Archive for the ‘Think Tasmania Website’ Category

We received a lovely letter from Pedal Buggies Tasmania after we published an article about their business.  Obviously, we’re always keen to hear from happy business owners, but we don’t normally make this sort of thing public.  However Dallas wrote such a glowing report of Michelle that we couldn’t resist this time.  We have a stellar group of regular contributors, and Michelle Kneipp Pegler is definitely a vital part of that great team.  She does a fantastic job promoting Gunns Plains and the surrounding communities.

Michelle and John riding in style with Pedal Buggies Tasmania in Ulverstone

This is what Dallas from Pedal Buggies Tasmania had to say…

Hi Tania,

What a great job Michelle has done with this article. Michelle and John just dropped in unannounced and while I chatted to John, Michelle just went about her business taking a few photos here and there and looking around along with us having a few chats between customers.  Michelle made it a very relaxed visit for me.  It probably wasn’t quite as relaxed for her and John as they did their fair share of exercise as they tried different buggies out.

 

When Michelle and John left it left me thinking “Has Michelle cottoned on to what we are about in this visit”?  Well I think she has done a terrific job and captured what we are about very well.  You are very fortunate to have someone like Michelle writing for you.  I would like to say to you at Think Tasmania “Thank You for considering us worthy to do a story on.”  Keep up this great work you are doing in promoting this, our lovely state.  The stories you publish are excellent.  Thanks for helping the little tourism businesses along.  It’s nice to see smaller businesses promoted in such a positive way and not all the lime light on the large players as is often the case.

Thank you.

Don’t forget when you and your family are up this way come and check us out as guests in appreciation for what you have done.

Please feel free to use this article in your next newsletter.  Again thank you, and for all the links, Facebook etc.  thanks.

All the best and I hope to meet you sometime soon.

Regards Dallas

Pedal Buggies Tasmania

Dallas is right.  We are very fortunate to have someone like Michelle writing for us!  And I think the north west coast is pretty lucky as well.

Michelle about to embark on one of the Leven Canyon walks

Michelle Kneipp Pegler writes a blog called Leven River Farm
as well as articles like this about the north west coast of Tasmania.
If you’d like Michelle to visit you, please contact Think Tasmania.

If you like this article about Tasmania, and you’d like to read more, just subscribe to our newsletter or join us on Facebook.  If you really like this article, and you want others to see it, you can choose one of the “share” options below.  We’d love that!

Comments relevant to this article are also very welcome, just leave a reply below.

Map: Pedal Buggies Tasmania, Ulverstone…

Facebook Timeline Cover Photos?  What?  Don’t worry!  We’re not about to
convert Think Tasmania to a social media “how to” website.  There’s lots of
experts who can (and do) explain the ins and outs of every platform imaginable
along with all the complicated whizz-bang apps and add-ons.  That’s not our
scene.  Our forte is delivering regular and consistent online content.  Articles,
links, photos, etc.  We keep things relevant, simple and on topic.

Which brings me back to today’s topic: Facebook Timeline Cover Photos.  Do you
remember Jemima?  She’s been busy studying, but she popped in recently to
give Think Tasmania some great advice.  We’ll be outlining our updated social
media strategy soon, but in the meantime we’re going to share this specific
information.  We can see the potential benefits for many of our colleagues.

Facebook Timeline Cover Photos

by Jemima Rhodes

Believe it or not, what people choose as a Facebook timeline cover photo can influence the success of their business.  More customers will notice and like your page if you have a stunning, original, witty and appropriate image.  And in social media terms, we’re talking about a really big space here.  For goodness sake, use it!!

Don’t just sit back and hope the world will notice your Facebook page and give you a leg up.  Make it happen on your own.  Think bold and attractive and unique.  Put some oomph into your design and show your customers what you’re made of.  Show off your brand like you’re really proud of it, and like you really mean business.

Can one single photo showcase your whole business?  Yes it can; but it had better be a damned awesome photo, because the competition out there in social media land is fierce.  Ask yourself these questions: when potential customers see my timeline cover photo on Facebook, are they going to instantly realise what I can do for them?  Is it the best way to showcase my business?

