Your Mate Agency

19/06/2026

New Weekend's out, free copies all over Gippsland this weekend.

This fortnight's "What The Tech?" column is one for the tourism operators. There's a national database called the ATDW that quietly feeds your listing onto Visit Victoria, visitgippsland.com.au and the rest. A lot of local businesses are either not on it at all, or haven't touched their listing since about 2019.

It's where most visitors start planning their trip, so it's worth two minutes to check yours is there and up to date. School holiday trips are being booked right now.

Full read on page 14.

🎉 Gippsland Weekend is OUT NOW! 🎉

Grab your FREE copy from stores across Gippsland and discover what's happening this winter festival season. ❄️🔥

Prefer to read online? Head to the link in bio.

12/06/2026

Winter in East Gippsland isn't the off-season. Metung's about to prove it.

The 2026 Winter Festival is bringing Fire & Ice, a Winter Market, Igloo Dining on the water, and the Riversleigh Masquerade Ball to town, and we've put together a local's guide with all the dates, venues and what's worth booking early.

Whether you're a local planning your winter or you know someone who needs convincing that Gippsland does winter properly, the full guide is here.

A local's guide to the 2026 East Gippsland Winter Festival in Metung — Fire & Ice, the Winter Market, Igloo Dining, Riversleigh Masquerade Ball, dates and venues.

27/05/2026

Finally, an AI tool that might actually be useful for small businesses!

Claude can now jump into your QuickBooks, PayPal, and other business tools to handle the boring stuff - reconciling books, chasing invoices, updating customer records.

Instead of spending your Sunday afternoon doing admin, you could be developing new products or just having a life outside the business.

It's not cheap and it's still new tech, but for businesses drowning in paperwork, this could be a proper game-changer.

What's the most annoying admin task you'd love to hand over to a robot?

09/05/2026

New column in the Gippsland Weekend.

The short version: "AI saves you 10 hours a week" is mostly rubbish.

Most small business owners I chat with around East Gippsland have tried ChatGPT. Drafted an email, written a Facebook post, asked it to do something. Result was almost-right but not-quite. The tone was off. By the time they'd rewritten it to sound like them, they wondered if they'd have been faster typing it themselves.

That's the trap. AI doesn't write your post — it writes a first draft of your post. The work isn't gone, it's just shifted. From writing to reviewing.

The big AI companies don't talk about that part. They tell you about the time saved, not the time you spend cleaning up after it. And for a sole operator, that cleanup time is the whole game.

AI is genuinely useful. I use it every day. But it's a tool, not a magician. The only honest question worth asking is: am I actually saving time, or just feeling busier in a different way?

Grab a copy of the Weekender if you're around, or read on page 12 at https://www.gippslandweekend.com.au/magazine/12/

07/05/2026

There's actually decent grant money available for East Gippsland businesses wanting to go digital in 2026. Business Support Voucher Program offers up to $10K, Regional Business Digital Solutions up to $50K, even local Council grants up to $2.5K.

The trick? Don't just say "we want a website." Show how digital upgrades will solve real business problems and grow revenue.

Anyone applied for business grants before? How'd you find the process?

02/05/2026

Just saw some interesting data about Facebook comments that'll make you rethink how you handle your business page.

Buffer analysed over a million Facebook posts and found something pretty telling: businesses that actually reply to comments get 9.5% more engagement on their posts. The algorithm notices when you're having real conversations with your customers.

Most small businesses post great content then disappear. But the magic happens in the comments — that's where you build trust and show there's a real person behind the business.

How often do you reply to comments on your business posts?

29/04/2026

I've had multiple calls from people in town after a referral — printer playing up, laptop running slow, wi-fi dropping out.

Each time the same story. They'd been quoted a round trip to Eden, Lakes, or spent half a day on hold with someone in a call center who gave them no resolution.

So I figured I'd make it official.

If you've got a tech problem in Mallacoota — laptop, phone, printer, wi-fi, smart TV, whatever — give me a call before you drive two hours, wait on hold for three or send it off shore. I'll have a chat over the phone first, work out what's going on, and let you know if it's something I can sort locally. If it's not, I'll tell you straight up and point you in the right direction.

No jargon. No upselling you a new machine when the old one just needs a clean.

Send a DM or call Your Mate Matt — 0478 101 521.

23/04/2026

New column in the Gippsland Weekend today.

The short version: your Instagram page isn't actually yours.

You're renting space from Meta. And like any rental, the landlord can change the rules, raise the rent, or evict you whenever they feel like it. Happens every week — accounts suspended for the wrong hashtag, pages disappearing overnight because of a password reset nobody noticed.

I'm not saying ditch social. Still useful. But it shouldn't be the foundation of your business.

The things you actually own: your website. Your email list. Your Google Business Profile.

Social is the billboard on the highway. It's not the shop.

Grab a copy of the Weekender if you're around — full piece inside.

20/04/2026

If your competitor keeps showing up ahead of you in Google searches, they probably have way more reviews than you do! 🌟

Google reviews are huge for local rankings. Here's the key: ask right after providing great service (within 48 hours), use your direct review link, and respond to every review.

Never buy fake reviews though - Google's penalties will hurt your business badly.

What's been your biggest challenge with getting customer reviews? 👇

Send a message to learn more

06/04/2026

Winter hitting your coastal business hard?

Most operators go digital dark during off-season. Massive mistake.

While you're hibernating, smart competitors are:
✅ Building search rankings with fresh content
✅ Nurturing email lists for return bookings
✅ Creating evergreen local guides
✅ Staying visible on Google Business Profile

Come spring, guess who shows up first in tourist searches?

Winter isn't about surviving — it's prep time for summer domination.

Full guide in the comments.