Content marketing is a popular marketing strategy for all kinds of businesses across different industries today.
It’s no surprise – quality content sparks engagement, delivers value and connects well with an audience.
However, while many businesses think content marketing is easy, not all brands achieve great results from it.
That’s because content marketing is not as simple as it seems.
So, to make sure you’re on the right track with your content marketing, here are a few common pitfalls you must avoid.
Prefer to listen, rather than read? Here’s the Podcast summary!
What is the importance of content marketing?
Content marketing is the cost-effective marketing practise of creating informative and engaging content pieces like blogs, emails, podcasts, videos, eBooks, webinars and social media posts – all to connect with your audience and help them see value in your business.
For more, read: 9 Types Of Content You Need For Content Marketing
Through content marketing, you’ll be able to attract more customers, lead them through their buying journey and generate more conversions.
By creating a range of different content types, you can answer their questions and offer solutions that solve their challenges.
Unlike other forms of marketing, content marketing allows your business to become relevant in people’s lives. Because you’re providing them with content they can access and read on their own terms and through their preferred channels, their decisions are more their idea (as opposed to interruptive advertising).
This is a powerful approach to marketing.
Content marketing allows your business to become relevant in people’s lives. That’s a very powerful approach.
Are you seeing these kinds of benefits in your business?
If not, it’s time for you to take a step back and review your content marketing.
You never know – your business might be committing mistakes without even realising, and it’s costing you the results you deserve.
What are the pitfalls of content marketing and how can you avoid them?
Content marketing requires time, effort and expertise.
It’s so much more than just producing cluttered volumes of text and uploading different kinds of content on the web, then hoping for the best.
The marketing content you produce enables you to earn customer trust and build meaningful relationships.
However, to use content marketing as an effective tool to increase brand awareness, establish thought leadership and improve conversions, you have to do it right.
The first step involves knowing what issues and risks you mustn’t do.
So, here are the 7 pitfalls of content marketing to avoid:
1. Not having a content marketing strategy
If you’re uploading random blogs just because you feel you should, creating podcasts that aren’t related to each other or publishing social media posts without a definite goal – then, you’re definitely on the wrong path.
No matter how good your different types of content are, they won’t produce results if you don’t have a clear plan that links them together in a specific direction. Since you also don’t have any objectives in place, it’ll be difficult for you to even know if you are achieving success!
How to avoid it?
Collaborate with your team and work on creating a comprehensive strategy.
Make sure to list your goals and the types of content you must produce to achieve them. Also decide upon the necessary Key Performance Indicators to measure results.
Don’t forget to discuss relevant themes, content ideas and a posting schedule to remain on-brand and appealing to your audience.
For more, read: The 5 Ways HOW To Do Content Marketing
2. Too much focus on pushing the sale
Being too sales-aggressive is an easy way to fail at content marketing.
People want answers, solutions and value. If it’s something you don’t provide, then expect them to block you out.
How to avoid it?
Provide content that’s aligned with your customer’s journey. This way, you’ll prevent your business from pushing too hard too early during the stages where you haven’t established a true connection with your audience yet.
See: What Are The 8 Stages Of The Customer Journey?
3. Generalising when addressing your audience
Are you wondering why you’re not getting leads despite how informative your blogs are? Is it difficult to gain conversions despite all of the content you share? Well, the reason might be because you’re not targeting the right audience.
Generalising your content to reach a wide range of people can be quite risky. The chances of your ideal audience finding you becomes less when you don’t provide content that is specifically relevant to them.
How to avoid it?
Perform thorough research into your target market and segments. Then, build personas that detail what drives these people, what they care about and so on.
Once you know these attributes, you will have a clearer understanding of what content to create that will resonate with them.
For more, read: How To Define Your Ideal Customers in 10 Steps
4. Inconsistent brand tone of voice
When creating content for your business, you must embody your brand itself. When you do this, it’ll be easier for you to remain consistent – whether you’re writing a blog, recording a podcast or sharing something on social media.
If you keep on changing the brand’s tone or positioning, your audience will get confused and find it hard to relate to you.
How to avoid it?
Decide how you want your audience to see and remember you. Do you want them to view your brand as sophisticated, funny or relatable? Do you prefer to be a voice of authority, or perhaps more of a storyteller?
Once you decide, make sure to embrace your chosen quality across all your content marketing campaigns – this will build a strong brand positioning.
See: How To Build A Unique Brand Identity
5. Talking about your business all the time
It’s time to face the harsh truth: your audience is not interested in knowing every detail about your business. They get bored when you make everything about you.
Customers are forever busy. They don’t have time to read content that doesn’t show what’s in it for them. Instead, they prefer content that offers relevant solutions and answers to their pain points.
How to avoid it?
Focus on customers themselves. Talk about their problems and the solutions you can offer to alleviate their situation. You can also delve into topics they find interesting and relevant. Remember: explain the benefits and why you’re worthy of their time.
For more, read: The Guide To Content Marketing Success: How To Meet Your Customer’s Obsession
6. Forgetting to amplify content
The distribution of your content matters as much as its creation. If you don’t pay attention to how your content is being distributed and shared across different platforms and channels, then your audience may never see it!
To earn results from content marketing, your content must first get noticed.
How to avoid it?
Ensure your content is widely distributed. For one, you can send your content directly to current and potential customers via EDM Emails. You can also share links on different social media sites.
Consider Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) tactics and paid advertising to further your content’s reach so it gets seen by your ideal customers.
And don’t forget to reshare your old content every six months or so.
See: Retarget Marketing: A New Level of Personalised Content
7. More quantity, rather than quality
Frequently creating and sharing content is beneficial, as it helps you provide more value to customers. It also allows you to raise brand awareness and offers SEO advantages.
However, if the quality of work is being sacrificed in the process, this kind of content marketing can be counterproductive for your business. Producing repetitive content that is not relevant or valuable to customers can also tarnish your brand reputation.
How to avoid it?
If you don’t have the capacity and resources to produce quality content frequently, you can seek the help of a professional freelance copywriter. They are experts in creating engaging content pieces that enhance how your brand is perceived by your audience.
For more, read: Content Marketing: Quality Over Quantity In 6 Steps
Do you want to avoid these content marketing pitfalls for good?
With a quality copywriter, you can rest assured you’re not making these common content marketing mistakes.
Freelance copywriting experts can help you create the right types of content that are optimised for your target audience.
These quality copywriters with Marketing backgrounds are professional content writers who can do your content marketing for you – especially when you want to focus on more urgent matters or you just don’t have the time.
So, what are you waiting for?
Earn great results from content marketing – starting today.
How can Melotti Media help you?
We understand that you want to achieve business success through content marketing.
However, you may find that you’re time-poor and spread thin or you still have a lot of unanswered questions.
You don’t need to worry!
At Melotti Media, we can assist with all your message marketing and copywriting needs while you focus on what matters most to you – growing your business.
Let’s start earning the results your business deserves!
To speak to your trusted message marketers and copywriters, email us at enquire@melottimedia.com.au
We can sharpen your words to achieve your goals today!
The Melotti Media Team
Melotti Media | Copywriting & Message Marketing Bureau
www.melottimedia.com.au
