3C Digital

Digital Marketing for Small Business

content creation

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What not to do on your small business blog

What not to do on your small business blog

  1. Plagiarise
  2. Copying and pasting other articles
  3. Not crediting sources
  4. Not using quotes
  5. Not researching trends

We’ve previously written about why small business websites need a blog. Not only does it help with your SEO ranking, it also provides good information for your customers (if you do it right). It’s a lot of hassle, we know. It can also be quite daunting especially if you’re new at this. In this post, we will give you some tips on what NOT to do on your blog. You really need to read this because we’ve seen these mistakes in some of our clients. And they can get you in trouble.

Plagiarise

This is the most serious one of the lot. What is plagiarism? It’s when you copy all or part of an article published somewhere else, written by someone else, and then passing it of as your own. You and your small business can get in serious trouble with this. No matter how ‘small’ the website is, or how unknown, you shouldn’t just copy and paste the content and put it on your site. We’ve met clients where their previous ‘website guy’ just copied and pasted entire articles from another website. Then they just placed a tiny accreditation of the website at the bottom of the page. That’s still plagiarism.

Not crediting sources

If you are using a part of the content from another website or source, you need to make sure you credit them. How do you do this? Add their name on the post you’re writing, with link to their website and their position. You always give credit to the website/writer and use quotations marks when you lift a blurb from a certain article. Also, linking out to the original article is also good for your SEO. Not giving credit where credit is due is just bad form. And also, it makes your small business blog look dodgy.

Not researching trends

There are hot topics in your small business industry all the time. You want your content to stay current so you need to do some research as to what everyone is talking about right now. If you don’t do your research you are going to get left behind. Also, it will be good for your small business to stay on top of things if you figure out what’s hot and what’s not. Pick a hot topic, find your angle, and write a post on your blog about it. Your spin to the latest trend will make your content original and relevant.

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How to create your small business ebook

How to create your small business ebook

  1. Organise your content
  2. Start with your keywords
  3. Write it up and edit
  4. Repurpose old blog posts
  5. Do the layout and spellcheck

Small business ebooks are one of the most valuable things you can give away to your followers/customers especially if it’s full of useful goodness. Remember that you are a subject matter expert. You know your stuff and you can use that knowledge and share it with potential customers. It seems like such a big thing to do but it’s actually not that hard. In this post we will give you some easy steps on creating your ebook.

Organise your ebook content

Your small business ebook doesn’t have to be super long but it does need a theme. Think of three themes around your business. Start with the keywords you use to describe it and build on that. Choose one theme that you think your audience will find super useful and then pick five sub-topics under that. Once you have the sub-topics, do a quick outline of the article. Add the intro, your three sub-headings and then a call-to-action. Each post can be based on that so you have consistency in your ebook and a template for future ones.

Write it up and edit your small business ebook

If you have a blog then this part should be easier. You can just pick and choose the blog posts you want to include then edit or repurpose it. There are readers who don’t have the time to read your blog posts when it comes out. But they may find it easier to read when it’s all in one ebook so they can read it on their phones or tablets when they’re out. If you don’t have a blog post that’s fine, too. Just organise your content according to our tips above. Not a writer? That’s okay. Make it conversational and you should be fine. Also, spellcheck before you publish it. We can’t emphasise that enough.

Do the layout

This part is actually not the hardest part of the process even without design experience. Although we used to use InDesign, we found that Canva is the easiest and fastest option for designing ebooks. To make it even easier, create a template for all your future small business ebooks. That way all you’ll need to do is replace the text and photos and you won’t have to keep recreating the design. It also keeps your branding consistent throughout all your platforms. Make sure the design includes clear CTAs, URLs and contact information. Think about what you want your customers to do with the information on the ebook. And what you want them to do afterwards. Don’t miss this opportunity to ask for the sales.

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How to write good content for your small business website

How to write good content for your small business website

    1. Choose your topics
    2. Create content calendar
    3. Be as descriptive as possible for titles
    4. Outline each topic
    5. Write it like a conversation

Why is there a need to have regular fresh good content on your website? It’s a question we get a lot from our clients. It is one of their main concern and understandably so. Writing and posting fresh content on the website takes time and effort that you’d rather pour into growing your small business. It is also quite taxing especially if creating content isn’t your forte. We totally understand the concern. But like we mentioned in our previous post, useful content helps with your ongoing SEO strategy. In this post, we will tell you three easy ways to write good content for your small business website.

Choose your topics

Create a content calendar ahead of time so you don’t grapple for topics to choose for that month. It can be a simple Excel sheet, or even something you write down in a notebook somewhere. We suggest creating a content calendar for three months. Write down the titles and make it as descriptive as possible. Some examples of topics we’ve used on our site are ‘3 Ways to get followers to your small business Facebook page’ or ‘3 Tips when using Instagram for your small business’. Both titles not only give readers an immediate idea of what it’s about, it also gives us an idea where the content is heading so we can write it easily. Also, it’s really good for SEO, so win win win!

