Getting digital for small businesses | Stuff.co.nz

With ever-increasing pressure for small businesses to produce continual content for blogs and other social media, how do SME owners ensure that what they write is worth reading and will generate growth and sales?

Content generation experts say small businesses have been on board with the need for a social media presence for some time, but are now realising it's not enough to simply tick the box on doing so.

They must also provide content that adds value for readers.

Richard Carter, who runs content-writing business Vernacular, said it's important to remember any publicly available content associated with your brand works like a shop window for the business - but with less opportunity to impress.

"With a shop window you at least get a second chance if people pop their head in the store anyway you can engage directly," he said.

"Or you can re-do the window and try to catch them the next time they pass.

"With online content you have a nanosecond to hook someone before they're on to the next thing.

"There are a lot of small businesses out there keen to stuff every crack and corner of the internet but without much thought about whether any of it is useful."

Here's five tips on how to provide quality content from industry insiders.

1. Plan ahead Duncan Munro, managing director or Write Click, said planning was everything when it came to digital content.

You had to think about who your audience was and what you're trying to achieve, and come up with a strategic plan.

"A lot of businesses will already have done a lot of that work as part of a marketing plan," he said.

"You just to need to think about how it can be refocused into a blog or other social media.

"Think about what the style and tone should be, to suit your audience. What does your audience like to read? You really need to get into the nitty gritty of who you are trying to reach and how best to engage them."

2. Keep on it Keep your content regularly maintained and updated.

"There's a lot of publish and forget," Munro said.

"Content is stranded online and left to fester."

It's important to make sure any content was current and that any user comments or feedback were responded to quickly, he said.

As part of your planning process identify how blog content would be managed and maintained.

There were a number of systems available that allow you to plan and write content well in advance that can then be automatically uploaded.

The trick for businesses, Munro said, was to find a balance between being having well-thought out and planned content, and meeting the expectation that online content was relevant and responsive to events.

Colin Kennedy, content writer for Iron Road Ltd said posting regularly also increased a business' chances of being found online.

"The more content you produce the more likely it is a search will uncover you," he said.

3. Avoid the hard sell Kennedy said the most important rule for online content was that people loved to shop but hated being sold to.

"The internet is the first stop now for people researching what to buy, or find a service," he said.

"If you can provide them with information that helps them make an informed decision, you begin to build a relationship and a trust with them.

"You can position yourself as an expert who can assist them. That is much more effective than content that is just a direct hard sell.

"People just won't be sold any more."

4. The devil is in the detail

Remember any content associated with your brand, was a reflection of it, Munro said.

It should be clear concise, factually correct and free of errors.

"People are exposed to so much more written information these days via the internet they are much more discerning about writing quality and standards," he said.

"They won't tolerate bloated, stagnant boring writing. They won't waste their time, they'll just click through to the next thing."

It came back to knowing your reader, he said. Think about what style, headlines and introductions are likely to hook them in.

5. Police yourself Carter said while some SMEs struggled to post blogs, for others the opposite problem was true.

"You don't need to write about everything and post it online," he said.

"Some businesses do suffer from a compulsion to over-publish.

"There is a human instinct for sharing that social media taps into it. Police yourself."

- ? Fairfax NZ News

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/small-business/8551698/Getting-digital-for-small-businesses

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