Madison Avenue no longer rules the world of marketing. Hardly anyone
reads anything in print anymore. Most content promotion out there is
happening digitally. With a massive influx of digital marketing to sort
through, consumers are spoiled for choice. Successful sales have become
about grabbing and keeping attention.
Content marketing helps you do just that. In a world where you can
fast forward through ads, being seen sometimes feels impossible.
Carefully curated content speaks to people. The point where a lead
transforms into a customer is a very delicate hinterland. Here are seven
mistakes to steer clear of when content marketing.
Be All Talk and No Action
Excellent content marketing means having a plan and sticking to it.
It’s all well and good to draw out a systematic plan, but don’t let it
sit on the shelf. Your brand will benefit from putting the wheels into
motion. Do some thorough research on the web. Taking a look inside
forums and the like to find out what customers want.
Once you’ve figured it out, set up a plan and make it happen. There
should be clearly demarcated goals to follow. Be consistent with your
goals. Find simple ways to reach these goals and keep the momentum
going. Customize your communication as you go along and take note of how
your target audience reacts.
All the action that you take should have some strategy behind it. If
you are regularly serving up content and seeing no response, it may
mean that it’s not well-directed. A good marketing plan is the
amalgamation of attainable goals. Attainable goals are concrete like,
for example, ‘earn X dollars in X months.’ Don’t get ahead of yourself
by setting unreachable goals.
Churn Out the Same Content
Not all content is created equal. Neither are your target customers.
If you want to attract more customers, consider posting different kinds
of content. Posting regularly helps establish consistency, but posting
the same thing is just dull. Mix it up!
Curate or create content, the choice is yours. But, be sure you are
giving your audience a fresh blend of content. Variety is the spice of
life. While written or image-based posts are the norm, don’t feel
attached to those formats. Your ‘voice’ should shine through in any
given medium.
Stay current with popular GIFs and memes. Educate your audience with
how-to guides or infographics. Connect on a personal level with a short
rant. Show not tell with videos from YouTube or Instagram. Your audience
will be impressed by an array of content and will most likely give it
much more attention.
Furthermore, don’t hesitate to make use of the tools that can help you with your content direction:
- BuzzSumo — an amazing tool that
will provide you with precious information on what kind of content
performs best in your niche and industry.
- HotEssayService — a great content service that provides both small and large businesses with high-quality SEO-optimized content.
- SupremeDissertations: this is a community of professional writers, who specialize in different spheres, including marketing and copywriting.
- HubSpot’s Blog Ideas Generator
— you have no justification to churn out the same content all over
again, now that you know about this fantastic tool. It’ll provide you
with a lot of enticing headlines, which you’ll be able to use for your
content calendar.
- GrabMyEssay
— Another distinguished service that has an A+ rating on BBB. They’re
known for quick delivery and thoroughly researched content.
Lack Buyer Insight
Your customer shouldn’t be a giant question mark hanging over the
sea. Don’t take them for granted by assuming their profile. Take the
opportunity to get to know them. That way you will be able to understand
why they do or don’t buy.
Consider doing interviews to get feedback from your current
customers. They can be face-to-face or over the phone. Be flexible.
Customers will feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts if you are.
Personal interviews may provide better information than an impersonal
email.
Surveys are an excellent resource for collecting feedback, as well.
They can be sent via email or be incorporated into your website. Keep
the survey short. Ten interesting but direct questions will give you
plenty of information about your customer’s needs and desires.
Misunderstand Your Tribe
Are you sure you really know your audience? While most brands would
guarantee they know their audience like the back of their hand, it may
not be true. Customers often report that they think brands don’t
understand what they want. That’s because these brands put out content
that doesn’t match their customers’ feelings.
If you really want to connect with your audience, focus on how they
think. It’s never good to assume you already know what they will do.
People can be unpredictable. Learn to put yourself in your customer’s
shoes. Try to think as they would, not as you want them to think.
Once you’ve collected sufficient data to calibrate your audience’s
needs, fears, and interests, it’s essential to cleverly incorporate that
in your content. Services like Textexture, Leiki, and IsAccurate can help you out with that.
Putting out content that matches customer’s real actions fares much
better. When content is related to the customer, they’ll be more likely
to interact with it. We all like to be recognized. Show your audience
that you see them. Make them the center of attention.
Follow The Pack
It seems almost every day there’s a new report on the best times to
post or deliver correspondence. Someone is always keen to tell us when
or when not to share, post or like. While those articles may be helpful,
they aren’t the end-all-be-all truth. Follow them as guidelines, if you
insist. However, remember that playing it safe doesn’t usually get you
noticed.
Do your own analysis. Find out what really works for your audience.
Niche audiences are niche because they are different, right? When you
approach an audience differently, they will pay attention to you. Not to
mention, you will stand out as being a unique brand.
The label of unique is very appealing to customers. Basic psychology
dictates that we all want to feel special. When your audience deems you
unique, they will develop an affinity for you. Your brand can benefit
from taking these risks. Bravery may help you reap great rewards.
Be A Pushover
Give the people what they want is a beautiful philosophy. But, if
people don’t really know what they want, it’s not a great strategy.
Sometimes, the head honcho doesn’t have the best ideas. Not everyone can
be a content marketing expert, can they? Remember that you are a
specialist in this field.
Bad content happens and often as a result of a direct request. If it
came directly from your boss, you might feel pressured to oblige. While
you shouldn’t discredit your boss’s idea, do your best to give them
perspective. Trying too hard to sell content doesn’t work. Enlighten
your boss on why creative content is right for your brand and for your
customer.
Be prepared to have them reject your ideas. Smile and nod, but don’t
give in. By now, you know your audience, and you know what they want.
Opt for a test run to show your boss what you can do. When your idea
shows the desired results, your boss is likely to let you call the
content marketing shots.
Conclusion
To wrap things up, it’s safe to say that content marketing demands
patience and continuous effort. While it’s a very effective way of
making your business seen on the web, it takes dedication to straighten
things up and to calibrate your own strategy. Good luck!