There was a saying in the early days of the web - 'content is king' - which fell out of favour as new design technology appeared to take over. Presentation became paramount.

More recently, it's been all about visibility, as the web has grown and businesses fight for attention.

But content is back. Beautiful presentation isn't enough. Being found in searches isn't enough. To convince people to get in touch, to convert people into customers, to generate loyalty, to really make a real two-way connection with people ... for this you need content. In other words, stuff.

Stuff that's interesting or entertaining. Stuff that makes people's lives easier. Stuff people will want to share with others. Stuff that enables people to create more stuff.

This is the currency of the social web. I've heard comments such as 'What does it mean to have 3,000 'friends' on Facebook? A person can't have that many real friends!' This is true.

And they're not. But having 3,000 visitors to your website doesn't mean they're all customers either.

It's the stuff people share that forges real connections, and reciprocity is key. The more you give out, the more you get back.

What sort of content? And how exactly do you get it 'out there'? More on this in the New Year!

With a marketing career spanning over 20 years, Robin Houghton has a solid background in brand management, strategic planning & execution and business-to-consumer marketing. She was Nike's first UK Women's Marketing Manager and went on to hold management roles in communications, product development and international marketing based in the UK, Germany and the US.

www.eggboxmarketing.co.uk