NEEDS CONTENT WEBSITE WHY YOUR NEWS IT S AN IMPORTANT MARKETING TOOL CONTENT CAN TAKE MANY FORMS CONTENT IS MULTI-FACETED

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1 WHY YOUR WEBSITE NEEDS CONTENT IT S AN IMPORTANT MARKETING TOOL Content is an important tool in the marketing world and in the wake of the continual growth in online traffic and mobile device explosion, it is more important than ever for corporates to reconnect with their small business customers while building credibility and trust. Content provides the means to do this. When people visit a website, they expect to find much more than flat, text-based information about your products and services. They want to find RELEVANT, ENGAGING and INTERESTING content they can interact with, which gives them meaningful and trustworthy information about the products and services they are seeking. CONTENT CAN TAKE MANY FORMS From the e-newsletter you send to your customers to a video on your website,high-quality content has been shown to have many benefits, both for customers and organizations. CONTENT IS MULTI-FACETED Content is multi-faceted. It can expand your reach and diversify your customer base and it is a marketing tool in its own right, creating positive experiences for users. Research also indicates a lower cost for lead generation, with a 31 41% reduction in cost per lead when compared with paid search. NEWS IN ESSENCE, HIGH-QUALITY CONTENT IS A MAGNET THAT ATTRACTS AN AUDIENCE

2 TECHNOLOGY CHANGES FAST PEOPLE LOVE IT AND YOUR CONTENT NEEDS TO KEEP UP. As technology changes and progresses, more people are adopting it, and adapting to it. These advances provide alternatives to accessing the Internet purely from a desktop or laptop computer and give consumers more choice regarding connection speeds, meaning they can potentially access the content and information they want faster, and from more places. There is solid evidence the general public in the United States are taking up this new technology at a rapid rate. Statistics from the Pew Internet and American Life Project indicate: 66% of American adults are now connected with high-speed broadband 2. 25% 25% of American adults own a tablet computer; an increase of 21% in two years. 45% 45% of American adults now own a smartphone and over half of smartphone owners use their phones to go online. For some smartphone users, accessing the web on their phone is the only way they are able to get online. In other words, broadband connections may not be available in their location so they rely purely on their mobile network to provide Internet connectivity. 5 As an example, visits to banking websites are a common online task for adults in the United States. Of the 85% who use the internet for banking, 78% say they do so to find information about a bank service or product they are thinking of buying, 61% use the internet to carry out online banking and 37% use the internet to get financial information online such as stock quotes or mortgage interest rates 6. Indications are that if your organization does not have an online presence, you are potentially being ignored by the majority of the adult population. Put simply, your customers want to be able to find you online, and new technology enables them to look at any time, from any place.

3 HIGH-QUALITY CONTENT HELPS YOU TO BE FOUND, AND YOUR CUSTOMERS WANT TO FIND IT Jakob Nielsen is a leading researcher and commentator on web usability and best practice. He states, IF THE CUSTOMER CANNOT FIND THE PRODUCT, THE CUSTOMER CANNOT BUY THE PRODUCT 7. This statement is also true of consumers being able to find information about products and services on any website. However, it is not enough to simply exist in the online space; the quality of the content you present online is crucial and could have a large impact on your engagement with current and potential customers. For example, research by Nielsen has shown that poor content is a primary reason for over half of failed attempts to find product information on a website 8. You must be cautious about relying solely on the search function of your website to deliver correct and current content to your customers. Nielsen s study of user behavior on e-commerce websites found in 36% of instances, people were unable to locate the desired product or service on their first search attempt. Furthermore, Nielsen suggests after this type of failure, few customers will remain on the site to rephrase their search query and try again; they are more likely to assume the organization does not have what they are looking for, and leave the site 9. HIGH-QUALITY CONTENT RESULTS IN LONGER VISITS AND BETTER BUSINESS OUTCOMES Taking the banking example further, a primary component of a bank s website is the online banking capability; however, it is not the only reason customers visit a bank s site. It makes business sense for customers to be able to access an abundance of quality information, from business guides on how to forecast cash flow to reports on the latest market trends. For any site, it makes sense to review the core reasons why people are visiting, and ensure you have a content plan for each $ 0

4 The first ten to twenty seconds a customer spends on a web page or site are the most important in engaging customers; research observing user behavior found this is when customers decide whether to remain on or leave the page. Furthermore, the study suggests if a person is engaged by the content and remains on the page for 30 seconds or more, they are more likely to remain for up to two minutes or longer 10. Meaningful content should not be buried on your site; have it immediately available. 20s To increase the likelihood of customers remaining on your site and completing transactions, it is apparent that appropriate investment must be channeled into the development of high-quality content across all areas of business on your website. This retention of customers will result in better business outcomes, and a more pleasant experience for your customers. IF YOU WANT MORE TRAFFIC, INVEST IN HIGH-QUALITY CONTENT NEXT STEPS: Find out who your customers are and what they want to maximise your business s ongoing potential. Check your analytics to make sure your website is optimized for your business. Are your customers using mobile devices? Optimize your website and tailor your content for people on the go. Review your marketing strategy. Ensure it includes content marketing components. Consult a content marketing specialist on best targeted solutions for your business. Allocate a budget for content and experiment/pilot to track results THE SMALL BUSINESS COMPANY Here at TSBC we create rich, interactive e-learning tools and resources that can be integrated into our clients websites. Content is king on the Internet, and we provide effective, targeted content to the business support channel. With more than 20 years experience running our own small businesses and helping other small businesses to thrive, we wrap up our wealth of business knowledge into a range of best practice tools, templates, articles and interactive training. Our online content engages, educates and encourages start-up entrepreneurs and small business owners. If you want to be a credible, trusted resource for your small business clients we can provide expert online content to help you achieve your goals. To learn more visit.

5 REFERENCES 1 Kapost and Eloqua, Content marketing ROI, Eloqua (2012) < [accessed 30 October 2 Joanna Brenner and Lee Rainie, Pew Internet: Broadband, Pew Internet and American Life Project (2012) < [accessed 30 October 3 Lee Rainie, 25% of American adults own tablet computers, Pew Internet and American Life Project (2012)< > [accessed 30 October 4 Pew Internet and American Life Project, Smartphone research: Infographic, Pew Internet and American Life Project (2012)< [accessed 31 October 5 Pew Internet and American Life Project, Smartphone research: Infographic, Pew Internet and American Life Project (2012)< [accessed 31 October 6 Pew Internet and American Life Project, Trend data (adults), Pew Internet and American Life Project (2012) < [accessed 31 October 7 Jakob Nielsen, E-Commerce Usability, useit.com: Jakob Nielsen s Website (2011) < > [accessed 31 October 8 Jakob Nielsen, E-commerce usability, useit.com: Jakob Nielsen s Website (2011) < > [accessed 31 October 9 Jakob Nielsen, E-commerce usability, useit.com: Jakob Nielsen s Website (2011) < > [accessed 31 October 10 Jakob Nielsen, How long do users stay on web pages?, useit.com: Jakob Nielsen s Website (2011) < [accessed 21 November