Running a regional or rural business in Australia is no small feat. You’re often wearing a dozen hats, juggling supply chains, staffing issues, and still showing up for your customers like a legend. But when it comes to marketing, many regional businesses feel stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure where to begin.
Here are the top 10 marketing challenges faced by regional businesses across the country — and why understanding them is the first step to overcoming them.
1. No In-House Marketing Team? Join the Club.
Most small regional businesses don’t have a dedicated marketing person. Instead, it’s the owner, the admin assistant, or even a family member trying to keep up with social media, email updates, and advertising.
Why it matters: Without dedicated expertise, marketing becomes reactive instead of strategic. Branding, messaging, and digital presence can suffer as a result.
The fix: Outsourcing to a regional-focused agency or freelancer can provide structure, consistency, and expert advice without the overhead of full-time staff.
FREE RESOURCE: 4 Steps to Powerful and Effective Branding
2. There’s Never Enough Time
In small towns, marketing often becomes a "when-we-can" task — squeezed in between restocking shelves and filling in for staff. The result? Inconsistent messaging and lost opportunities.
Why it matters: Consistency builds trust and clarity. Sporadic marketing means your audience may forget you exist.
Quick win: Even setting aside two hours a week for content planning can create a noticeable difference. Automation tools (like Meta Business Suite and Mailchimp) can help free up your time.
3. Good Talent is Hard to Find
Attracting skilled marketing professionals to regional areas is a long-standing challenge. Remote roles help, but often city-based marketers don’t understand the local context, tone, or audiences.
Why it matters: A marketing strategy built for a Melbourne café won’t necessarily work for a cafe in Narrabri!
Solution: Regional businesses need marketers who understand regional culture and voice, and community dynamics.
4. The Website Needs Work (or Doesn’t Exist)
Many regional businesses still rely on Facebook as their main digital presence, or have outdated websites that aren’t mobile-friendly.
Why it matters: 85% of Australians search online before buying. If your website doesn’t exist or isn’t user-friendly, you’re invisible to a huge chunk of potential customers.
SEO Tip: Even a simple, mobile-optimised site with local keywords can dramatically improve your visibility in Google search results.
5. “I Don’t Know What Works Anymore”
With so many platforms and tools, it’s hard to know where to focus. Should you do Facebook Ads? Email newsletters? Google Ads? TikTok?
Why it matters: Without a clear strategy, marketing becomes a guessing game, leading to wasted time and money. In short, you don’t end up doing any of it well!
Note on Google Ads: Many "big city" techniques don’t translate well to regional markets due to smaller population sizes and niche customer bases. Google Ads can work, but only when campaigns are geo-targeted, budget-conscious, and aligned with search demand.
FREE RESOURCE: The First Step in Your Marketing Strategy
6. Brand? What Brand?
Many regional businesses don’t have a defined brand identity — no clear tone of voice, visual consistency, or story. That makes it hard to build customer loyalty or stand out from the competition.
Why it matters: A strong brand creates trust and makes you instantly recognisable. It also boosts word-of-mouth referrals and online engagement.
The fix: Develop a basic brand guide — including your colours, logo rules, tone, and key messages. Consistency is key.
7. Over-relying on Word-of-Mouth
Word-of-mouth is powerful in the bush, but it only goes so far. If you’re not online, new customers, especially visitors from out of town, may never find you.
Why it matters: Digital presence broadens your audience. It also means you’re less vulnerable to seasonal lulls or local economic shifts.
What you can do: Encourage happy customers to leave Google Reviews and tag you on social media. That digital word-of-mouth goes much further.
8. Tight Budgets and Competing Priorities
Marketing is often seen as an expense, not an investment. When budgets are tight, it's the first thing cut. But in truth, it's one of the few tools that can grow revenue.
Why it matters: If people don’t know about you, they can’t buy from you. Even modest investments can yield strong returns with the right strategy.
Tip: Focus on low-cost, high-impact actions like improving your Google Business profile, creating local SEO content, or running a seasonal email campaign.
9. Digital Fatigue & Tech Overload
New tools, trends, and platforms emerge constantly — Reels, AI content, SEO updates, and more. It’s exhausting to keep up, especially when you’re already time-poor.
What to do: You don’t have to be everywhere. Focus on the 1-2 platforms your customers actually use and do those well. It’s about connection, not perfection.
FREE RESOURCE: How to Leverage AI for your Regional Marketing
10. Not Owning Your Regional Story
Many businesses don’t realise how powerful their story is. Regional resilience, creativity, and community connection are what make you different — and magnetic.
Why it matters: People buy from people, especially those they relate to. Your regional story is an asset.
Tip: Share behind-the-scenes moments, celebrate your team, and showcase what makes your place special. You’ll attract not just customers, but advocates.
PLUG - Check out our new docu-series, ‘You Can’t do that in the Bush’ - premiering on YouTube May 27, 2025!
Final Word: You Don’t Have to Do It Alone
Marketing can feel overwhelming, especially in regional areas. But with the right support, tools, and strategy, it becomes one of your most powerful growth levers.
At Blue Clay Creatives, we specialise in regional marketing and storytelling. Our team lives and breathes the bush, and we know what works for communities just like yours. Whether you need a social media strategy, website revamp, SEO help or a full content marketing package, we can tailor a solution to suit your needs — and your budget.
Let’s make your story stand out. Get in touch today to chat about how we can support your next chapter.