A Few Tips for Facebook Timeline Cover Photos

Honestly, allocating some time and effort to your Facebook timeline cover photos is a really good investment in your business.  Here’s a few tips…

• Check out websites with templates that help you build Facebook
  timeline cover photos.  Social media experts will direct you to a
  plethora of websites with image generators.  Find one to suit you.
  I plucked out Facebook Cover Maker and found it simple to use.
  The chances of making something decent are pretty good.  And
  now that Picnic has shut-up shop, photo collages aren’t so easy.

• Make sure you follow Facebook rules to the letter.  No-one wants
  a slap on the wrist for doing the wrong thing, so don’t take the risk.
  Don’t give anyone the chance to blindside you with the threat of a ban.
  Facebook have guidelines to follow, so look them up, read them and
  take heed.  Here’s what you need to know: guidelines to creating
  Facebook timeline cover photos.

• And be sure to go straight to the source for information about social media.
  Don’t just believe what your friends and colleagues (or worse still, your
  opposition) tweet and post.  Some people have their own agenda;
  some people keep the good stuff secret.  I know, shocking hey?
  Some people (I must stop saying that) might honestly misunderstand
  the rules.  Facebook change the rules so frequently, you can give
  yourself whiplash just trying to keep up!  Take all the advice on board,
  but confirm the facts for yourself.  Just to be sure you’re
  not missing out on an opportunity to be the best you can be.

• Here’s some great samples of creative Facebook timeline cover photos
  for business.  Which ones do you fancy?  Please remember these ideas
  are for inspiration.  Don’t just copy something that someone else has
  already worked hard to achieve.  That just makes you look sad,
  and them feel angry.  You need something new and fresh and original.

And that’s all I have to say on the subject of Facebook timeline cover photos.

We’d love to see some creative genius, so please let us know if any of this advice
from Jemima has helped you.  Maybe Think Tasmania could share your final
product?  Maybe the world will start to notice you after all.  Good luck.
You can make it happen on your own!

Or you could contact Think Tasmania for some help.  We love this kind of stuff.

If you like this article about Tasmania, and you’d like to read more, just subscribe to our newsletter or join us on Facebook.  If you really like this article, and you want others to see it, you can choose one of the “share” options below.  We’d love that!

Comments relevant to this article are also very welcome, just leave a reply below.

Good question that! In fact, “what is Think Tasmania?” is a question owners Gavin and Tania get asked quite a lot.  So here’s the answer!

Tania, co-owner of Think Tasmania, at the Mount Wellington lookout in Hobart

What is Think Tasmania: From the Beginning!

Four years ago, the Horne family set out to house-sit their way around Australia. Home-schooling, working on the road… the whole bit. Their first job was in Tasmania. They arrived, fell in love with the place, and soon decided to abandon the rest of the trip. They went home and had a huge garage sale. And with a suitcase each and a laptop to their name, they moved here to live permanently.

The Horne family decided to move to Tasmania for the ultimate sea-change

With the sea-change, they wanted to start a business together. Gavin is a qualified and experienced software developer. Tania’s paid work was in office administration, and she studied writing and basic digital imaging in her spare time. It seemed obvious (to them anyway!) that they should start a website. Their first mission was an intense research campaign to find an untapped, niche market. It had to be a topic they could relate to, that had a unique angle and the potential to inspire readers.

What is Think Tasmania: inspiring readers to explore and discover Tasmania

Inspiration, Ideas and Lots of Research

When they moved, the media in Tasmania was rife with tales of woe: smaller operators in the state’s tourism industry weren’t getting enough attention, particularly in the regional areas. Bingo! That’s where they would direct their focus. Tania had already studied travel writing, so the next logical step was to study search engine optimisation and how best to generate internet traffic.

As editor of Think Tasmania, Tania loves to make the articles shine!

Gavin and Tania devised a long-term action plan that revolved around sustainable, organic traffic growth; rather than adopting some of the proposed quick-fix, ethically-debatable options. They knew if something was worth doing, it was worth doing right… especially considering the time it would take to get established. They also studied for a certificate in micro-business, which gave them great insight into that market.