Outline each topic

Once you’ve listed the topics and the titles you want to write, it’s time for the outline. Sounds complicated? Not really. To make it simpler for you, keep the outline short. For each topic, write three points that you want to expand when you start writing it. For instance, when we created the outline for this post, we simply wrote down the title then the three points we were going to discuss. The outline went something like this, title, point 1, point 2 and point 3. That’s it! You already know what you want to say each point so you don’t need to add elaborate details. You can add more details if it helps you write faster in the future or if there’s a point you want to emphasise. Do what works for you.

Write like you’re talking to them

Remember that it’s just a conversation. You want to impart your wisdom and expertise to the readers you are targeting. Always remember that you are a subject matter expert. You have a lot to say so don’t be afraid to own it. You don’t need super fancy words to get your point across. In fact, we prefer non fancy words because it’ll be easier to convey your message. Most people just want digestible information that they can consume on their mobile phones. By making your content conversational and easy to understand, you’ll be able to connect with your audience more.

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Be the subject matter expert

Be the subject matter expert

Small business owners are the best subject matter experts. You don’t believe us? Keep reading below as to why we think so.

Running your own small business isn’t a small feat. There are learning curves so steep it sometimes seem insurmountable. But you figure it out, and you use your skills to run your business.

In the process of doing so, you learn a thing or two on top of the things you already know. The knowledge you have makes you an expert. Here are some steps to help you figure out what you’re an expert of.

What have you learned?

Think about the business you’re running. The fact that you have a business means there is a skill there that you can talk about. Now add to that the things you learned while researching how to set up your own business. That’s another thing you can talk about with authority. No one else went through that same exact journey as you. But what you went through will help others who are thinking of doing the same thing as you.

Be the subject matter expertWhat were your mistakes?

Yes, your mistakes. You can either be embarrassed by it or you can use it to your advantage. With every mistake comes a lesson learned. Your issues with permits, financial advise, picking a location, so on and so forth are great experiences that can become even better subject matters. You’d be amazed just how much information you know that are important to other businesses or aspiring business owners. How did you solve the problems? What could you have done better? Think about all the hardships you’ve gone through and the lessons you learned along the way.

What were your questions?

Think of all the questions you asked before you set up your business. The answers you accumulated over time through your own research and personal experiences are great resources for others. Write them down and think of what you went through to figure out the answers. Did anyone help you? Did you seek professional advice? Were there free events you went to that helped you? Share the external resources you have learned over time.

 

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Why your small business needs a blog

If you are a small business owner you might have wondered why your business needs a blog. What is a blog anyway? A blog can be part of your website that’s written in an informal tone, aimed to give you more credibility while providing free helpful information to your readers and customers at the same time. In this post, we will discuss why your small business blog will help you.

A blog gives you street cred

You know that you know what you’re doing but aside from family and friends, others might not know that. Writing blog posts on topics related to your business will show to your customers (and potential customers) that you know what you are talking about. You are the expert of your business. That expertise will show when you share knowledge that others find helpful. You might think you have very little to share or talk about but if you sat down and thought about it, you’ll find that there’s more than you initially thought.

small business blogIt helps people find your site

A well written, helpful and SEO-healthy blog post is a big boost for your website’s online presence. Without making it too complicated, it basically means when people Google certain topics ones that you’ve written about on your blog will pop up on the search. But you need to make sure that your blog posts are SEO healthy. Stuff like featured image, internal and external links as well as keywords will help boost your online presence.

A blog helps convert readers into customers

Your blog posts will show readers you know your business and your products/services inside and out. This gives them confidence that you are there for the long haul. It also shows them that you can help them with whatever it is that they need because you have the capability to do it. The confidence they have on you will convert them into new customers. Once they become customers, and they love you, they will then share your site and blog posts on their social media sites, bringing new readers to your website. It’s an evergreen process.

If you need ideas for blog topics, try Googling ‘blog ideas generator’ – there are plenty of sites out there that can help you.

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3 Things to remember when setting up your website

Things to remember when setting up your website

  1. Pick a good copywriter
  2. Make sure your copy is compelling
  3. Use professional photos
  4. Ask for a quote and what’s included
  5. Set a timeline on when it’ll be finished

For some, creating a website can be quite daunting. Seeing codes and management systems that are unfamiliar can be enough to give you a headache. But in this day and age, having an online presence is important for small businesses. Here are some things to consider when setting up your website.

It’s not as expensive as you think

Gone are the days when your website will cost over $15,000 to create. The truth is that you only need to pay that much money if you want a complicated site that requires a lot of things (i.e., ecommerce, donations etc). If you just want something beautiful and/or professional but pretty straightforward, your annual cost for hosting and domain registration can be as low as $50 a year. All you’ll have to do is pick a ready-made template from the thousands of website designers out there who sell their templates from $69 up.

Pick a good copywriter

The design of your site is as good as the words written on it. There are a lot of copywriters out there who can express what you want to your clients in the best possible way. Go through their previous work and decide the best one that suits you. It is best to pick copywriters who have previous experience with writing copy for a small business website, that way they can also help you with things like the best way to present your business.

Get a good photo

Don’t use a selfie for your About page. This doesn’t mean that you need to hire an expensive professional photographer. These days, smartphones have great resolutions for photos. All you need to do is make sure you have a great background, great lighting and a great flattering pose. It’s a matter of knowing how to take a good photo more than buying expensive equipment. We all know that budget is tight but it doesn’t have to mean you have an amateur photo.