In January when we released our first newsletter of 2020 we featured the headline "Looking forward to the challenges ahead."

Well we’re not quite sure if we'd say we were looking forward to it had we known what a year of change 2020 would turn out to be! The first 4 months of the year, when the seriousness of the pandemic really set it, there was a lot of panic and craziness.

But isn't it strange how the business community adapted and moved around the problem to stay strong? We saw many innovations from our clients over the course of this year and have heard many success stories of how businesses stayed strong and kept moving forward.

While we were a little bit pessimistic at the start of 2020, the year really did turn out to be Business as Usual, the byline we used all year on our new website promotional launches on social media.

The government really came to the party too, with lots of stimulus packages being snapped up by a huge number of Allcorp clients - with a nice $10k from the government to put towards digital marketing packages clients really utilised this gift and improved their online image, services and efficiency. We even had more than 50 new Google Ads marketing campaigns go online with clients opting to put the entire government grant to Google Ads budgets.

This quick adaption to improving an operation’s virtual appeal and marketing have really contributed to the huge improvement in some clients’ businesses. It's really good to hear stories of how 2020 has been a positive influence in many of our clients’ day-to-day operations. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention.

The HIA Awards went ahead this year almost as per normal and Allcorp have recommitted to an even higher level of support going into 2021. With so many of our clients being involved in the HIA we see this as a positive step towards supporting a crucial industry in the Cairns & Townsville regions.

The News Corp goliath also announced the closing of many of their newspaper publications this year, with more surely to come, which is undoubtedly just the catalyst of a tough year speeding up the demise of what was once a respected and useful business model. If anything, 2020 has weeded out the flailing media outlets and let the digital cream rise to the top.

Now we can all look forward to a well-deserved holiday as we gear up for 2021, our 21st year as the leading digital marketing provider in all of North Queensland. We look forward to working with everyone in the new year and sincerely hope that the 'onwards and upwards' trend, as laid out by the progressing months of 2020, continues.

It's great to see the high quality work that is coming out of the local building industry

It was impressive to see so many familiar faces getting the recognition they deserve at this year’s HIA Pioneer North Queensland Housing, Kitchen & Bathroom Awards with Allcorp being privileged to even present a few to our clients. As always, it is an honour for us to be welcomed into the HIA family and we had a great night seeing the huge amount of quality building work on display in our region.

The awards night really seems like a client reunion with so many of our valued building industry customers attending and showing their support for the North Queensland building sector.

Housing Industry Association (HIA) is the official body of Australia’s home building industry.

As the only national industry association for Australian building professionals, HIA represents the interests of the housing industry at regional and national levels. Their extensive membership program supports residential builders, trade contractors, developers, design professionals, kitchen and bathroom specialists, manufacturers and suppliers. They have been supporting the Australian home building industry for more than 70 years.

If your business fits into these categories and you aren't yet involved with the HIA we thoroughly recommend you get involved. With such a volume of our clients involved with the HIA we have received a lot of great feedback about the support and assistance they receive from this organisation.

Give Russell at HIA Cairns a call to find out more: (07) 4041 2604

Allcorp continues supporting the building industry and the HIA

Allcorp has a huge following of clients that are involved in the building industry and we love to support them all which is why we continue in our sponsorship of the HIA Awards each year.

This year the awards are going to be a little bit different due to the COVID-19 situation, however there is still going to be a great night of entertainment and award winners at the Pullman International hotel and Allcorp will be there cheering on the many clients we have who get involved.

At this years HIA Awards there are 16 awards up for grabs for Allcorp clientele and we're excited to see who will add to their trophy cabinet as the night progresses.

Supporting local business

Allcorp are Gold Sponsors for the HIA Awards in Cairns (HIA-Pioneer North QLD Cairns Housing and Kitchen & Bathroom Awards) and we join with other Allcorp clients who support the local building industry and sponsor HIA, including Century Cranes Cairns, Status Plus and The Marble & Granite Fitters Cairns. When it comes to the night, our fellow client sponsors and clients who are HIA Members make up more than 20 local businesses - So we're in good company at the event!

