Who I am
I’m Sharon Smithers, founder of Bees To Honey Marketing.
I work with regional businesses, artists, venues, and community organisations who are doing genuinely good work — but feel pressured to “show up online” constantly just to stay visible.
Over the years, I’ve seen the same pattern.
Talented, hardworking people spending hours trying to keep up with social media…
Writing posts late at night…
Feeling guilty when they don’t post…
Wondering if they’re being “consistent enough.”
Meanwhile, the actual business still needs running.
Social media was meant to be a tool.
Somewhere along the way, it became a full-time job.
Websites sit half-finished.
About pages stay blank.
Messaging feels rushed or unclear.
Not because people don’t care — but because they’re stretched.
And because no one taught them how to build visibility in a way that fits real life.
That’s where I come in.
I don’t believe in chasing algorithms or posting for the sake of noise.
I help you clarify your message, strengthen your foundations, and build visibility in a way that feels steady — not frantic.
Because marketing shouldn’t compete with your business.
It should support it.
And when your story is clear, your message is aligned, and your strategy makes sense — you don’t need to shout to be seen.
What we do
Collaboration
is how communities grow
Bees To Honey Marketing exists to connect local arts, events, businesses, and community organisations in practical ways that strengthen regional towns.
This work is built on one simple belief:
Collaboration isn’t a concept.
It’s an action.
In regional communities especially, nothing thrives in isolation.
A café relies on local producers; An event relies on venues, sponsors, and volunteers; An artist relies on audiences and promotion.
A town relies on all of them.
When those connections aren’t visible, opportunity gets lost.
Our role is to help make those connections clear, usable, and sustainable — so that visibility isn’t left to chance, and growth doesn’t depend on who shouts the loudest.
We create platforms, strategies, and partnerships that help local people rise together — not compete in silos.
Because strong regions aren’t built by individuals marketing harder.
They’re built by communities working smarter.
Where it Started
Again and again, the same pattern appeared
Bees To Honey Marketing grew out of hands-on work with local businesses, arts organisations, community groups, and regional events across the Hilltops and beyond.
And over time, a clear rhythm became visible:
Events brought people into town.
Arts activity created energy and identity.
Local businesses benefited from increased visitation.
But promotion was often fragmented.
One group would advertise here.
Another would post there.
Businesses would hope visitors “found” them.
Everyone was working hard — but rarely together.
Instead of treating each piece separately, the focus shifted to connection.
Not just marketing individual businesses.
Not just promoting single events.
But building systems that allow stories, events, venues, sponsors and businesses to support one another over time.
Because real regional growth doesn’t come from one-off campaigns.
It comes from visible, repeatable collaboration.
Collaboration in Action
Arts events attract visitors.
Visitors support local businesses.
Local businesses sustain towns
This isn’t theory. It’s visible in real time.
One of the clearest examples of this approach is the
Hilltops Off The Beaten Track Arts & Cultural Trail.
The Trail brings together artists, performers, open studios, exhibitions, venues and businesses across the Hilltops region.
It’s presented by:
Hilltops Arts Inc, a volunteer organisation driving sponsorship, grants and financial aspects and providing the hub for entertainment at Southern Cross Cinema and Arts Complex.
Young Society of Artists Inc, driving participation, organisation and the know-how around everything ‘art’.
Bees To Honey Marketing, driving the platform, the collaboration and the marketing
The result isn’t just an arts program.
It’s increased:
Movement of locals around the Hilltops.
Visitation and extendend stays in the Hilltops.
Spending in cafés, accommodation, retail and local services.
This work is driven by volunteers and community members who understand something fundamental:
Community and Culture isn’t separate from the local economy. It strengthens it.
When artists, venues, businesses and community groups are promoted together, everyone benefits — not just for a weekend, but over time.
Because collaboration isn’t a slogan.
It’s a strategy.
Hilltops Connect
Hilltops Connect grew naturally from this same thinking.
If collaboration strengthens regions, then visibility should reflect that.
Hilltops Connect is a shared visibility platform built by Bees To Honey Marketing — designed to help local businesses, events, creatives and community organisations be found, understood, and supported together, rather than competing for attention in isolation.
Local businesses and services.
Events and markets.
Artists and creatives.
Accommodation, food, and tourism experiences.
Community groups and volunteers.
Into one connected, searchable space.
The goal isn’t to promote one thing louder than another.
It’s to make the whole local ecosystem easier to see, easier to navigate, and easier to support.
Because when visitors can clearly see what’s happening in a region — and locals can easily discover what’s around them — economic and community momentum builds naturally.
Hilltops Connect isn’t just a directory.
It’s a visibility system built around collaboration.
The role of Bees To Honey Marketing
Collaboration doesn’t coordinate itself.
Collaboration doesn’t coordinate itself.
Bees To Honey Marketing provides the structure that helps it work.
We design and manage the platforms that connect local businesses, creatives, events and community groups.
We shape clear, practical stories people feel confident sharing.
We build reusable content and visibility systems that reduce pressure — not add to it.
We support promotion around real moments: exhibitions, launches, seasonal campaigns, regional events.
We help organisations and business owners work together more effectively, with clarity rather than chaos.
This isn’t about adding more marketing noise.
It’s about building practical infrastructure that supports the people already doing the work.
Our approach is calm, grounded and human — because many of the people we work with are volunteers, small teams, or business owners already juggling a full plate.
Marketing shouldn’t overwhelm regional communities.
It should strengthen them.
Why Collaboration Matters
Why This Matters For You
If you run a regional business, event, arts organisation or community group, you already know this:
You don’t operate in isolation.
Your success is tied to the visibility of the region around you.
When local activity is easy to see, understand and engage with, everyone benefits.
When it’s fragmented or invisible, momentum slows.
Bees To Honey exists to help reduce that fragmentation — so your efforts reach further.
This work is grounded in the Hilltops region — shaped by real towns, real volunteers, and real business owners.
But the principles apply anywhere.
Collaboration over competition.
Shared visibility instead of fragmented promotion.
Stories and systems that keep working long after a single campaign ends.
Regional communities across Australia face the same challenge:
Great people doing meaningful work — without the infrastructure to make it visible.
Bees To Honey Marketing exists to help build that infrastructure.
Locally first.
And wherever communities are ready to work together.