Providing good content is one of the top pillars of any successful business operation. From social media content, to helpful blog posts, to well-designed and informative websites—good content can lead the way to more leads and conversions. Unfortunately, and all too often, many professionals take the wrong approach when it comes to their content marketing efforts. These companies make many critical mistakes along the way, and lose out on income opportunities as a result. When it comes to a killer content marketing strategy avoid these top 5 content marketing mistakes today for the best business outcomes.
#1 Misunderstanding the Audience
One of the first steps to creating the best content is to fully understand who the core audience is. By understanding who the audience is, the best content can be shared with them that meets their direct informational needs. For instance, if the audience falls into a certain demographic then content can be written in a voice that best matches this audience’s style. Let’s say the business audience consists of millennials, then the voice of the content could be written in a fun, modern tone that will grab their attention. The same would hold true for many other groups such as homeowners, retirees, or stay-at-home moms—the content must speak to their needs. Having such a perspective can give the company a major competitive advantage.
#2 Setting It and Forgetting It
One of the biggest content marketing mistakes around is simply posting content and then forgetting about it, hoping that it will provide results. This is not how content marketing works. Content marketing is meant to be engaging and interactive. This means that professionals will need to respond to comments placed on blogs. They will need to interact with social media followers. And they will need to monitor their website statistics to confirm which website pages are generating traffic and which ones are not. Additionally, metrics will need to be measured that keep track of how the content is doing. For instance, if the company shares a free e-book on their website, how many new customers came about as a result? Simply posting content and then forgetting about it is a recipe for disaster. Avoid this common mistake by paying close attention to how well the content is actually fairing online.
#3 Posting Too Much Irrelevant Content
Posting way too much fluff content is another mistake that professionals make. When it comes to content marketing for professionals, sometimes more does not necessarily mean better. With regards to the best content marketing tactics, providing less content that resonates more with the core audience supersedes sharing a large amount of content that simply is not helpful. This is a critical point to keep in mind when companies want to have a good handle on serving the needs of their customers. A useful approach is to provide a lower volume of high-quality content that resonates with the core audience and that demonstrates the company knows what they are talking about, versus dumping massive amounts of content on the internet that is not helpful at all.
#4 Posting Content That is Not Substantial
In some instances, shorter posts like concise blog articles can be helpful. However, for the most comprehensive experience, customers may be in need of more in-depth material to meet their need for more information. In fact, research indicates that longer blog articles ranging from 700 to 1,000 receive the most traction. This is why professionals should share substantial, robust content that prospective customers can benefit from. The heartiest of content will be precise and thorough. It will be lengthy enough to answer the questions that potential customers have and it will teach them information that they were previously unaware of. Yes, good content can drive sales and increase interest in a company. However, longer content that is more meaningful can make a larger impact when compared to shorter content that still leaves the customer with unanswered questions.
#5 Inconsistent, Unreliable Content
Lastly, content must be posted on a regular, consistent basis. When content is shared in this manner, customers will come to view the company as a trustworthy source of information. The more frequent the posts are, the more opportunity there is for the professional service to position themselves as thought leaders and experts in their realm of business. While there is no ideal formula for how often professionals should schedule their content, the fact remains that customers will come to anticipate frequently scheduled content. When content is posted sporadically, customers may lose faith in the brand and seek out information from other sources. However, when content is reliably posted it can help to foster long-term relationships with customers who will proactively seeking out the information that the professional has to share.
To learn more about improving a content marketing strategy by avoiding these common content marketing mistakes, contact a team of esteemed marketing professionals today for more information.