Running a small business is hard. But it would be a lot easier if potential clients – and potential referrers – recognised you as a market-leading expert. So how can you achieve that elite status?

One way to make that happen is to collect reviews on Google and other platforms.

Another way is to enter industry awards and local business awards. Winning would be extraordinary; but merely being nominated as a finalist would be remarkable, because it would immediately differentiate you from 99 per cent of your rivals.

Why enter business awards?

First, you don’t have to wait for someone else to nominate you: the overwhelming majority of small businesses that compete for awards have self-nominated.

Second, while awards are competitive, they’re less competitive than you think because relatively few businesses enter – either because they don’t know about the award or they don’t have time to fill in a submission (which is often a hard, time-consuming process) or they assume so many businesses will be entering that they have no chance of success.

Furthermore, most award submissions are poorly written. So if you take the time to write a high-quality submission, you have a reasonable chance of being nominated as a finalist. Let me explain why most award submissions are poorly written, and what you should do to stand out from the pack.

Back up everything you say

Most businesses talk themselves up when writing award submissions, but few provide evidence to back up their claims.

Whenever you make a claim, you have to prove it. For example, it would not be enough to tell judges you did “world-class marketing” last year; you’d also need to provide details of a campaign. By providing the judges with all that information, you’d give yourself the best chance of making them believe that your business had, indeed, done world-class marketing.

Be precise

Many of the businesses that attempt to substantiate their claims fall into the trap of using vague evidence.

This kind of statement doesn’t tell the judges anything: “We invested a significant amount of money into the marketing campaign.”

But this kind of statement does: “We invested $112,000 into the campaign, which was equivalent to 9.6 per cent of our revenue last year, and which was the most money, in both dollar terms and percentage terms, that we’d ever invested in a campaign.”

Stick to the topic

Most people write how they speak – in a disordered way – which is why a lot of award submissions veer off into unnecessary tangents.

If you’re asked to provide an example of an outstanding marketing campaign you did last year, talk about an outstanding marketing campaign – and nothing else.

Start by repeating the question

Many businesses mistake of sticking to a topic – the wrong topic. That’s because they misinterpret the question, and therefore send their argument down the wrong path.

The way to avoid this is to repeat the question in your opening sentence. So you might begin like this: “The best example of outstanding marketing we did last year was a Valentine’s Day promotion in which we invested $112,000 and signed 43 new clients.”

Use fewer words

Don’t waffle on. Judges hate this, because they have a pile of award submissions to read.

If you’re allocated a maximum of 500 words for a question but have only 300 words of value to offer, don’t add 200 words of low-quality information. This kind of waffle not only irritates the judges, it also makes it harder for them to identify the high-quality information.

Final word

When you answer questions for an award submission, your job is not to merely fill in the gaps, as if you were filling in a form at the doctor’s office. Rather, it’s to mount an argument, as if you were appearing in court.

In other words, don’t just give the judges information and hope they use it to reach the right conclusion; give them the information and give them the conclusion at the same time.

That way, you’ll give yourself the best chance of being nominated for an award, and even winning one – thereby positioning yourself as an industry leader.

The post How to write a winning small-business award submission appeared first on Inside Small Business.

These days, every business owner understands the importance of having a great website. But few have a great LinkedIn profile, because they mistakenly think of it as an online CV. It’s not – it’s a marketing document. In other words, the role of your profile is not to impress potential employers but potential customers.

Five years ago, you could get away with having a substandard LinkedIn profile. But in 2025, it’s the digital equivalent of showing up to an important business meeting wearing tracksuit pants, because it makes you look sloppy and unprofessional.

Remember: potential customers are secretly reading your LinkedIn profile before deciding whether to call you or the other suppliers they’re researching. If those rivals’ profiles are more professional than yours, you can hardly blame customers for choosing them over you.

With that in mind, here are the five things you need to do to create a LinkedIn profile that attracts and converts customers.

1. Upload a professional profile photo

You should present yourself with the same level of formality in your LinkedIn photo as you would if you were holding an important business meeting in your office.

Boring is good – you’ll look reassuringly professional if you’re wearing business clothes and staring straight at the camera. Flashy is bad – you’ll look unprofessional if you’re sporting sunglasses or talking on your phone.

2. Choose a descriptive headline

Your headline can make or break whether a potential customer decides to read the rest of your profile. So don’t waste this valuable marketing opportunity by choosing a bland headline.

If, for example, you were a mortgage broker, you should avoid headlines like “Mortgage broker” or “Example Home Loans CEO”. Instead, you should write a headline that explains what you do and who you help. If there’s space (you have a maximum of 220 characters), you can also include your phone number and explain what makes you so good at your job.