We look forward to seeing everyone on the evening of the HIA Awards. If we haven't had the pleasure of meeting you and your team yet and you see us at the award night be sure to say hello!

Replying to all Google reviews will ensure you get a fair playing field

These days all businesses are in some way or another receiving online reviews through Google My Business and how your company handles these reviews will go a long way as to how you present in the digital marketplace.

It's true that a negative review can really hurt, especially considering you understand how much work you and your team put into ensuring everything you carry out is of the highest standard and quality. However, sometimes people just aren't happy, so view it as a learning curve and take the high road in your response to their review.

While it is easy to be emotive and lash out as to why the reviewers are clearly wrong in their assumptions and comments on your business, it is best to take it on board and reply in a reassuring, professional and understanding manner. It is hard to muster up the energy to do this sometimes, but let's not forget that when you reply to a review you essentially get the last word - the reviewer doesn't get a chance to retort to your reply.

If you can reply to their negative review in a way that shows your business is very professional and concernedabout the flaws that have been brought to your attention, accept the issues that are outlined and show ways to move forward, it will go a long way to having people who read these reviews dismiss the negative review that has appeared.

When you get a positive review from a credible source, shout about it as much as possible. Let other people know the real genuine appeal about your business.

Allcorp received the following positive 5 star review from the directors at Ash Moseley Homes Cairns last week and we couldn't be happier than to share this and our many other positive reviews with the world.

This is a real problem and we have been the victim of it as well. Usually a competition business will write a negative review under a fake account. Fake reviews are easy to spot; the fake reviewer usually only has 1 review to their name and they have only been active for a very short time. Their display name is also normally unrecognisable as one of your previous customers or clients.

In response to a fake review it is best practice to draw attention to the fact that you have never had any dealings with them by that name and also that their account only has one review to which it is associated. Also check whether your fake reviewer has left another positive review for one of your competition businesses and make a connection between this in your reply. With the stage thus set and then followed up by an invitation for the reviewer to call you directly to discuss how they can help you improve your business or remedy the problem it is likely that the review will also be disregarded as genuine by anyone reading it.

The next best thing is to flag the negative review inside your Google My Business platform and hope that, with your response, the moderators at Google will view it as justified to delete the review completely. You can flag it yourself from your work internet connection and then again from your 4/5G connection on your phone to ensure it gets as much spotlight on it as possible. In addition you can also lean on co-workers, friends and family to assist you in flagging illegitimate Google reviews using their own devices and internet connections so that Google can see an array of different IP addresses flagging the response. After all of this activity, it’s possible the Google robot acts accordingly.

Having an Allcorp professional photo shoot will give you the assets you need to get the best return on your investment

What a crazy few months it’s been with everything happening in our community. During this time we’ve all had to be savvy about the way we look and reach out to customers during the COVID-19 days. Times have changed and there is a massive increase in competition with businesses putting a lot of investment and trust in digital marketing to ensure they have the best chance to get the work in.Allcorp have been liaising with long term clients and new clients about ways they can improve their digital presence and we’ve been asked many times over and over again, what really makes a website convert your customers?

Other than the obvious things such as a brilliant website layout with many CTA banners and the expected Google Ads campaign and Search Engine Optimisation, the best thing you can give your website is a local photoshoot. Not only does this instil confidence in your customers by adding a human element to your website, it also showcases your business in a light that displays it as a local business, as many locals prefer dealing with local people and supporting our local economy.

Over the past month, we’ve been busy coordinating an array of photoshoots to add the local touch and human element to each online platform. When we coordinate photos we provide a full agenda to our clients regarding what to expect on the day and things for which they should be prepared, such as new and polished uniforms and name dropping other brands or businesses that align with their business. Traveling around to associated clients’ locations, or to where the job sites are, capture that hero image, which looks fabulous on your website and also on your Google My Business platform.

We've all seen the disappearing act of pages from our local newspapers such as The Townsville Bulletin & The Cairns Post throughout the last few years and it was no surprise when News Corp announced last week that they were going to stop the printing of more than 100 of these papers. We're sure the costs involved in producing such publications far outweigh the revenue they generate, especially compounded by the tiny number of pages and ads that are appearing in these papers.

