Content marketing is a powerful way to establish trust, authority and credibility in your online marketing campaign. Giving people the information they seek, and the solutions to their problems, is a very effective means of getting them to buy your products and services. But, like any marketing tactic, being successful is about a lot more than just mere exposure—it doesn’t matter how much content you produce if it is not good. Here are some of the top mistakes for which to watch in your own campaign.
No Plan
It is important you have some sort plan for your content marketing efforts. What are you hoping to accomplish with your content? Are you keeping track of responses to see what is working and what isn’t? If you are not thinking beyond your next couple of blog posts, you have to change that.
Unprofessional Content
No matter how great your products and services are, unprofessional content will kill your efforts. If your writing skills aren’t up to par, paying a skilled freelancer is a very worthy investment. If you are banking on email marketing to boost sales, for example, you may want to indulge in the services of a marketing solutions provider, who can aid you in creating professional content that converts to sales. One of the most important elements of professional success is knowing when to bring in someone who can do the job better than you can.
The Wrong Purpose
Sure, the goal of any marketing strategy is to make sales—customers know this, and it’s fine. But, how you go about it will make or break your efforts. If you want to be successful with content marketing, your primary focus should be creating something of value, something that your target market will find useful and informative. Do not produce copy with express purpose of trying to make a quick sale, because it will backfire. Think about the needs, wants and challenges of your primary audience. What type of content can you produce that speaks to these things?
Not Optimizing Content for Search Engines
Content marketing can be a great way to raise your rankings in the search engines. But, many businesses make the mistake of neglecting search engine optimization (SEO), which means you are missing out on lots of potential visitors, who can turn into customers. Chances are, you don’t know enough about SEO practices to optimize your campaign yourself, so if you are serious about content marketing as a means for growing your business, start working with an SEO professional stat.
Using Social Media Improperly or Not at All
If you are doing any sort of marketing online, social media is pretty much a must to maximize the reach of a particular strategy. So, if you are not using it at all, you best start right now. And if you are already using it, make sure you are doing it right. First and foremost, make sure you have social media buttons choice. Connect with similar businesses and share each other’s content. A site like Triberr is great for that because it allows you to join tribes where everyone can promote each other’s work with a simple click. Be consistent with social media for the best results.