Here are three hypothetical examples:

• Mortgage broker for Sydney home buyers, investors & refinancers | More than 200 five-star Google Reviews | Famous for my friendly, caring service
• I help first home buyers, upgraders & investors with home loans and refinances | 15+ years mortgage broking experience | Contact 0444 444 444 or name@examplehomeloans.com.au
• Small business finance broker | Call me for business loans, commercial loans, equipment finance, vehicle finance, tax debt refinances & more | 0444 444 444

3. Write a detailed About section

The About section is where you get to talk about yourself for up to 2,600 characters (or about 425 words). Remember, this will be read by potential customers, so you should see this as a marketing opportunity. That’s why it’s generally a bad idea to talk about your family, hobbies or favourite foods.

Instead, give potential customers the answers to these four questions:

• What products/services do you sell?
• What types of customers do you serve?
• Why should they choose you rather than a rival supplier?
• How can they contact you?

For the third question, you can copy/paste Google Reviews into your About section.

For the fourth question, provide your mobile number and email address.

4. Be strategic with your Experience section

The Experience section is where you get up to 2,000 characters to describe each of your jobs. If you really want to nail this section, follow three rules.

First, devote the most words to your current role. Again, explain what products/services you offer, explain what customers you work with, explain why you’re so good and include your contact details. If necessary, you can just copy/paste content from your About section, although it would be better to find a different way to present the same information. Also, you can include Google Reviews – ideally different ones from those in your About section.

Second, include progressively less information as you go back in time – the earlier in your career a role occurred, the less you should write about it. That’s because you want potential customers to focus on your more recent roles, particularly your current one.

Third, for your earlier roles, include information only if it’s relevant to your current career. So if our hypothetical mortgage broker worked as a personal trainer 10 years ago, it would make no sense for him to talk about exercise programs and nutrition plans, because that would have no relevance to his mortgage broking career. Instead, he would be better off writing something like this: “During my time at Example Fitness, I developed strong listening skills and the ability to empathise with a diverse range of personalities, which were to prove invaluable years later when I became a mortgage broker and had to solve tricky finance problems.”

5. List key qualifications in the Education section

The Education section is where you list your qualifications. Again, include only those qualifications that are relevant to your current role. For our mortgage broker, relevant qualifications would include things like a Certificate IV in Finance and Mortgage Broking or a Bachelor of Finance; irrelevant qualifications would include a Certificate IV in Fitness or a Bachelor of Arts.

The post How to write a LinkedIn profile that helps you attract and convert customers appeared first on Inside Small Business.

Here are seven things you can do to keep your audience engaged:

1. Decide who your target audience is

Don’t be afraid to narrow it down – a lot. As marketing guru Seth Godin said, “Everyone is not your customer.” If you try to market to everyone, you will reach no one, because your content will be so vague as to be meaningless. The narrower you go, the more effective your content will be.

2. Get to know them better

Research your business niche and read the comments on your rivals’ social media accounts. This will help you understand better what your target audience wants. What are their pain points? What do they need? Where do they hang out (i.e. what social media platforms do they use)?

3. Design all your content especially for them

Solve their problems. Fulfil their needs. Hang out with them on the platforms they use.

4. Work towards establishing a long-term relationship

Want to build a long-term relationship with your customers? Then be attentive, by paying attention to and acting on what people are saying. Be approachable, by responding helpfully to comments and queries. Be consistent, by posting targeted content regularly. Be natural, by using everyday language. Prove that you are trustworthy, by being all of the above.

5. Add value to their lives

Your posts should contain a mixture of education, news and analysis, with the occasional offer thrown in. Humour can work well, as long as it’s not offensive. Use keywords and hashtags that are relevant to your message and audience. Before you publish anything, ask yourself this question: “Does this post add value to my audience?”

6. Remember the big picture

Social media marketing never works in the short-term. That’s because it takes time to build trust, credibility and brand recognition. So, play the long game by consistently publishing content your audience cares about. If you do that, you’ll gradually establish a reputation as a trusted authority figure.

7. Get help if you’re struggling

Don’t let your social media engagement become a ball and chain. If you find social media management a bind, outsource it to a reputable agency. Done right, marketing will cost you money in the short-term but make you money in the long- term.

Five of the best places to engage with potential customers

You don’t need to post on every social media platform, only the one or two most popular with your target audience.

Here are some quick tips to using five social media platforms to your best advantage:

1. LinkedIn is for business. It’s like Facebook with a necktie. Use LinkedIn to share content relevant to business owners. Short posts, videos and infographics work well.

2. Facebook has the most reach because it’s used by 25 per cent of the world’s population. But avoid the temptation to try to appeal to everyone. Stick with your plan to engage your target audience.

3. Instagram photos need to be eye-catching to attract people’s attention. Also, you need to make sure the first few words of your post are interesting enough to get people to click ‘more’.

4. YouTube is a great place to share tutorials, “how to’s” and DIY videos.

5. Pinterest can work well for businesses in a creative field.

Again, the best way to approach social media is to think of it as a long-term courtship. When you’re really into someone, you put a significant amount of effort into making them feel valued. Apply the same principles to your relationship with your target audience, and you’ll stand out from your self-centred rivals.

The post How an engaging social media presence will make your small business stand out from your rivals appeared first on Inside Small Business.