It is a shame that there will be significant job losses as a result but this is something that has been coming for a long time. We have seen News Corp try and adapt to the digital realm with their social media marketing and Google Ads services and while this is the new direction they should have taken long ago, it seems it has been too little too late.

News Corp say they will be focusing on their digital news editions, but they also say that they have only achieved a subscription level of 640,000 people throughout the whole of Australia. This equates to less than 2.5% of the population who choose to get their news from News Corp products.

In a place like Townsville or Cairns with populations of around 150,000 people in each, this 2.5% would become a figure of only 3,750 people in each city. This is not really a big footprint and it explains why the papers need to close. As they rely on funding from advertisers to pay their way and as most advertisers have moved into the digital age completely, there would be no justification in spending money to advertise to such a small number of people.

While The Townsville Bulletin and The Cairns Post will continue to print their papers, it is clear that unless the habits of today's consumers change dramatically, these papers will soon become a thing of the past as well.

The other concerning thing is that these newspapers have taken to selling Google Ads and social media campaigns to prop up their failing print advertising revenue over the last few years. While this is a good thing, they have only been doing it for a very short time and there are already more established and more experienced businesses operating in the local area (such as Allcorp) who have been specialising in this form of advertising for more than 20 years.

The advertising revenue that local businesses pay to publications such as The Cairns Post & The Townsville Bulletin in the digital sphere also goes directly down south to Sydney for the production work. So supporting publications such as these with advertising revenue is not supporting local business. (Something that is especially important in today's COVID-19 world)

While it is a shame these 19th century institutions are closing it is something that doesn't come as a surprise for people who work in the media industry. Like our predictions more than 10 years ago about the phone books becoming a thing of the past, we also saw the downfall of these local newspapers as the world continues to become fully digital dependent.

In our first month of lockdown we've seen some great examples of how smart businesses are changing to suit the needs of the current climate. From airconditioner installation companies providing businesses with anti bacterial cleaning services, doctors and medical professionals adapting to video consultations, automotive panel beaters and spray painters providing value added car detailing and free pickup and drop off services and people in the building industry implementing correct social distancing and hygiene solutions for job sites. We've heard of many great examples in the last month.

Allcorp rolled out our custom website Virtual Boardroom system earlier in the month and we've already had many clients showing interest in this service with more than 20 installs already completed. This in itself shows a desire for businesses to keep performing their business duties as normal, albeit with a slight change in the way things are done.

While the start of April was a bit shaky for some businesses, many found a path through COVID-19 and kept their business running in this new direction. At Allcorp we deal with hundreds of local Queensland businesses and we have seen some really great achievements with inspiring innovations and ways of dealing with the problems at hand.

We've really enjoyed meeting everyone's pets as part of our virtual meetings too!

Allcorp deal with more than 1000 local businesses in the North Queensland region and we've been hearing some great reports of how local companies are adapting to the changes that have happened in the world and it’s also very promising to see the business community offering support for each other.

It has been a continuing upward trend of positivity in the recent weeks with business owners getting on with the job of staying in business. While it is very sad that some businesses have had no choice but to close their doors during this time period, it is also very uplifting to see how they are going about making the most out of the situation.

At the end of the day we either need to make the decision to complain about the current (and temporary) situation or do what all good entrepreneurs do and make the most out of it.

Allcorp have been very proud of our clients who are displaying this attitude and hearing these many examples of businesses adapting and continuing on as if it were business as usual. We ourselves have had a very busy month of doing exactly what we do every month - designing class leading websites and internet marketing services - albeit with a slight change in the way we do things.

All we can say to all of our clients is keep up the great work. You'll come out of this on the other side as an improved operation.

2020 is well underway and Allcorp have been very busy getting back into the swing of things. We've had a lot of new interest in our Google Ads services in 2020 and, with the changing of the guard of old media to new, understandably so. (Have you seen a copy of the Cairns Post or Townsville Bulletin lately - they are literally disappearing and only have very few pages within.)

