Media Release - Telstra Business Awards

19 June 2012 – A Coffs Harbour business is among 24 businesses named today as finalists in the 2012 Telstra NSW Business Awards which will be announced in Sydney on 25 July. Coffs Coast Health Club is a finalist in both the HTC Start-Up Award and the Telstra Regional Award categories.
Duncan Marchant took over Coffs Coast Health Club in 2009 and has invested in making it a safer, cleaner, well maintained facility with supportive and qualified staff. The club has more than 1200 members and caters for the experienced and beginners, both young and old.
The business has forged close relationships with local businesses, community groups, schools and allied health professionals and also receives a consistent flow of doctor referrals for rehabilitation due to the trust they have in the professionalism and quality of the staff.
Telstra Country Wide Area General Manager for the North Coast, Sue Passmore, said: “Congratulations to Coffs Coast Health Club on getting this far. It’s a great achievement that helps shine the light not only on their success but the wider local business community.
“Local businesses deserve recognition as they are the backbone of local economies. It is also encouraging to see that the 2012 Awards finalists have embraced the internet and social media to help them broaden their customer base and improve their customer service levels,” Ms Passmore said.
HTC Australia’s Country Manager Ben Hodgson said: “It is fantastic to see the level of innovation and determination displayed by these young businesses that have been named as finalists in the HTC Start-Up category. They have already achieved great success and we look forward to watching them further establish and grow their businesses”.
Analysis of the 24 NSW finalists showed: 
  • All of the finalists have adopted social media for marketing, with the top platform being Facebook, followed by company blogs, LinkedIn and Twitter.
  • All of the finalists have their own website with more than 95 per cent updating it at least monthly and half at least weekly;
  • Many invested in Search Engine Optimisation with 23 of the finalists having their website appearing on the first page, 45 per cent in the top three results; and
  • All of the businesses had a structured system to monitor their with a social media presence.
  • More than half of businesses are using the internet to garner customer satisfaction feedback; and
  • The businesses reported customer satisfaction averaging 93 per cent.
For more information, please visit Telstra Business Awards.