In the almost limitless universe of the Internet, the art of content marketing can be tricky. You have to know your target audience and what they want, and always be one step ahead of the competition. Add to that the constantly emerging new channels for your content, and you’ve got a pretty challenging task ahead of you.
However, before launching into this war of words, here are 11 pitfalls to watch out for:
1. Not doing your groundwork
You can’t build a skyscraper without laying the foundation. What is the purpose of your content? Who are you directing it to? Is it in line with the personality of your brand? If you don’t brainstorm these questions and come up with a concrete plan, you may fail before you even start. It also helps to check your content and see what you can do differently from the competition.
2. Not having a clear takeout
It’s fun to read funny articles on the internet, but don’t let its popularity sway you. Good content needs a solid conclusion – a message that was previously unavailable to your readers. Give them something new through your content and they will be hooked on your every word.
3. Not having a call to action
A final paragraph is strong, but a call to action (CTA) is stronger. Each piece of content should spark something in the reader at the end, be it curiosity, happiness, or even fear. Give your reader an action to take after they have read your content; It could be liking, sharing, commenting, or accessing your hotline or website to find out more about your product. Whatever you do, don’t leave the reader hanging at the end of your article.
4. Choose quantity over quality (or vice versa)
Today’s content marketers are still faced with this question: produce more content faster or deliver full content less often? In our experience, a healthy combination of the two is the best long-term strategy for content marketing. Don’t be pressured by the speed and frequency of new Internet postings; just produce the best and most timely content that your marketing plan allows.
5. Not optimizing your content (SEO)
Do you want your content to be the first thing Internet users see in a quick Google search? So don’t let search engine optimization (SEO) be an afterthought in your content marketing plan. Create some strong keywords and strategically sprinkle them throughout your content. Get this right and watch your content skyrocket right into the search results list.
6. Write long paragraphs
Let’s face it: the online reader’s attention span has plummeted in recent years. Long paragraphs are hard work to read. On the other hand, dividing your content into shorter paragraphs or bullets increases the readability of your piece. Each paragraph and point also acts as a placeholder in the minds of readers, which they can refer to at any time.
7. No internal or external links
Don’t you want a visitor to your website to stick around and know more about your product? Internal links to old content are a good way to ensure audience retention, increased interest in your brand, and better search engine optimization. External links to related topics also add ranking power to your content, as Google search spiders read them as ‘third party votes’ for your article.
8. Don’t use relevant images
Your post’s featured image is the first thing a viewer will see on social media. Relevant images and infographics make people want to read your blogs. After all, nobody likes to read a continuous stream of text. Content becomes more and more visual to keep readers hooked, and you should follow suit.
9. Overly promotional content
Online audiences want content that is entertaining and engaging, and they don’t want it to be marketed to them all the time. You will not achieve the latter by producing promotional content openly, with words like “buy”, “sell”, “trade” at the forefront. Creative and engaging content with out-of-the-box images are the current gold standard in marketing.
10. Distribute content randomly
Simply sharing your content across all social media platforms may seem like a good idea at first. However, unless you share it on the right platforms frequented by your target audience, all your efforts might be in vain. Base the online distribution of your content on the social media habits of your audience, as well as the nature of your product.
11. Ignore content metrics
Content marketing is not an open and closed case; there is always more to learn from your current job. For simplicity, there are four metrics by which you can analyze the success or failure of your content so far: consumption, sharing, leads generated, and sales and revenue. You can then modify your future content or strategy based on these results.
Marketing your brand through online content doesn’t have to be rocket science – if you do your homework right, work with a communications agency that can get your brand the attention it deserves!
Do you know of any other mistakes in content marketing? If so, leave a comment,