With this change in advertising there is the increase in fraudulent business practices targeting these new mediums and Google seems to be the common form as of late. We've had a number of reports from clients re phone calls and emails coming from supposed Google employees offering assistance to clients with their Google Ads.

An example of an email sent to us contained the following, and they all seem to be much the same in content:

My name is Ashjaeen and I'm your Account Strategist here at Google Ads! I've called you a couple of times but thought that email would be a better way to reach you.

I'd like to schedule a call with you to discuss your account performance in detail and help you with the optimizations.

This email (or phone call if you answer the phone despite the 'Spam Alert' that flags the call) does seem legitimate, however, why would Google be calling or emailing you directly if you are being looked after by an official Google Partner? We made some inquiries earlier in the year to our Google Partners support team and they advised that these correspondences are definitely not from Google.

We assume that the reason for these spam emails and phone calls is to gain access to your Google Ads account, which is linked these days to so many other Google accounts, and who knows what from there. All we can say is to be aware of this potential threat. If you do receive anything like this from someone claiming to be from Google you can always check its legitimacy with us. We'll be more than happy to advise and assist with protecting your online identity.

2020 marks 2 decades of Allcorp being your leading local website design, development and internet marketing agency in North Queensland. Looking back over the last 20 years to where we began really shows how our business has helped evolve the website design industry in Townsville & Cairns.

Our clients really enjoy dealing with a local business for their online marketing and Allcorp have grown to become the largest business of our type in our region. We've heard people say before that in small cities like Townsville & Cairns you really must be doing something right if you stay in business. Word travels fast and people are more likely to share negative impressions of a business than positive. For Allcorp to be here for 20 years really does prove that we are all about providing our clients with a customer service focused approach.

Looking back through the thousands of projects we have worked on shows some clients that have been with us right from the beginning. Even in the new sites listed below there are some extremely long term clients who are onto their 5th or 6th website version with us. It's really good to benefit from repeat business due to the relationships that have been developed over time.

So happy 20th birthday to us! Whether you are a new or established client, thank you for supporting our local family business for so long and we're looking forward to working with you in the development of the website industry for the next 20 years.

Allcorp holiday trading hours are detailed below this message

We'd like to extend a massive thank you to all of our clients who have supported Allcorp in 2019. Throughout this year we have successfully launched more than 150 new website designs to the North Queensland region.

As the largest website design business in the region, we have been instrumental in delivering new technologies and concepts to the online marketing realm and our team has worked hard to ensure all of our projects remain cutting edge, modern and of the most advanced state in architecture.

As your local Google Partners, and the original Google Partners in Cairns & Townsville, we have also maintained an impressive and growing portfolio of Google Ads campaigns. With a total Google spend of almost $1 million dollars per year we have assisted many local businesses gain an advantage through more modern advertising methods.

We're really impressed with the retention rate of our Google Ads customers with some early adopters investing in the Google Ads arena since we became Google Partners more than 5 years ago. It's also good news that our clients are enjoying the benefits associated with Google Ads marketing, especially when considering the fact that none of our Google Ads campaigns are contractually binding. Our clientele see benefit in this form of marketing and if anything, most opt towards increasing budgets to get more clicks because the return on investment from this marketing strategy can be clearly seen.

In 2019 Allcorp also became the Gold Sponsor for the HIA Awards to show support to our building industry clients. Through this involvement we have been privileged to have worked with some of the leading businesses in this industry and assist them to gain a better and more modern marketing footprint. We're maintaining our sponsorship of these important industry awards for 2020 and beyond, so are looking forward to assisting more clients in this industry to gain a marketing advantage in the future.

So a big thank you to everyone who has worked with us during 2019, our 19th year in business, and we're looking forward to a prosperous 20th year in 2020. We might have to do something special to celebrate the 20th year milestone. Here's looking forward to a safe and enjoyable holiday season and a happy new year to everyone.

We'll hit the ground running in 2020.

Allcorp holiday trading hours

Allcorp will be closed from December 20th until January 6th. We will be contactable via email during this time and mobile phone numbers are displayed on our website in case of emergency.