099480252/

Female Entrepreneurs Down Under was created by Angela Henderson: https://www.facebook.com/angelahendersonconsulting

Business in Heels

Business in Heels is an international organisation with a chapter in Canberra. The group is for finding referrals, sharing knowledge and accessing resources for women in business.

The members of the group encourage informal networking by taking parts in events with educational speakers, referral days and coffee dates. You’ll need to answer a few questions before joining because this one is private and closed for women in business.

Creation date: December 8, 2013

Members: 1,000

Posts in December: 25

Get involved here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bihcanberra/

Check out the page on Facebook too: https://www.facebook.com/businessinheels

Facebook groups can be an effective way to grow your business locally and in niche markets, and the best part is they’re free!

Do you know of any other great groups? Let us know in the comments below!

Your website

You should have your opening hours listed on your about page, contact page or in your footer. If you don’t, add them in.

Communicate your updated opening hours by adding additional information in these sections, or by linking to a blog post or announcement elsewhere.

You might be inclined to add a pop up to your site to communicate this information but keep in mind that Google doesn’t look at pop ups positively, use a top bar on your site if you want to make sure people see your hours.

Google My Business

Google is arguably the most important place to update your opening hours. This is where people go for a quick overview of your company and for directions in Google Maps. Once you’ve updated your hours in Google My Business, visitors will be notified that you’re closed if they request directions to your location.

Here’s how you can update your Google My Business Listing:

1. You should already have a Google My Business account set up. If not, do that now: https://business.google.com/create
2. Sign in to Google My Business: https://business.google.com/
3. From your dashboard, navigate to either “update business hours” in the middle section, or “info” on the left panel (see the first image below). We’ll select “info” for the next step.
4. On the “info” page, scroll down to the section with custom hours. This is separate to your standard opening hours section. Select the edit icon.
5. Update the custom hours using the dialogue box that opens, then select save.

Social Media (Facebook)

You can update your opening hours on Facebook, but unfortunately there is no “holiday opening hours” functionality (such as there is in Google) which means you’ll need to update your standard hours just before closing and once again when you open in the new year. If you get a lot of business through Facebook, we recommend updating this or pinning a post to the top of your feed about your changes.

It’s also a good idea to share a post through your other social media channels just before closing up for the holiday – when your social channels will likely become quiet anyway.

True local, Yellow Pages, Yelp, Trip Advisor, and any other online business directories

These are particularly important to update if you’re a restaurant of other business that could be assumed to stay open during the holiday period. If you’re giving your staff some extra time off, let customers know through these directories.

Storefront

Don’t forget the all important storefront! This can be as simple as a hand written note displayed at the front of your premises (office window, shop door, workshop entrance etc.). Or, take it up a notch and design a holiday themed notice poster.

Tell customers your business hours through email

Don’t forget to reach out to customers too. Make use of that email list that may be gathering dust to let previous customers know when you’ll be open and closed. This a great opportunity to touch base with clients. Not only will it put your brand front and centre during the gift giving season, but it will create a sense of urgency for customers to take action before your office, store, or service is closed.

Another great way to tell customer you’re closing is by creating an email footer image that sits within your email signature. This way, every email you send out between now and the end of the holiday period will be another touch point for customers to get the information they need.

If you’re not going to be checking emails frequently, it’s a good idea to turn on ‘auto replies’ with a pre-written out of office message. This can include how long you’re closed for, when you’ll be opening again, what services are operating or an emergency contract number for businesses that have more pressing services.

Not closing for the holiday period?

Even better! Email your customers, share on socials and talk to them in person to let customers know you’re open and excited to see them. You might be in the minority of businesses open during the holiday season, so make the most of it and encourage customers to come visit you during their free time.

The different ideas below are ones we have experience with, except for idea number 42(!) which is crazier than anything else. So they are tried and tested, guaranteed to bring you results.

If you would like to consult with us about any marketing ideas below, or if you would like to work together, feel free to get in touch!

1. Start a podcast (we’ve done this recently ourselves!)
2. Write articles on LinkedIn
3. Start direct email marketing
4. Develop an online course
5. Create a Facebook Group
6. Create a Marketing Plan
7. Put up an advertisement on Gumtree
8. Conduct a focus group
9. Do some market research
10. Create a website
11. Redesign your website
12. Explore your customer’s journey
13. Update/create a business card
14. Go to a conference
15. Take an online course
16. Present at a trade show
17. Join a business club/group
18. Conduct A/B testing on everything possible
19. Do a letterbox drop
20. Launch a discount/coupon campaign
21. Advertise on the radio
22. Record a video ad using your smartphone
23. Order stickers with your logo on them
24. Advertise in the local paper
25. Order an A-Frame for your shopfront
26. Create a social media presence
27. Create/update your Google My Business
28. Start writing a blog
29. Set up Google Analytics on your site
30. Add an email subscription form on social media
31. Create a free download for website visitors
32. Create/update your email signature block
33. Add sharing buttons on your website
34. Send out a customer satisfaction survey
35. Ask for referrals
36. Help a local club/group
37. Donate prizes for a local contest/trivia night
38. Establish a cross-promotion with another business
39. Hire a marketing firm
40. Request a website audit (many sites offer them for free)
41. Create a mascot for your business
42. Tattoo your logo (a little crazy!)

If you’re a Canberra business looking for help in marketing to Canberra, or even beyond, we’d love to offer you a no-obligation consultation. Simply get in touch with us and we can either meet in person or via video chat.