Looking and learning, finding the best way to feature businesses on Think Tasmania

Think Tasmania Team Effort

They began compiling articles about Tasmania using their personal, first-hand experiences. They included holiday snapshots to verify the authenticity of their stories. Before long, Think Tasmania had a regular following.  As “new” Tasmanians, they saw everything with fresh eyes. They loved their adopted home state and wrote from the heart. But the supply of material was more than they could handle on their own. Eventually, other writers and photographers with a similar mind-set started contributing articles and Think Tasmania evolved into the great team effort it is today.

Including holiday snapshots to verify the authenticity of each article about Tasmania

With a constant, reliable flow of information to publish, it became clear that Gavin and Tania needed the power of social media to up the traffic ante. This would give the business owners they were writing about the best possible exposure. Another round of study was due! Rather than dilute their efforts over lots of channels, and possibly fail at them all, they chose Facebook as the most suitable vehicle for Think Tasmania and gave it everything. As it turns out, that was another very fortunate decision.

Increase web traffic: Think Tasmania uses an individual, social media plan

Growth: Writers, Content and Traffic

With Facebook and extra writers on board, Think Tasmania started to incorporate information about other small-medium business owners. To truly represent “all things Tasmanian” they needed to include makers and growers; retailers, associations and the hospitality trade as well as the original tourism operators. Another increase in traffic!

Think Tasmania covers articles about all things Tasmanian, not just tourism

These days, Gavin and Tania share the knowledge they have gained about blogging, social media and digital imaging. They also manage the online presence for other business owners. An umbrella company named Think Network has been launched, with the very apt slogan: making the net work for you!

IT manager Gavin also stays in touch with the real-world in Tasmania

The Management of Social Media

So what is Think Tasmania in a nutshell? It’s is all about helping local business owners get noticed on the internet, where they might otherwise be just a drop in a very big ocean. Between them (and their wonderful team) Gavin and Tania have the perfect combination of skills for the job. And while others struggle with the time commitment, constant changes and nuances of social media… it’s all in a day’s work for them, really!

Think Tasmania is a real family affair when it comes to the research missions!

Articles written by Gavin ~ Articles written by Tania

If you like this article about Tasmania, and you’d like to read more, just subscribe to our newsletter or join us on Facebook.  If you really like this article, and you want others to see it, you can choose one of the “share” options below.  We’d love that!

Comments relevant to this article are also very welcome, just leave a reply below.

Map: Tasmania…

Guest Authors with Think Tasmania

Guest authors: do you have something important to say about Tasmania, but nowhere to say it?  Do you know of a great local product or service that everyone should know about?  We might be able to help you.  We’re happy to publish articles and photographs from others if the content suits our niche.  Especially when we haven’t yet had a chance to visit you and write our own version.

Guest authors are welcome at Think Tasmania (conditions apply)

Keep in mind the following…

• your article has to be relevant to this website about Tasmania (non-negotiable!)
• anything published has to provide information and not just advertising
• we’d prefer you to check your own spelling, grammar and punctuation… (twice even!)
• read some of the other articles we’ve written to get a feel for the system
• like us on Facebook so you can see how we promote Tasmania
• other articles published by guest authors might give you some inspiration
• you need to provide images… that you are legally entitled to provide to us
• your images may be pinned to our Pinterest boards to promote your work
• you need to direct online traffic to your article, and we’ll do the same
  (website, email, Twitter, Facebook, etc)
• external links are perfectly acceptable; just don’t go ballistic!  We know guest authors write articles to promote their own business and that’s fair enough
• photographers are more than welcome to showcase their work here
• we do NOT turn a blind eye to copyright infringements (text or images)!!

We have a set of simple guidelines to follow for the submission of work.  Please request a copy.  And we’re always happy to give advice; just contact Think Tasmania.

If you’d rather write an article and send it via email without prior discussion, that’s fine.  But please don’t be too disappointed if we politely decline.  Unfortunately we have to decline articles from guest authors when the material is not suitable, in order to maintain the integrity of the website.

