Tourism business marketing opportunities

Overview

Our tourism unit is responsible for developing and implementing marketing initiatives to encourage visitors to explore the region.

We are focused largely around managing the following activities, resources, services and campaigns to promote tourism-focused businesses and events.

If you are a business in the Macedon Ranges Shire that caters to visitors, here's how you can get involved.

Official Tourism Website

Visitmacedonranges.com is our shire’s official visitor website and receives an average of 34,000 visitors per month. 

It is our primary promotional tool, designed to motivate and excite visitors, and be truly representative of what’s on offer in the Macedon Ranges.

On the website you will find general visitor information about what to see and do, where to eat and drink, accommodation options and a feature on weddings and conferences.

The site also features:

  • A directory of businesses that offer services and experiences to visitors
  • Itinerary suggestions that include links to business recommendations
  • A blog highlighting special interest articles and promotional campaigns 
  • 'What's On' guide to promote local events and workshops

How to get involved

Start by listing your business on visitmacedonranges.com

If your business is based in the Macedon Ranges Shire and provides a visitor experience, then you are eligible for a free listing, providing visitors with a comprehensive snapshot of your business.

Your business will feature under one or more categories:

  • See & Do
  • Eat & Drink
  • Where to Stay
  • Weddings & Conferences

Please note business listings on visitmacedonranges.com provide a separate promotional opportunity to what's available via the local Macedon Ranges Shire Council business directory.

 Sign up now

List your event

Do you host events and workshops that would appeal to tourists visiting the region? If so, submit a free event listing to the ‘What’s On’ section of the website.  

Please note the visitmacedonranges.com What's On page offers a separate Events listing opportunity to what's available on the local Macedon Ranges Shire Council events directory.

 List an event

Need assistance with uploading your business listing or event? Email us at visitmacedonranges@mrsc.vic.gov.au

Social media

As part of our marketing strategy we actively use Facebook and Instagram to promote the Macedon Ranges as a tourism destination of choice. 

Our content plan consists of sharing visitmacedonranges.com blog articles, suggested itineraries, accommodation inspiration and things to see and do in the region.

We often highlight businesses listed on visitmacedonranges.com when posting to our social media pages.

Many of our posts also promote events and activities happening in the shire, pointing people to the ‘What’s On’ page of our website.  

If your event isn’t listed on visitmacedonranges.com, we won’t know it’s happening, so ensure you have submitted a free event listing.

How to get involved

  • Follow us on Facebook and Instagram
  • Share our posts and engage in them with a 'like' or comment
  • Email us at visitmacedonranges@mrsc.vic.gov.au when you post an event to Facebook, so we can add to our Facebook Events, or send us a co-host request.
  • Tag your regional photos and videos with the following to give us permission to share:
  • Mention us on Facebook with @MacedonRangesNaturallyCool
  • Mention us on Instagram using @VisitMacedonRanges and use the hashtags #macedonrangesmustdo and/or #macedonrangesnaturallycool

The ‘best of the best’ user generated content will be curated and featured on our social media to inspire visitors to experience our region. It helps if you include information in your post about where the photo was captured.

Promotional Videos

We have been building up an extensive range of engaging and inspiring videos to build brand awareness and promote visitation.

 You'll find these videos on our Visit Macedon Ranges YouTube channel, posted on our Facebook and Instagram pages, and embedded on our website under relevant topics.

 Our video themes represent everything from the Macedon Ranges wine region, fresh produce and restaurants, workshops and Macedon Ranges art experiences.

 Watch some of our videos here:

  

Visitor eNewsletters

The Tourism unit produce a monthly visitor e-newsletter promoting upcoming events and workshops, special interest blog articles, itinerary suggestions, things to see and do, accommodation inspiration and fantastic giveaways.

As of August 2020 there were almost 14,000 active subscribers largely located in Melbourne.

How to get involved

Sign-up via the homepage on visitmacedonranges.com and encourage your visitors to do so too.

You can also sign up via this direct link.

Promotional giveaway campaigns

We run promotional giveaway campaigns throughout the year to generate awareness about Macedon Ranges products and service offerings. These campaigns have also been instrumental in growing our visitor eNewsletter database, so we can reach our target market with exciting information about what’s happening in the destination.

The giveaways are promoted through Facebook campaigns, blog articles and e-newsletters 

How to get involved

We are always looking for suitable prizes for giveaways. If you are interested in offering a prize, email us at visitmacedonranges@mrsc.vic.gov.au for consideration.

Visitor Information Centres 

The Macedon Ranges Visitor Information Centres, located in Woodend and Kyneton, play a pivotal role in providing valuable information to visitors and the business community. Open seven days a week, our tourism officers and volunteers service an average of 20,000 visitors per annum across both centres.

In addition to displaying brochures and flyers of local tourism businesses, we produce our own in-house informational fact sheets and special interest brochures.

How to get involved

  • List your business on visitmacedonranges.com to stock brochures and flyers in both centres, and be included in any relevant fact sheets and in-house themed information brochures.
  • Showcase your business to our team of approximately 65 volunteers via scheduled famils and volunteer training programs, to ensure our volunteers are armed with up-to-date knowledge of tourism experiences in the region.
  • Communicate with the Visitor Information Centres regarding accommodation availability, change of opening hours, or change in ownership, to ensure volunteers are providing visitors with accurate and up to date information.
  • Enquire about setting up a one month visual display of your products and services in our centres.

For more information, email vic@mrsc.vic.gov.au or call (03) 5422 6785

Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW)

ATDW is Australia’s National Tourism Database of 40,000 listings, divided into 11 categories. Owned and funded by the Victorian Government, they collect, quality assure, store and then distribute Australia’s digital travel information to over 250 distributors (including Visit Victoria) to use on their consumer websites and apps.

For tourism operators who are listed in the database, they offer cost effective, digital distribution and significant online exposure, and online distributors are presented with easy access to accurate, up-to-date, consumer relevant tourism content.

Sign up

Daylesford Macedon Tourism

Daylesford Macedon Tourism is the industry’s peak tourism body for the Daylesford and Macedon Ranges region. It is an independent body, operating as a not for profit business, where all profits are reinvested back into developing and promoting the region. Visit Victoria and local government are key financial stakeholders in the organisation, providing core funding that underpins the organisation’s operations.    

As a regional tourism board, they are advocates for the region’s tourism sector, engaging with local, state and federal governments. They provide a variety of services and resources to local tourism businesses including a formal Partnership Program.

Learn more about Daylesford Macedon Tourism and their Partnership Program at dmrtourism.com.au

Our free Business Directory

In addition to listing your business on visitmacedonranges.com, you can list your business on Council's free online business directory for locals.

Our business database

Subscribe to the Economic Development and Tourism Department’s database to receive:

  • Monthly Business eNewsletters
  • Information about networking events and opportunities with other local businesses
  • Access to information, training and mentoring
  • Updates on government grants and programs

Email ecodevadmin@mrsc.vic.gov.au to sign up.