The Sunshine Coast – long known as an idyllic holiday and lifestyle destination with pristine beaches and warm seas – is also one of Australia’s fastest-growing innovation hubs. Since the launch of the Sunshine Coast International Broadband Network project in December 2019, backed by a $35 million investment from council and state, the region has landed a direct undersea fibre optic cable at Maroochydore, securing high-speed direct connectivity to Asia and the U.S. The project is expected to generate hundreds of millions in economic value and nearly 900 new jobs.
With NEXTDC committing A$200 million to build its second AI‑optimised data centre (SC2) in Maroochydore in 2025, the Sunshine Coast is firmly positioning itself as a hub for SaaS firms, cloud services and AI infrastructure.
Now is the time for local tech and SaaS companies to claim their place in this growth story. The region is brimming with investment, talent, and opportunity. But to truly stand out, you need more than a great product. You need a sophisticated marketing strategy that reflects the pace of innovation around you.
In this article, we’ll explore how you can do just that. Through localised marketing tactics, leveraging emerging trends in tech, and devising smart creative strategies, your brand can rise above the noise and become a standout success in Queensland’s fastest-growing innovation ecosystem.
Why tech companies can’t rely on just traditional marketing anymore
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…visibility doesn’t just come with a website and a LinkedIn page.
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In the Sunshine Coast’s rapidly evolving tech scene, visibility doesn’t just come with a website and a LinkedIn page.
Take the example of a Sunshine Coast-based SaaS startup with a strong product. It’s smart, and innovative, but instead of crafting a strategy that reflects its unique context, it lifts its marketing playbook directly from a Sydney competitor. Same tone, same campaign structure, even the same buyer personas. Chances are, it’ll struggle to gain traction, and the marketing dollars won’t deliver the ROI they’re expecting.
Why? Because success in the Sunshine Coast ecosystem isn’t just about what you’re selling. It’s about how and where you show up.
Behind the pristine waters, a growing tech ecosystem is being nurtured in Maroochydore city centre
Whether you’re marketing to local government, regional businesses, or global enterprises, your strategy needs to reflect your position in a fast-growing, distinct innovation hub. Your audience could include council decision-makers, mid-size businesses in health or tourism, or remote-first teams based in innovation precincts like the Maroochydore City Centre.
In this landscape, differentiation isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s essential. Especially with more tech players entering the region and the demands of longer, trust-led B2B sales cycles, recycled campaigns built for Silicon Valley or inner Sydney just won’t cut it.
To stand out, whether you’re targeting the Sunshine Coast, the national market, or beyond, you need marketing that’s sharp and place-aware. It also needs to align with how buyers actually make decisions in your space.
Current tech marketing trends to leverage
Let’s explore some of the marketing trends that savvy Sunshine Coast-based business leaders are already leveraging.
AI-powered personalisation
Today’s B2B buyers expect content and outreach tailored to their needs. This is especially true in a diverse region like the Sunshine Coast, where buyer personas range from government procurement leads to early-stage founders in coworking hubs.
Personalisation is key, but this can be a time-consuming and meticulous process. AI tools like HubSpot’s predictive lead scoring or ActiveCampaign’s behavioural tracking can help fast-track this and support precise audience segmentation and trigger timely, relevant communication. But to get real value from these tools, a sound strategy is imperative. The power of these tools allows businesses to work faster, but still requires detailed understanding of which tools actually work, and how to tailor them to different audiences, channels, and growth goals – or they could do more harm than good.
Leading with expertise through thought leadership
In emerging tech regions like the Sunshine Coast, trust is currency. Buyers want to know you’re not just selling a product. They want proof you understand their pain points and have a sophisticated and reliable solution.
Publishing locally relevant thought leadership can set your brand apart. What to publish will depend on your audience and your strategic goals. Perhaps it’s a guide on tax compliance for Queensland SMBs if you’re in financial services? Or a series of quick videos breaking down how your solution integrates with local council systems for a SaaS solution? Once again, making smart choices about what thought leadership would be relevant and useful for your audience is a key part of your content marketing strategy.
Take Clipchamp, a Brisbane-founded video editing platform. They built early traction by demystifying video workflows for time-poor marketers through how-to videos, webinars, and blog posts, becoming a go-to resource before ever pitching a sale. By helping users become more effective as they adopted the product, Clipchamp grew their brand and customer base, and they’re now part of Microsoft!
Community-led growth is gaining momentum
In our always-on digital world, LinkedIn marketing, email marketing, and other digital marketing tactics are justifiably popular. But let’s not forget that some of the best leads come from real-world connections. Startups like JESI, based in Townsville and now operating nationally, have tapped into regional university partnerships and innovation events to both grow their user base and hire talent.
