Using skills and expertise accumulated running digital media for the England & Wales Cricket Board for 15 years, my mission now is to help local Brentwood area businesses maximise the opportunity from their digital content. I believe that everyone should have quality content illuminating their websites and social media channels.
Everyone in business with a website or using social media is in the content business. It’s just a matter of degree, business category and budgets. Identify the business objectives you need to support via your site, blogs and social channels, do that as well as possible and don’t let up. Keep your eye on the ball!
In sport, that might mean using innovative content to drive people from Instagram to your website to buy match tickets. For a small Brentwood business it could be getting people to sign up to your email newsletters to receive special offers, or promoting a specific product in your online shop via Facebook and Twitter using great pictures or video.
Embrace digital content best practice
While much of my career has been spent in the sporting ‘arena’ (it includes a 10-year stint as a sports journalist before my time at Lord’s), I believe the same principles and lessons apply across the business world.
Build an audience and provide them with engaging content and well-presented information about your services and products. That helps build a relationship – transactional, or, to start with, simply digital.
If you don’t believe your own website or social media feeds represent you professionally enough, you’re doing yourself a disservice. If you analyse your competitors, and they’re doing it better than you, then you could miss out in winning new customers or building engaging relationships with existing customers.
I understand how the digital challenge – including the cost – can be daunting. But, don’t try to do it all. Focus on what you do best, and don’t be afraid to go and look for specialist help when you need it.
If you wouldn’t write or print your own brochures, so why build your own website, write all your own content, or run your own social media feeds?
At the very least, consider earmarking some marketing budget in 2018 and beyond to get them polished so that they present your business in the best possible light online.
A version of this article about the importance of having top quality website and social media content was carried in the January 2018 edition of the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce newsletter, written by Chamber Executive Committee member Julian Goode, who runs Brentwood-based business Julian Goode – Digital, Content, Social Media.
