Kayaking, cheese and digital skills.. Welcome to Tassie
More than 1 million people visit Tasmania each year. They go for the rugged landscape, great food and wine, historic sites and world-class cultural institutions. Many of these trips are researched and booked online, and that means there’s a great opportunity for digitally savvy local businesses to connect with consumers.
With this in mind, more than 120 business owners came together in Hobart last Thursday for a free digital skills training event, hosted by Google Australia and the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The workshop aimed to help small business owners gain new digital skills and make the most of the web. Tasmanian Minister for Information Technology and Innovation, Michael Ferguson joined the event and spoke about the great digital opportunity for Tasmanian businesses.
Research from Deloitte found that digitally engaged small businesses are 1.5 times more likely to be growing and 7 times more likely to be exporting, but many businesses are not taking full advantage of today’s digital tools.
Guests heard from local business owner Robert Knight on how he uses Google tools to promote his tourism enterprise The Bruny Island Long Weekend.
The Bruny Island Long Weekend is a family-owned and run business offering three-days of coastal walks, luxury camping and gourmet meals. Robert spoke about how he uses Google AdWords to reach new customers and shared tips for other businesses looking to engage online.
Images courtesy of The Bruny Island Long Weekend
Every month, Google drives tens of millions of direct connections between businesses and their customers in Australia including calls, online reservations and direction requests.
The opportunity for businesses in Tasmania and beyond is huge. Want to find out more about how to get your business online? Check out The Digital Garage online and find upcoming Digital Garage events - next stop Darwin!