Eight ways to ensure that small businesses actually read your content

Many small-business content writers have never worked for a small business, let alone started and run one. Some make assumptions about small businesses and their owners that just aren’t true in some or all cases.

Common examples? Well, very few small-business owners are entrepreneurs and most don’t think of themselves as such. They’re happy to be a small-business owner with modest ambitions and there’s nothing wrong with that, of course.

Yet many small-business content writers persist with using the word “entrepreneur” as a catch-all term. They believe that everyone who runs a small business is “entrepreneurial”, which is why their content often fails to engage. Put the word entrepreneur in your title/headline and many small-business owners won’t realise that you’re trying to reach them.

“Put the word entrepreneur in your title/headline and many small-business owners won’t realise that you’re trying to reach them”

Know your audience 

SME (ie small and medium-sized enterprise) is another term that’s overused or often poorly chosen (as in “Start your own SME in your garden shed”). Medium-sized enterprises have 50-250 employees (too many for a garden shed), while small businesses have up to 50 (you’d still need a massive garden shed). 

Most (96%) of the UK’s estimated 5.9m small businesses are micro-enterprises (ie up to 9 employees), more specifically they’re “sole proprietorships”, which is a sole-trader business run by one self-employed person. Some 4.5m UK businesses (about 75% of the total) have no employees other than the owner. Many of them won’t be interested in HR content. 

Although other small firms together employ some 13.2m people, don’t assume that all small businesses have an HR director/department (a common mistake). Often, that’s just one of the many “hats” the small business owner must wear.

“Despite the impression held or given by many small-business content writers, not all small firms are office based”

Reality check  

Crucially, despite the impression held or given by many small-business content writers, not all small firms are office based. Three-quarters of all UK businesses operate in services industries and many don’t operate from office premises. About a fifth of UK small businesses are construction-sector firms, while 9% operate in the wholesale and retail trade and repair sectors. 

Women own/lead only a third of all UK small businesses, but numbers have grown considerably in the past five years (the figure used to be 17%). Just 5% of UK SMEs are “minority ethnic group led”, according to government figures, and this percentage hasn’t increased in the past five years, sadly. While some report the average UK business owner age as 40, others put it closer to 50, although many more young people are starting their own business. 

Hopefully, if necessary, you’ve learned a bit more about your audience/target customer, but carrying out basic research can help you to learn much more. Going out there and visiting small businesses to find out about them and their key challenges could significantly improve your small business content, but what else can you do to boost your success?

“If you can provide real-world advice that enables small-business owners to save time and get more done quicker, you’ll stand a better chance of getting them to ‘know, like and trust’ your brand”  

1 Save small-business owners time

Running your own small business is very demanding, with many things competing for your attention each day. The work can be hard and the hours very long, too, with time probably the most precious commodity for most small-business owners (especially those with family commitments). But that gives you an opportunity. 

If your content can provide real-world advice that enables small-business owners to save time and get more done quicker, you’ll stand a much better chance of getting them to “know, like and trust” your brand, which can mean they soon go on to become loyal customers. 

2 Save small-business owners money

Margins and budgets are always tight for most UK small businesses. Keeping your cash flow positive is a struggle, but with prices across the board rising – significantly in some cases – if your content promises to save business owners money, they’re more likely to read it. Don’t insult their intelligence with obvious suggestions (eg “turn off lights when you’re not using them”); find ideas that small-business owners may not have considered. 

“The supposed productivity-boosting power of potted plants in an office might seem fascinating to you, but many other things are more important to your average small-business owner”

3 Write about things that really matter to small firms

Show empathy. Your content should prove that you’re in tune with the everyday challenges, concerns and realities of small businesses all over the country. The supposed productivity-boosting power of potted plants in an office might seem fascinating to you, but so many other things are much more important to your average small-business owner (who may not even have an office). They just don’t have any time to waste, so, focus on the important stuff, get to the point and provide value. 

4 Make small-business owners’ lives easier

Running a small business can be difficult and there are many challenges to overcome, especially when it comes to legislation. If you can offer advice that takes the hard work and hassle out of decisions, tasks and obstacles, readers will appreciate the value of your words. Help to solve their problems. Provide small-business content that gives real-world solutions. Make complex things easier to understand and manage.