And finally: do you think you have what it takes to become the next member of the Think Tasmania team (rather than just a casual contributor)?  Please let us know!

Articles by Guest Authors

• Junction Arts Festival
• Three Peaks Race
• Anvers – Chocolate
• Sea Soul Studio
• Adore U
• Waterfalls
• Tasmanian Gourmet Gifts
• Cooking School
• South Coast Track
• Tasmanian Female Skipper
• Festivale
• Novelty Mailboxes
• Roller Derby
• Christmas Cornucopias
• Youl
• Ida Bay Railway
• Craig Kidd
• New Year on Royal
• Tassie Trip
• Friends
• Designed Made
• Southern Tassie
• Letterpress
• Nicole
• Foodie
• NosMos
• Tasmanian Holiday
• Flatpack Bakers
• Trout
• Tasmanian Micro Brew Fest
• Creatively Belle
• Pili Pala
• Tassie Devils
• Mad About Apples
• Tassie Experience
• Tasmanian Craft Fair
• Exposed Beauty
• Triabunna Church
• Tasmanian Rock Challenge
• Sheffield
• Hobart News
• Tasmanian Craft Fair
• Tasmanian Trout Fishing

Want to Discuss a Link Exchange?

In the case of a link exchange, we will only swap with relevant websites.  It’s the RIGHT THING TO DO.

Link Exchange with Think Tasmania. Keep it real.

Here’s the Link Exchange Deal…

Add a link to Think Tasmania using the logo image and details below:

• Title:  Think Tasmania
• Description:  …all things Tasmanian!
• URL:  http://www.think-tasmania.com/

If there is a specific article relevant to you, feel free to use the extended permalink (eg http://www.think-tasmania.com/lark-distillery)

Then contact Think Tasmania with your details.  We’ll find a relevant place to add your link.  Please let us know if you have a preference, but also please note that the Tasmanian Regional Websites page is for exactly that (community, regional tourism or group/market websites, and not for individual business websites).  You’ll also need to tell us where to find the link to our website from yours.

Please note… we reserve the right to decline a reciprocal link if your website is not relevant to ours.  Sorry, but we did mention the RIGHT THING TO DO.  It’s a vital element in the way we conduct business at Think Tasmania.

Photo Credit: Dreamstime

Need Free Advertising? It’s Time to Think Tasmania!

Free Advertising?  Don’t we sell advertising space on Think Tasmania?  No, we don’t!  There’s lots of websites that do sell advertising, and that’s their main agenda, but we’re not one of them.  We can help you promote your Tasmanian business for free, though.  So if that’s what you’re really interested in, please read on.

Click image to see promotional article: Maritime Museum of Tasmania

Advertising.  What do you think about when we say advertising?  For many business owners, their first thought would probably relate to the cost of any potential new promotion.  We all know placing an advertisement with traditional media is not cheap.  But what if you could try a unique system that doesn’t cost a thing?  Then you might be inclined to think about…

• generating more sales or bookings for your business
• potential new customers all searching the internet
• creating a showcase for the fabulous product you have

Click image to see showcase article: Tasmanian Craft Fair

How Can You Put Your Business in the Picture?

If you are Tasmanian and have a unique, local business or event to manage, we can help you.  We can promote your business on our website and tell customers how wonderful you are.  It’s simple to organise, effective and best of all… it’s free!  There’s NO complicated contract or tricky bits, either.  Contact Think Tasmania today.  Or tomorrow, there’s no rush.  We’re not going anywhere!

Click image to see how we multiply promotion across additional free articles

Your Own Web Page & Free Advertising

Don’t have a huge budget?  Can’t be bothered with a website?  Think Tasmania has the perfect solution for you!  It’s the answer for any business: an event, crafty mumprenuer or completely new enterprise, maybe.  Or even an established operator who just hasn’t had the time or inclination to get online.  We can take all the hassle out of the equation by publishing an article about you, that you can use as an interim website.  Or a permanent one!  And it’s still free.  Unbelievable but true!

