Are you a newbie in the business market with no idea how to go about promoting your business? Well, dear new-found-entrepreneur, facts from all over the world say content marketing is the best sphere for investment at the moment as it does not require a person to tirelessly promote your products 24*7. It attracts more customers, drives quality traffic and improves engagement that ultimately drives you closer to the prospects and the final stage of the content marketing funnel. That’s not to say, though, that you won’t face many content marketing problems along the way.
Content Marketing Institute says 89% of B2B marketers use content marketing! If you’re looking for tips and tricks on how to pick out the ace in the stack of marketing cards, you got to be aware of the Kings and the Queens. So, here’s a list of content marketing blunders (yes, they’re blunders) you should avoid at all costs if you want to keep your brainchild in the running.
Not knowing the interests of your audience
Not all content marketing books are liked by all, are they? Similarly, not all the content you put up will be appreciated by your audience. When they come across matter which does not interest them, more often than not, they will just drip not even giving it a second thought. This is one of the biggest content marketing problems entrepreneurs face.
The reason why I have enlisted this as content marketng mistake #1 – if you don’t know what your audience would like to read, or see, how will you at all create them in the first place? It is necessary to understand what they want to see, what they might be attracted to, what kind of content engages them the most, what are the new content marketing trends, etc. because not all content can bring the right kind of traffic to your door.
A research conducted by Salesforce says that 76% of consumers want companies to walk the extra mile and understand their pain points. Knowing what your audience wants and channelizing it into the matter you put up is the key to successful content marketing. Here’s a 4-step guide to understanding consumer interests –
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Not enough visuals
90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual. The human brain processes images faster than text and it’s going to make up the majority amount of matter put up by companies very soon. Text-only blogs have gone off the field.
If you have been draining all your effort to develop a blog that’s ONLY about texts, we advise you to stop right there. Only facts and figures spoil the visual appeal of your matter. It disinterests the followers and they do not find any motivation to engage with your blog any further. Remodel your content with pictures, videos, and infographics which would catch the eye of the reader. Include the visual element in your posts and blogs to create a long-lasting impact give them a reason to return to your blog every time. Here are some facts that explain why you MUST start drafting visual content today –
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Not creating evergreen content
Time-sensitive or ‘trendy’ topics are, as the name suggests, just a phase of time. Many marketers are led into believing that trending content can drive traffic to their blogs or published matter. Yes, this is true, but just for a short period of time. Once the trend is gone, the traffic is gone. It is definitely wiser to focus more on content that stays relevant for a long period of time, that is, evergreen content.
A piece of evergreen content that not only attracts new followers but also connects with your loyal customers will increase shares, engagement and generate results for a long period of time. This kind of greenery will undoubtedly help your marketing atmosphere to become more effective. Here are some quick tips by hivedigital on the evergreen content life cycle –
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Neglecting the SEO aspect
Search engines derive over 51% traffic to your websites in comparison to the other marketing channels you might be using. If you’re investing in content marketing, then SEO investment should be the top priority for you.
If you are still new to the term SEO, here’s a quick definition – Tactics to improve your search engine ranking that is to push you up the ladder on SERP results is Search Engine Optimisation. Train your marketing department to make the most of SEO, or you can also hire an SEO agency with a proven success record.
Not having a marketing strategy
An effort without a plan is an effort wasted. This saying is the most appropriate when it comes to the world of real business. Every move, every step needs hardcore planning and analysis, and the same goes for the marketing of your products.
Since this is one of the most integral parts of a venture, it goes without saying that all of your marketing strategies should be well planned in advance, including content marketing. Most companies prepare a short-term plan for their editorial calendar, but alas! This is not enough to take your campaign to its zenith.
A content marketing strategy is based purely on research and review. Research and brainstorm content ideas that will be engaging for your audience and review your previous content. Get a clear understanding of what interests your audience the most and then plan your next move. A properly planned content calendar can work miracles for your content marketing campaign. Here’s what an ideal content marketing strategy will contain:
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Sole focus on influencers
If you are planning to sign a marketing contract with Taylor Swift, think again.