“Good small-business content provides a clear, understandable explanation, no matter how complex the information or topic” 

5 Help small-business owners to make more sales

Ultimately, you won’t succeed in business if you don’t make enough sales. Small-business owners want to attract new customers, while retaining and selling more to existing punters; your content should help them to do all of the above. Many small-business owners are far better at their trade than selling and marketing, but practical advice from reliable expert sources can make a big difference to their sales and bottom line.    

6 Always be clear, comprehensive yet concise 

Good small-business content provides a clear, understandable explanation, no matter how complex the information or topic. Sadly, much small-business content is just as dry, dense and inaccessible as the stuff it seeks to explain. Your job is to use plain English to explain key points – not unnecessary detail – so cut out the waffle, jargon and business speak. Tell small-business owners what they need to know in as few, simple words as possible. Answer all of their likely questions.

“Life is too short and there are many other things that most of us would rather do than read dull content”  

7 Don’t create boring content – be interesting

When was the last time a boring headline really captured your attention? When did a dull introduction last make you want to carry on reading? Never, right? Much small business content is mind-numbingly boring. Admittedly, some small-business subjects are rather dull, but your challenge is to make them engaging and bring them to life. Life is too short and there are many other things that most of us would rather do than read dull content. 

Moreover, small-businesses owners often have incredible insight and fascinating stories to tell. Feature their words in your small-business content. Use their knowledge and experience to help others learn. Small-business content really doesn’t have to be boring.  

8 Be original – dare to be different

There really is an ocean of small-business content out there and competition for clicks, likes and shares is fierce. Don’t just copy others – find ways to be different. 

About 15 years ago, when I started writing and editing small-business content, I brought in many ideas that I’d learned from working on award-winning customer magazines, focusing more on owners and their stories, interviewing and quoting them more heavily in features (they’re the real experts, right?). 

I produced a huge amount of small-business owner profiles, case studies, Q&As, “listicle” content items, guides and infographics. All of these things weren’t common in business writing (no one called it content) back then. I also came up with more imaginative and engaging headlines and copy, which brought far better results. Never be afraid to try new things.

“Don’t waste your time or theirs by publishing small-business content that’s dull, irrelevant or hard to understand”

In conclusion

To succeed when producing content for small businesses, you really need to understand your audience. Don’t waste your time or theirs by publishing small-business content that’s dull, irrelevant or hard to understand.

Write about things that matter in a clear, concise and accessible way. And if you set out with the key aim of helping small-business owners to be more successful, save time, money and make their lives less stressful – you won’t go far wrong.

• Written by Dead Good Content founder Mark Williams. For more than 15 years, Mark has specialised in writing small-business content. He has helped such organisations as the government, high-street banks, insurance companies, utility providers, software giants and accountancy organisations to reach UK SMEs. For four years Mark also wrote small-business content for The Guardian.

How to come up with a "dead good" business name

Dead Good Content founder Mark Williams (left) with sisters and brother, Stanley Park, Liverpool, 1976 (clothes models’ own)

Coming up with a good business name remains one of the most enjoyable start-up tasks. I was reminded of that recently, while launching new small-business content agency, Dead Good Content.

Pleasurable as it is, it can be tough and much is at stake. If you get it right, your business name becomes a deadly marketing weapon that distinguishes you from your competitors, tells the world who you are and helps you to attract and retain customers. But get it wrong and it can really hold you back.

“You can always change a businesses name, but it’s better – and cheaper – to get it right at the start”

“Backrub” keywords?

Kabir Chibber, in his BBC News piece, The dark art of choosing a company name, likens new businesses to newborns. “And just like children, the wrong name can scar for life,” he warns. “Imagine if Google had been called BackRub, as in its first incarnation,” he reveals. Imagine indeed.

Before changing name in 1958 to Sony (which is far easier to say), for 12 years the business had been called Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo. Global sporting heavyweight Nike (pronounced Ni-key – derived from the Greek goddess of victory) started life as Blue Ribbon Sports.

eBay used to be called AuctionWeb and PayPal was Confinity when launched in 1998. Amazon supremo, Jeff Bezos, considered Awake, Bookmail, Browse and Cadabra as business names, but registered Relentless.com before settling on Amazon. You can always change a businesses name, but it’s better – and cheaper – to get it right at the start.  