Click image to see web page article: Lucy's Lovely Ladies

The Social Network: Facebook

Would you benefit if Think Tasmania published an article in the name of your business? Of course!  Many of our articles also feature in our periodical email Newsletter.  And all of our articles are promoted on our Facebook page too.  (Yes, more free advertising!)  And while we’re on the subject of Facebook, are you taking advantage of this avenue of the social network?  You know you should, but you’re probably very busy with your core business.  We understand.  Let us get you started.  You’ll be reaping the rewards for your business in no time.

Facebook: Think Tasmania can help you with your social media management

There’s No Such Thing As a Free Lunch, You Say?

Still not convinced?  I know, it does sound too good to be true, doesn’t it?  Want to know why we make this spectacular offer?  Because we are obsessed with making our website awesome!  We are thrilled when readers tell us they love what we do and that our information has been useful to them.  And for that to continue, we need to keep providing great content by publishing articles about the people, places and things that make Tasmania wonderful.

We also love to bring locals together in a network of co-operation so that everyone benefits.  Have you heard the slogan for our business?  Think Network, making the net work for you!  Read more about Think Network and hopefully you’ll realise we are genuine, we can help you and it doesn’t have to cost you any money!

Click image to see networking article: Exposed Beauty

Seriously: What is the Catch?

We have mentioned this is a unique system of advertising (well it’s free, that’s pretty unique!).  We’ve also mentioned we love to provide good quality information for our readers.  So the catch (if there has to be one) is this…

• (a) we only write articles from first-hand experience

An ordinary advertisement (where you pay the provider) consists of your slogan and a few words.  And everyone reading that advertisement knows you’ve paid for the privilege.  On the other hand, we deliver an in-depth story with pictures, and readers know we haven’t been paid.  See the difference in the perception of the reader (and potential customer)?

It’s like a word of mouth recommendation, the highest honour a business can get.  Not to mention the other benefits: the article can be bookmarked for later reference and shared online.  You can update future information yourself through the reply section (now on sale, new menu, latest arrival…).  And you can be as involved as you want with the online promotion of your business through channels like Facebook.  Ask us how.

Click image to see first-hand experience article: Zone 3

• (b) we refuse to publish something unless we think it’s true

We always, without question, report honestly.  In the past, we’ve declined the invitation to write an article, because we didn’t feel comfortable promoting the business.  If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.  So you have to be convinced your business delivers a positive concept and then we want to confirm that it does.

We visit you, take photos, learn a little about your business or event and what makes you special.  We have to be able to give readers a reason for choosing your place to stay, eat, play or buy from.  Something they can’t understand from just a directory listing or a passing mention on Facebook.

Click image to see what happens when we visit you: Botanical Gardens Hobart

The Truth, The Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth!

So that’s it.  The whole deal, laid bare, on the table, nothing to hide.  It’s a great deal, really… what more could you want?  And it’s a really great deal for us too.  Although it’s taken us several years of (sometimes frustrating) work to establish Think Tasmania, and we’ve acknowledged there’s no money in it, we still love it!  We get to experience some of the best things the state of Tasmania has to offer and meet some awesome people.

Bottom line: we love to promote Tasmania and help business owners improve their Facebook pages.  And we’re pretty damn good at it, if you don’t mind us saying!!  Lucky, hey?  Actually, counting the hours we’ve dedicated to learning all the tricks of the internet trade… luck can take very little credit.

We don’t want to brag too much about what we’ve achieved, that’s not our style.  Check out Think Tasmania for yourself.  Connect with us on Facebook and follow our progress.  And please ask for a reference if you’d like advice from someone who is already enjoying the benefits of being part of our network.

It’s important to note that due to a high demand for articles
written by our team (free advertising – of course there’s demand!)
we also accept submissions from guest authors.  Ask us if you’d like to receive
our submission guidelines;  they explain the need for originality of material
and interesting content.  Obviously, if you’re the author and you’d like to
mention your own fabulous business… that’s okay!  We’ll provide a link to your
website or Facebook page as a reward for writing something awesome.