Migration to the Sunshine Coast is at an all time high, bringing an influx tech entrepreneurs to the region.
Local meetups, hackathons, and partnerships with institutions like the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) are high-leverage marketing plays that can help SaaS firms root themselves in the community. Not only does this strategy build brand affinity, it also gives you direct access to early adopters and talent pipelines.
We’re fortunate to be a part of the community at the Peregian Digital Hub, and are constantly making new connections and learning from the myriad fascinating and innovative people in its orbit.
Innovative marketing strategies to stand out in a regional innovation hub
Lead with local storytelling
Your business may serve customers across Australia, or even the world, but its roots in the Sunshine Coast matter.
You’re part of a thriving, fast-growing innovation ecosystem that’s gaining national attention. Whether you’re creating local jobs, embracing sustainable practices, or helping modernise industries, your story is also part of this story: a region transforming into one of Australia’s most exciting tech communities. Don’t just market what you do. Highlight who you are, where you come from, and why that matters.
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Don’t just market what you do. Highlight who you are, where you come from, and why that matters.
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For example, startups working out of the Maroochydore City Centre innovation precinct often highlight their role in building a knowledge-based economy, aligning with the Sunshine Coast Council’s Regional Economic Development Strategy (REDS).
Embedding this kind of narrative into your content (via case studies, videos, even web copy) can build both trust and relevance, showing that you’re driven, ambitious and supporting growth in your regional community.
Build strategic local partnerships
Growth accelerates when you collaborate. Tech firms that partner with organisations like UniSC, regional coworking spaces (like Spark Bureau), or local councils gain access to:
- New audiences
- Shared resources
- Added credibility
A fintech startup, for example, could build early brand traction by co-hosting financial literacy webinars with a UniSC business faculty team. The result? A surge in inbound leads from local SMEs and sole traders seeking digital tools to manage cash flow, invoicing, or compliance in Queensland’s evolving regulatory landscape.
Look for alignment between your value proposition and regional priorities, whether that’s sustainability, education, or digital infrastructure. And build partnerships that elevate your message.
Tie your brand to the Sunshine Coast identity
When people think of the Sunshine Coast, they think of:
- Beach holidays in the sunshine
- Pristine natural beauty and outdoor adventures
- A laid back lifestyle
- Small towns and close communities
Smart tech marketers are using this identity to their advantage.
This doesn’t mean splashing beach imagery on your homepage. Instead, it means showing how your innovation aligns with what the Sunshine Coast represents: forward-thinking business that enhances how people live and work.
Data-led creative campaigns
Of course, being relatable is just one part of the engagement strategy, and creative campaigns need more than just clever copy, they need to drive results. This means your product marketing messages must be on point too – and this is where data becomes crucial.
Customer insights can guide sophisticated and effective marketing strategies tailored to your specific audience. For example:
Behavioural insights can reveal what content or features resonate most with different user segments.
Heatmaps show how users navigate your site, helping you optimise layout and messaging.
CRM triggers allow for timely, personalised outreach that aligns with specific user actions or stages in the buyer journey.
Getting this right takes more than raw data. It takes strategic interpretation, creative confidence, and a deep understanding of local context. That’s why tech companies here are turning to an experienced Sunshine Coast marketing agency like The Walk, who know how to blend analytics with brand storytelling, to help you create campaigns that feel both smart and human.
For example, using engagement data from beta users, a SaaS company might create a quirky, meme-led campaign based on real user pain points, internal jokes, or shared experiences (e.g., red tape, budget battles, software rollouts). The series could be tailored to a specific audience, such as local government, which would make the audience feel seen by creating emotional resonance, and also gain more eyeballs and clicks via social sharing.
By pairing local insight with creative experimentation, your brand can stand out. Not just in the Sunshine Coast, but anywhere your growth ambitions take you.
Final thoughts: Make your mark in a booming innovation hub
Standing out in a fast-growing, high-trust environment means a strategic approach to marketing, and building campaigns rooted in place, purpose, and data.
At The Walk, we help tech brands do just that.
Our integrated approach is designed to ensure your brand is remembered in the right way, at the right moment. Right when your audience is ready to act.
By combining sharp creative with targeted, audience-relevant channels, we bring your message to life with clarity and consistency. That means you’re not just seen; you’re remembered, trusted, and chosen. Whether you’re looking to scale awareness, drive adoption, or grow your presence at a local, national or global level, we’ll help you position your brand as a standout success story in the Sunshine Coast tech boom.
This is a moment of extraordinary opportunity, with major investment, top-tier talent, and a region on the rise. Now is the time to write your brand into that story.
Let’s make sure you don’t just keep pace with the growth; you help define it.
