Local business owners were given “a leg up and some tips and tricks” into the digital world on Thursday, with Google hosting a free seminar to showcase their new Digital Garage feature.
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More than 90 per cent of Australian businesses are not taking advantage of all the digital tools at their disposal, while those that do are generating more than one and a half times the revenue growth of those that are not, according to Google Australia’s Head of Business Marketing Richard Flanagan, who hosted the event.
“It’s all about online presence and training businesses about how they can be found online,” Mr Flanagan said.
“Australians expectations of being able to find information on their phone increases exponentially over time, so it is a great tool to implement those changes.
“The first thing we recommend businesses do is claim their listing on google my business – people probably recognise it more often as the little red pins that show up on google maps – those are free and means businesses can update their details, upload photos and engage with their audience and reply to reviews.”
Over 60 local business owners and staff were on hand for the seminar, with the lessons learnt crucial to business development in the digital age according to Tamworth Regional Council Mayor Col Murray, who was also on hand.
“It is critically important now, stats and facts show that those businesses not engaged can’t reach their full potential and will end up being outgunned,” Mr Murray said.
New England North West Business Chamber manager Joe Townsend was also on hand, and said that regional businesses had even more to gain from an enhanced digital presence.
“The tyranny of distance has always created challenges for rural business, however a recent success story saw a business-owner, who used Google’s Digital Garage, receive training on online advertising, and within ten weeks was quoting for five times as much work and had taken on two new members of staff,” Mr Townsend said.
“Business in regional NSW need to be taking advantage of the latest digital technologies in order to have customers find them."