Why Your Best Advice is Currently Going to Waste
I see this all the time with small business owners in Brisbane. You spend a late Sunday night writing a helpful article for your website. Maybe you’re an electrician explaining why old switchboards are a fire hazard, or a family lawyer in Ipswich sharing how to protect assets during a split.
You hit 'publish', wait for the phone to ring... and nothing happens.
The problem isn't your advice. The problem is that your website is like a shopfront in a back alley. No matter how good the window display is, if nobody walks past, you aren’t making any sales.
Most people will tell you to just keep writing more. I’m telling you that’s a load of rubbish. If you want to grow your business, you need to stop shouting into an empty room and start getting your message onto 'main street' websites where your customers already hang out.
This is what we call getting your business in front of more people by sharing your existing work on other platforms. It’s about taking one good piece of advice and making sure it gets seen by thousands of people instead of just five.
What is This Actually Going to Do for Your Business?
Let’s be blunt: you don’t care about "brand awareness." You care about the phone ringing.
When you get your articles or advice onto other websites (like local news sites, industry blogs, or even LinkedIn), three things happen that put money in your pocket:
1. You borrow their trust: If a local resident sees your plumbing advice on a trusted Brisbane community site, they already trust you before they even call. 2. Google likes you more: When big, reputable websites link back to your site, Google thinks, "This business must be the real deal," and starts showing you higher up in search results. 3. You save time: Instead of trying to get business online by constantly creating new stuff, you use what you already have to reach new audiences.
Stop Writing New Stuff, Start Sharing the Old Stuff
Most marketing 'experts' want you on a treadmill of creating content every single day. That’s fine if you have a 20-person marketing team, but you’re running a business. You’ve got staff to manage and jobs to quote.
Instead of writing ten average blog posts that get zero views, write one great piece of advice and share it in five different places.
We worked with a mortgage broker in Chermside who was frustrated that his blog wasn't bringing in leads. He was writing random blogs every week and getting nowhere. We took his best article—one about how first-home buyers can save for a deposit—and helped him get it published on a popular real estate news site.
The result? He got more enquiries from that one shared article in 48 hours than he had from his own website in the previous six months.
Where Should You Be Sharing Your Advice?
You don’t need to be on every corner of the internet. You just need to be where your customers are. Here are the three best places for a Brisbane small business to start:
1. Industry-Specific News Sites
Every industry has a 'go-to' website. If you’re a builder, it might be a construction news site. If you’re a florist, it might be a lifestyle or wedding blog. These sites are always hungry for content. If you send them a well-written piece of advice that helps their readers, they’ll often publish it for free and link back to your site.2. LinkedIn (The Professional Social Network)
If you sell to other businesses, LinkedIn is a goldmine. But don't just post a link to your website. Copy and paste the whole article into a 'LinkedIn Article'. It keeps people on their platform, so LinkedIn’s system will show it to more people. It’s a great way to turn your knowledge into a steady stream of new customers.3. Medium and Large Publishing Platforms
Websites like Medium or even the 'Opinion' sections of larger news outlets are great places to republish your work. They have massive audiences. Even if only 1% of their readers live in Brisbane, that’s still thousands of potential customers seeing your name and your expertise.How Much Does This Cost?
Here’s the honest truth: it costs either time or money.
The DIY Route ($0): You can do this yourself for free. It involves finding the right websites, emailing the editors, and formatting your articles to fit their site. It takes time—roughly 3-5 hours per article to do it right. The Paid Route ($500 - $2,000+): There are services that will 'syndicate' your content for you. Some websites charge a 'sponsored post' fee to host your content. While it sounds expensive, if one article brings in two high-value clients, it has paid for itself ten times over.
How Long Until the Phone Rings?
This isn't like turning on a tap with paid ads. It takes a bit of time.
Usually, once an article is published on a bigger site, you’ll see a spike in website visitors within the first week. However, the real value is the 'long tail'. That article stays on the internet forever. I’ve seen Brisbane businesses get phone calls from an article they shared three years ago because a customer found it through Google.
Expect to see a real difference in your overall enquiry levels within 3 to 6 months of doing this consistently.
What You Should Do First (The 3-Step Plan)
Don't make this complicated. If you want to start getting more eyes on your business this week, do this:
1. Pick your 'Greatest Hit': Look at your website. Which page or article answers the question you get asked most often by customers? That’s the one you share. 2. Find 5 'Main Street' Sites: Spend 20 minutes on Google. Find five websites that your customers likely read. They don't have to be huge; they just have to be relevant to what you do. 3. Send a Simple Email: Email the owner or editor. Say: "Hi, I’m [Your Name] from [Your Business] in Brisbane. I wrote this guide on [Topic] that your readers would find really helpful. Would you be interested in publishing it on your site?"
What’s a Waste of Money?
Avoid 'Content Farms'. These are cheap services that promise to put your article on 500 websites for $50. These websites are usually junk, full of spam, and Google hates them. Getting your business associated with them can actually hurt your reputation and your rankings.
Stick to real websites with real readers. One post on a local Brisbane community blog is worth more than 1,000 posts on a spammy 'news' site from overseas.
Summary: Work Smarter, Not Harder
You are an expert in what you do. You have the knowledge that customers are looking for. The only thing standing between you and more enquiries is making sure people actually see that knowledge.
Stop wasting time on the content treadmill. Take your best advice, get it onto bigger platforms, and let their traffic become your customers.
Want to get your business in front of more customers without spending all day on marketing?
At Local Marketing Group, we help Brisbane business owners stop shouting into the void and start getting real results. Whether you need help getting your site seen or you want a strategy that actually brings in phone calls, we’re here to help.
Contact Local Marketing Group today and let’s get your phone ringing.