MEET THE DIGITAL MARKETING TEAM BEHIND THE LIST – ILLAWARRA:
Welcome to The List, Illawarra. We’re Sarah and Ness – two local gals who are proud to be a part of the awesome Illawarra community. We run a local digital marketing agency as well as being full time professional firefighters and mums to 11 year old triplets.
We both love dining out in and around Wollongong, hitting the beach and bushwalking our beautful escarpment. This website came about as a bit of an experiment when we were trying to offer an affordable online marketing option for local businesses who relied on social media.
AN ILLAWARRA ONLINE MARKETING SERVICE WITH A DIFFERENCE
The List was born out of a sleepless night, where Sarah was wondering how to make online marketing more accessible to small business owners. After visiting the Crown St Mall markets in Wollongong, there was more than one stall holder who we were keen to purchase from again. The problem was that many of them had absolutely no online visibility. Some had a Facebook Page… but not everyone is on Facebook. Lots had a business card, but let’s face it – a business card would probably stay tucked away in her wallet until it got used to prop up a wobbly table at a cafe next month!
Having already had experience building websites for local businesses, we started asking why so many small business owners didn’t have a website. In a nutshell, time and money were the main reasons (you can read more about that here) The sad irony in that is that the time and/or money they spent on a good website could mean making more money from new customers.
Of those small business owners who did have a website, many had a small Wix or Squarespace site that didn’t seem to be showing up anywhere in search engine results. We wanted to create an affordable option for local business owners to boost their online presence, whether they had a website or not.
Building the online presence of Illawarra businesses
The Illawarra, as far as we’re concerned, is the greatest place in the world to live. Despite being the tenth largest city in Australia, it retains a strong community feel and we love that we bump into someone we know almost every time we step out. Residents of Wollongong and its’ surrounds have a real sense of pride in where they live and are passionate about supporting local businesses, charities and being actively involved in the community.
This was especially prevalent during the pandemic lockdowns and created a really beautiful thing despite the fear and despair that was circulating at the time. Bad times really can bring out the best in people.
This website is a platform for local businesses to shine. Get to know the local business owners of the Illawarra and what drives them. Connect with others who share your values and strive to go the extra mile to create a great customer experience for you.
Let’s face it, the Yellow Pages is increasingly just a recyclable door stop and the most common way that people are looking for local businesses is through search engines such as Google. Having studied business and digital marketing for several years, I specialise in search engine optimisation (SEO), which basically means helping websites appear in front of the right people in Google.
Many small business owners still seem daunted by the prospect of having a website. The List offers full sized web pages for premium business listings – think of it as a whole page advertisement that has been carefully optimised to land in front your target customers. For more information about advertising online or if you have a great local business story to share, please get in touch.
No website? No worries!
Whether you have a business website or are relying on a social media page for finding new customers, you can still get your business listed with us. We use a range of lead generation methods to increase the online presence of local Illawarra businesses.
Ask about our range of affordable online marketing services to see what suits your objectives and budget.
How can The List help your business?
By focusing on search engine optimisation methods, we can get your individual business appearing in search engine results for people in your local area that are searching for your product or service.
Our premium (full page) listings are essentially a one page website for your business aimed at attracting your target customer. When compared to a single page advertisement in a printed media format, it’s an affordable and effective form of local marketing.
Just opened the doors to your business or got a new service on offer? A professionally written feature article all about your business is a great way to tell the community.
Acknowledgement of Country
The List acknowledges the traditional custodians of this beautiful land, Dharawal Country, and we pay respect to their elders, both past and present. We are privileged to be able to live and work on these lands.
Always was, and always will be.