Influential marketing, by definition, means marketing your products through someone or something which has great impact in their respective social sphere. A survey by Sysomos said that the preferences for influencers on ‘well known in my niche’ outnumber any of the above by large margin. Take a look – 
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Most of us, fall into the pit hole of ‘Higher the number of followers, the better it is for us’ especially the newbies. However, the reality is it usually results in a lot less-than-expected audience engagement. Just because the influencer has a large number of followers or fans, it does not necessarily mean that they can grab eyeballs for your products. The results yielded are not worth the hole these macro-influencers create in your budget.
Instead of tackling this content marketing problem by trying to find a more expensive influencer, it is more profitable to invest your money in a variety of influencers, however small, because they increase the chances of promotion of your products. They provide different platforms for your content to be surfed multiple times and you can slay the influence game with experiment and experience.
No Optimization for the small screens
Is there anyone who does not use a in this technologically advanced world? Definitely not! We are all aware of the fact that since the evolution of phones to smartphones, the time spent on small screens as well as the internet has increased. According to Statista, through a research in 2017, almost half of the respondents spent 5 or more hours on their smartphones daily!
Today when people access anything in some clicks, if you don’t have content optimized for the small screens, believe me, you are already losing on a LOT. On the contrary, firms that understand and act on this trend are sure to influence a larger number of people.
If you have not yet optimized your marketing to fit the phone, it’s not too late if you start right away. You can also think about crafting some mobile-screen exclusive content since it gives you a higher chance of discoverability.
Only motive to acquire customers
It has been highlighted time and again that retaining your dedicated customers is more important than acquiring new ones because the behavior of new leads cannot be predicted, one of the key content marketing problems. Research shows that 70% of companies believe that it is easier to retain customers rather than acquiring new ones.
They might show interest in your products for once and fall back in the later stages of the funnel. Content that would ONLY interest your prospects or would-be customers, is an expensive blunder committed by a lot of entrepreneurs. Invest in creating balanced and versatile content that plays off well on both the groups. Acquiring new consumers is certainly beneficial for the growth of the business, but it is as important to flatter your loyal purchasers! Focus your content marketing efforts to generate awareness and interest at first then move to the purchasing funnel of the marketing. Till then you can hire some experts to manage your customer acquisition to keep you growing in your particular niche.
Expecting immediate results
Content marketing is not an instant process and its results are not instant either. You can make Maggi in 2 minutes, but if you have been expecting results from your content marketing (more chances that you are) the same way, let me show you the real picture –
Firstly, it demands immense hard work to recognize your target segment, considerable time to distribute your content to the right platforms, and finally, it requires patience to convince and convert them into loyal customers.
Expecting unrealistic results creates additional pressure on your marketing team, who might be forced to work harder in order to bring results for the firm and eventually create a mound of low-quality work. So, it instead results in drainage of money, time and human resources rather than adding to the growth of the firm. Here’s a quick sneak-peek from a visual of what it requires to reach the end goal –
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Ignoring Calls to Action
CTA’s or Cal to actions define the customer journey all through your content marketing plan. You put long hours of effort to draft a 2500-words long-form content or blog post, you get the desired traffic and that’s it. What after that? Where does all the traffic go? Ever thought of that? Here’s your answer
They vanish in thin air because you sure have developed the most amazing piece of content available on the web, but you failed to define the action journey for your readers!
That’s what CTA’s are meant for, to help you drive your traffic from one step to another.
While posting on your blog or any other social media platform, never, I repeat NEVER forget to add a call-to-action. Read the entire matter from the reader’s point of view and analyze what would your prospect want next, and then create an irresistible CTA. For instance, you could use your blog for a description of your company and its products and add a link to a sales tour page as a Call to Action.
These are the most common content marketing problems faced by (and terrible) mistakes made by budding entrepreneurs in an attempt to expand the horizons of their ventures which can cost them more than a fortune. So, we found it increasingly important – as important as content marketing itself is – to equip you with all the necessary information on how to not make a blunder when facing one of these content marketing problems. It’s your turn now, to run your vehicle on the best quality tires and make it to your desired destination in the best of the condition.
For more on content marketing mistakes and how to avoid them, check out this great infographic from Content Continuum.