Legal restrictions

There are legal restrictions when naming a business. According to government website Gov.uk: “Your name can’t be exactly the same as another registered company’s name.” You can search the Companies House register to find out if your preferred choice is already taken.

And your name: “Can’t contain a ‘sensitive’ word or expression unless you get permission; or suggest a connection with government or local authorities; or include a word that could cause offence.” Companies House provides detailed guidance on legal restrictions when naming a business.

Only limited companies can use the word “limited” in their name, and you can’t suggest national importance (eg British), patronage (eg Royal), special status (eg Association) or function (eg Trust) if it’s not true.

“Linking yourself too closely to a geographic location can limit your ambitions, as can using your own name. And don’t make your business name so obscure that customers will never know what it means”

Mistakes to avoid

Phil Davis, in his entrepreneur.com piece – 8 Mistakes To Avoid When Naming Your Business – likens a business name to a building’s cornerstone. “If it’s off, even just a bit, the rest of the building is off, and the misalignment becomes amplified,” he opines. Asking too many people for their opinions is a bad idea, he says, while making sure those you speak to have a creative outlook, otherwise “your name will end up too literal and descriptive”.

Davis isn’t fond of one-word business names that result from putting part of an adjective in front of a noun (eg “QualiWidgets”), nor words that don’t provide distinction or personality. Linking yourself too closely to a geographic location can limit your ambitions, he warns, as can using your own name. Avoid clichés (eg “Summit, Apex, and so on”), he advises, and don’t “make your business name so obscure that customers will never know what it means”.

Deliberately misspelling your business name to secure a URL isn’t wise, he says, because people won’t find you when entering the correct spelling into Google. And if you pick the wrong name, change it, Davis says, because the problem won’t “magically resolve itself”.

Short and sweet

In his www.123-reg.co.uk blog, 6 top tips for choosing a business name, Tim Fuell reinforces the idea that simplicity is best when naming a business. “Long-winded names are unlikely to become big-hitters,” he argues. “Apple, Dell, Google, Amazon, etc. Short, sharp and simple wins every time. It’s more memorable, easier to write or type and simpler to engage with,” he explains.

When considering business names, think about how easy your preferred options are to say and spell over the phone, particularly when speaking to people in other countries (you also need to consider whether your business name could cause amusement or offence in other languages). Choosing unusual words and spellings can backfire.

Boring is bad

Amusing names work well for some businesses, but they can be a terrible idea for others, as they can make you look unprofessional. You could pick a word that has no apparent meaning, a tactic that worked well for many successful businesses, including Kodak, IKEA and others.

Writing for Forbes.com, Richard Harroch cautions against coming up with business names that are hard to spell. Before making your final choice, he recommends carrying out online research, to see whether you can get the URL you want. Although “boring is bad”, he doesn’t believe in choosing something that’s too “out there”, pick something likely to resonate with target customers.

““Boss” or “sound” hadn’t quite entered the Scouse lexicon back then, great things were “dead good””

Dead Good Content?

So, how did I come up with Dead Good Content, the name of my new small-business content agency? I had the name about 12 months before starting up. Everyone I mentioned it to told me they liked the name (unless they were just being polite).

Quality has always been vital to everything I’ve done professionally and I wanted that to come across loud and clear in my new business name, but not in a predictable or pretentious way. I wanted something more authentic, more down-to-earth  – much more “me”.

So, I thought back to my childhood, as I often do, and asked how I would have described it growing up in Liverpool in the 1970s. “Boss” or “sound” hadn’t quite entered the Scouse lexicon back then, great things were “dead good”. “Content” was added so there would be little doubt about what we do. For the moment, I’m pretty pleased with Dead Good Content. Will it prove to be a wise choice? Time will tell…

• With 15 years’ experience as a leading writer of small-business content, Mark Williams is the founder of Dead Good Content, which specialises in producing cost-effective bespoke and readymade content for accountancy firms and other organisations that want to market their services to small businesses.