Can’t write? Then connect

IT’S never been more important to have great content on your site. No matter what you make, sell or do, your position in the online universe depends directly on how original, compelling and unique your content is.

But how do you create good content, especially if you are not a natural with words or online media, or your business is just not that glamorous? The Web is interlinked as never before, with Facebook likes, Twitter feeds, photo streams and reblogged posts creating an ‘ecosystem’ of ideas and connections. Your message to your customers is important, but it is even more important to be connected.

Some of the very best companies are creating websites and other forms of online content that are at first hard to relate to the widgets they actually move.

UK consumer goods giant Unilever is still all about selling soap, but its Facebook page includes links to the Earth Hour climate change initiative and tips on doing the laundry – a mix of practicality and social responsibility. Coca-Cola invites customers to share their own experiences (and content) featuring their iconic product. And Cisco Systems leverages the considerable brainpower of its staff, running a virtual in-house news service covering the company’s research and social responsibility initiatives.

Obviously it helps to be a corporate behemoth to do this, but there are specific lessons in this for the little guys:

• Use what you have. If you have products people care about, use social networks to give your customers a voice. If you have smart employees, use their skills and enthusiasm, by letting them write what they care about.
• Tell stories, draw on the other things your company does – social investment, industry events, employee’s stories.
• Make connections first – build a Facebook following, let people comment on your blog (within reason). Keep a human face on your company rather than focusing on shifting those units.

Quality online content has never been more important, but there have also never been more ways to share stories, connect with customers or collaborate with colleagues to create a unique online presence.