No matter what industry you’re in, your customers and even your referral partners are desperate for expert information.

Tragically, some Australians are dying, while others are worried they may lose their jobs or their businesses. This is the time for your business to show leadership and provide help when it’s most needed.

No, I’m not saying you should give medical advice – that should be left to the authorities. What I am saying is that you should share news, analysis and tips relevant to your sector.

The more quality content you publish during this difficult period, the more grateful your community will be.

What news and analysis should you publish?

You should publish news and analysis about your business and your industry.

If you’re talking about your business, you might explain how the COVID crisis has affected your trading hours, product range and distribution.

If you’re talking about your industry, you might share government announcements relevant to your sector and analyse what they mean for customers.

What tips should you publish?

Before this crisis, our lives followed comfortable patterns. We exercised at the same gym, bought our coffee from the same cafe, travelled to work on the same bus, ate lunch at the same restaurants and relaxed on the weekend at the same places.

Now, everything has changed.

Your business needs to provide tips that help people find comfort and security in this uncertain new environment.

Here are some examples:

• Gyms can create workouts that people can do from home.
• Restaurants can publish recipes that people can cook themselves.
• Childcare centres can advise parents how to entertain housebound children.
• Pet businesses can tell how dog owners how to care for housebound pooches.
• Real estate agents can share DIY jobs home owners can do to add value to their property.

What should your content look like and how should you share it?

Your business can produce different types of content and publish that content on a range of channels. Options include:

• In-depth blogs on your website
• Bite-sized analysis on Twitter
• News updates on Facebook
• Behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram
• How-to videos on YouTube

Don’t believe people who tell you that content needs to be lengthy or sophisticated to be effective. It doesn’t. Customers will happily read short social media posts or watch self-recorded videos if they contain useful information.

Why you need to show leadership

I know that times are tough right now and you’re probably working crazy hours. But make an effort to keep publishing content.

Every time you publish information that helps your customers, you’re displaying leadership. And the more leadership you display during this crisis, the more grateful people will be.

Nick Bendel, Head of Content, Hunter & Scribe

The post Your customers are crying out for quality content right now appeared first on Inside Small Business.

Content marketing – or using writing to publicise your business – is a form of marketing that every SME should do, even sole traders.

The mistake a lot of small businesses make is to think of content marketing as an expense. It’s not – it’s an investment in your future profits. That’s why your rivals do it.

A strategic, well-planned content marketing program will help your business do five things:

1. Generate more enquiries

Imagine you’ve got a leaking toilet. So you do a Google search for “[Your suburb] plumber”. Three names pop up. The first one doesn’t have a website. The second one does, but it’s got minimal content and hasn’t been updated for a long time. The third one has a website packed with relevant content and it gets updated regularly.

Which would you choose? If you’re like most people, you’d instinctively choose the third plumber. The third plumber might be the worst of the bunch, but our unconscious brain assumes that if he’s got the most interesting content, he must be the most professional plumber.

2. Convert more enquiries

Content marketing doesn’t just generate more enquiries; it also converts more of them into sales.

Most people would agree that the third plumber would receive more calls than the other two. But imagine you decide to be thorough and get quotes from all three. Before you call though, your unconscious brain already concluded that the third plumber is professional, the first plumber is sloppy and the second is somewhere in the middle.

Given those preconceptions, which plumber is likely to sound most credible? And whose prices are you least likely to question? Thanks to his high-quality content marketing, plumber three is going to find it easier to win your business and justify his prices.

3. Establish yourself as an expert

Now imagine you meet the three plumbers at a dinner party. The first spends the night hiding in a corner, so you barely see him. The second one is visible, but doesn’t say much. The third one stands in the centre of the room and talks constantly about toilets, pipes and drainage systems. Which plumber would seem most knowledgeable and passionate about his craft?

Businesses that pump out relevant, high-quality content are perceived as experts. Businesses that stay silent are easily overlooked.

4. Boost your Google ranking

As a general rule, the more relevant, quality content you publish on your website, the higher it will rank in Google search results.

The two important words here are “relevant” and “quality”. If you’re a plumber, it makes no sense to fill your website with articles about Donald Trump or Lady Gaga. You also need to ensure the content is well-written. Otherwise, Google will conclude your website is less important and deserves a lower ranking.

5. Bait and hook referral partners

A lot of small-business owners know some or all of the first four points – but few realise that you can also use content marketing to build referral relationships.

Here’s what you do. First, identify a potential referrer that could help your business – for example, our plumber might want to target a property manager. Second, think of a way to quote the referrer in one of your articles – “The five biggest maintenance problems to look out for when renting a property”, for instance. Third, pitch the idea to the referrer.

Now that you’ve broken the ice and done them a favour (by giving them free publicity), you’ve given yourself a chance of turning them into a long-term referral partner.

Nick Bendel, Head of Content, Hunter & Scribe

The post Five reasons your business should do content marketing appeared first on Inside Small Business.