A beautiful website is an important business asset, but on its own, probably won't build a strong and loyal customer base.
More and more small business owners are realising that customer buy-in online is about connecting with a brand, and that the key to securing that buy-in is to create compelling content; blogs, infographics, research or newsletters that current and potential customers will engage with and want to follow.
If they want to generate a real buzz around their online presence they need to think carefully about that content should look like, and who will read it.
Be honest when considering your ideas, advises Andrew Atalla, founder of online marketing agency atom42.
He says: "Ask yourself, will your planned content really make people gasp? Will it make people want to act? If it does, it will be much more shareable. If you believe there's a lack of interest in your own area of expertise, think sideways and brainstorm areas that are connected with your industry in some way.
"If you work in property maintenance, for example, you might be regularly exposed to interiors trends which you could blog about. Alternatively, you might be able to collect first-hand statistics on the cost of maintaining different styles of property. There's always an angle which will make your content more appealing."
As with all other areas of an online presence, including social media and marketing campaigns, small firms need to be strategic with their content planning.
Joseph Livingstone, head of content at marketing agency Axonn Media says: "Be realistic about your goals. A content audit will reveal areas of weakness that need urgent attention and will also show what can be repurposed. Your strategy should be managed by someone with some online savvy who thinks like a publisher when planning activities."
Creating an attractive and content-rich website has never been easier, thanks to online tools such as Wordpress, which is inexpensive, easy to set up and use, and allows small firms to create professional-looking websites regardless of whether they have any design expertise.
Business applications like Office 365 from O2 make for easy handling of documents, images and other component elements of online content that can be uploaded to the website from any location and any device.
Then comes the real challenge; keeping the content relevant and up to date.
"Unless you are sure that you can spare the time to keep a blog or content pool up to date, don't do it; there's nothing worse than seeing a blog that was last updated many months ago," says Vikas Shah, founder of textile supply firm Swiscot.
Ensuring a regular supply of fresh content will provide search engines with 'fresh meat' - Google loves new content – and will keep the audience engaged.
Mary Stringer, consultant at marketing agency Resonates, says: "We need to keep up a steady flow of content in order to maximise engagement on our various platforms, including our website, blog, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., and we spread responsibility across our small team to ensure that everyone contributes and everyone feels responsible for keeping our platforms fresh and looked after."
Resonates' online content is always published by the same person, and the company sets a target for posts, for example, one blog post per week, three tweets per week, etc., with content scheduled where appropriate to ensure a steady flow rather than a haphazard 'as and when' approach.
"We run content concepts past the manager to ensure it aligns with our overall company messaging and appeals to who we're trying to engage. To pull it all together and tighten up our web presence we interlink between platforms, promoting the blog from Facebook and Twitter, and promoting the website from articles in the press," adds Stringer.
Tools like O2 Social Insights allow you to keep tabs on your social output, and how it compared to your competitors or perhaps companies you admire in other sectors.
Small business owners often underestimate the time that quality content generation can take, and may want to consider seeking outside help.
Some ask their suppliers or customers to contribute articles to the site. Others engage the services of a copywriter; a more costly option, but one that can save time and prove invaluable to those who are not confident in their own writing skills.
Customers can also be a source of inspiration for online content, says Jeremy John, managing director of digital agency Webstars.
He says: "Keep your ears open to the kinds of discussions they are having online, and the type of content they are sharing and discussing on social media platforms, and ask them which subjects are of most interest and use to them.
"Use sites such as Buzzsumo.com for research into the topics suggested. Such sites also have the advantage of letting you know how popular specific content is on the different social media channels, so you can tailor your output even more specifically to your customers. This is how you become a real presence in your particular online community."
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This content has been paid for and produced to a brief agreed with O2 Business, whose brand it displays
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