As social distancing measures become a fact of life for Edinburgh businesses, more and more entrepreneurs, small business owners, retailers, publicans, and restaurateurs suddenly find themselves in the unlikely situation of running an online business.
For those of us who aren’t digitally native, such as brick & mortar store owners who are pivoting to an online delivery model or cafe and restaurant owners who are suddenly in the order online and pick-up business model, learning the ins and outs of succeeding online can be an uphill battle.
What experienced digital business leaders understand that folks new to this territory may not is that content is king. Content is the bread and butter of the internet. It is the bricks that your online store is made from. It is the fundamental, foundational and critical ingredient of your website, social media strategy and marketing plan all depend on.
What is content? Content is every word you read online. The words on your website is content. Your company Facebook status update is content. Your email newsletter is content. And if you’re reading this article, then yep, you’re reading a piece of (hopefully useful) content.
Good content is purposeful. It is created with a specific goal in mind. Website content is strategically created so as to drive search-engine traffic to your homepage. Social media updates are designed to get engagement and keep your brand on people’s minds. Newsletter content is written so as to drive immediate sales. Articles are written to inform, educate and to build a relationship with your audience.
Creating good content is hard work. It involves researching your audience’s needs and frustrations. It involves staying up to date on the latest Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tips and tricks. It means understanding the fundamentals of copywriting so you can drive busy readers to interrupt their day and actually take out their credit card and buy something.
Some entrepreneurs who are adapting to the online world try to write the content themselves. Others prefer to focus on the day to day running of their business, and outsource the hard work of content writing to professionals. Content agencies make an effort to understand the needs of your business and your audience, and write the content for you so you don’t have to.
Experienced content agencies know how to create useful and relevant material for all markets, from email newsletters for restaurants, blog posts for information markets, webpages for educational institutions to iGaming content and more.
So if you’re resigned to the new online reality but want to keep your mind where it needs to be, consider letting a content agency take this one new challenge off your hands.
