15 must-read small biz articles for September

As a small business owner, staying up-to-date with the latest on content marketing, social media, search engine optimisation (SEO) and more is not always a priority when you have more important things to take care of… like running a business.

To make things easier, here’s a round-up of the most useful and interesting resources we recommend reading this week, from how to create a proper content strategy and things you need to look at when redesigning your site to how major UK retailers handle social customer service.

1. A content strategy template you can build on

Are you doing it right? Learn what a content strategy should look like and what goes into it.

2. Test of the week: Are you putting your content in the right place?

An interesting A/B test that shows how placement of content and call-to-action can convert visitors into customers.

3. How small businesses can use visual content and increase conversions

Some free tools and great advice to help you create visual content that can not only engage visitors but also increase sales.

4. 5 ways listening to community data can expand your content marketing strategy

Find out how gathering data on your community can allow you to develop a stronger content strategy with better results and deeper relationships.

5. The marketer’s guide to using quizzes to reach and engage your audience

If you’ve never used quizzes before to engage your audience, check out this useful guide to learn how to create them and which channels to share them on, depending on your target audience.

6. How to redesign your website without losing traffic or sales

Looking to make some drastic changes to your site’s design? Check out this infographic for things you should look at when redesigning your website.

7. Is the seemingly humble button more powerful than the headline?

Here’s an interesting question: “Are headlines dead?” Joanna Wiebe from Copy Hackers shares the surprising results of a few headline tests.

8. Teach before you sell with educational lead generation offers

A good read on how important it is to educate users and build trust before even attempting to sell them your products.

9. ‘Everyone’ is not a demographic: A guide to target markets for small businesses

Find out what a target market is and how you can identify one for your business.

10. 38 tips on social media etiquette for business

A very useful infographic that walks you through social media etiquette on six of the most popular social media networks.

11. What marketers can learn from the gaming industry

Some good tips on how to use the gaming industry to create the perfect branding for your business online.

12. How to find hidden social media referral traffic with Google Analytics

Want to find out where all your social traffic is coming from? This post is a good start for discovering how to get more detailed information on social media referral traffic.

13. How 20 top UK retailers handle social customer service

Here’s an interesting post. The author – Christopher Ratcliff – posed as an ordinary customer on Twitter and asked 20 of the UK’s top retail brands various questions. See how these brands did in terms of speed, responsiveness and helpfulness.

14. How to build a world-class design portfolio

A great article with tips and advice on how to create your design portfolio plus some good examples.

15. Outsourcing your content creation: Agencies vs Freelancers

The advantages and disadvantages of using agencies and freelancers for outsourcing content.

Did we miss anything? Feel free to add your favourite ones in a comment below.