In 2023, content isn't just abundant – it's instant, accessible, and omnipresent. When done right, content marketing is a tool that can catapult your brand's visibility, engagement, and credibility.
Content marketing is a delicate blend of art, science, and strategy. But like any worthwhile endeavor, missteps are common. Here's your essential guide to dodge them.
Content Marketing Mistake #1: Creating content without a strategy in mind
When it comes to content marketing, it’s common for companies to adopt a ‘spray and pray’ approach: mass produce content quickly (looking at you, ChatGPT), scatter it everywhere, and hope something sticks.
A coherent strategy is a powerful differentiator. According to one B2B marketing study, 70% of the most successful companies had a documented content strategy, compared to just 16% of the least successful marketers.
Your strategy is the high-level plan guiding you on creating and distributing content with a set of clear goals: to grow your audience, meet business targets, and deliver the right message, to the right audience, at the right time. Here’s what a good strategy will include:
Audience Personas: Who's your ideal reader?
Brand Story: What's your unique narrative?
Content Marketing Mission: Why do you produce content?
Business Case: How does content help your business grow?
Plan of Action: What, when, and where will you post?
Content Marketing Mistake #2: Pitching instead of enriching
Remember: it's 'content marketing,' not 'content selling.' In the age of information overload, merely pushing products won't cut it. Ask not what your audience can do for you – ask what you can do for your audience.
One big content preferences survey found that 96% of B2B buyers want content with more input from industry thought leaders. The lesson here? Your audience seeks value, not a sales pitch.
A solid strategy will help you prioritize content that's informative, educational, or even entertaining. When crafting your strategy, ask yourself: What nugget of wisdom does your content offer? Why should your audience care about this content? How does it elevate their knowledge or solve their pain points?
Content Marketing Mistake #3: Neglecting the SEO game
Let’s be real: Even the best content means little if no one can find it. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) ensures your content appears in front of those actively seeking it.
But it's not enough to simply pepper in keywords. It's about understanding the intent behind those keywords and integrating them seamlessly into your content. For example, are you embedding strong keywords in your meta, alt, and title tags? Are you optimizing for both short-tail and long-tail keywords? Is your anchor text diversified and relevant to the linked content?
Now, consider J. C. Penney. Back in 2011, The New York Times reported that JC Penney was temporarily banned from Google's search results due to questionable SEO tactics, including paid links that boosted its site's rankings. The fallout? A massive drop in organic search visibility.
Content Marketing Mistake #4: Letting good content gather dust
Old content isn't necessarily useless content. Case in point: Last month, CNET removed thousands of old articles, hoping for better Google rankings. But instead of soaring up the SERPs, it backfired. Google's representatives weighed in, highlighting that content with broken links – and content removed entirely – isn't going to get the SEO love brands might expect.
Why is revitalizing old content so crucial? Three reasons:
SEO Juice: Older content often has backlinks, which are gold for SEO. Removing the content means losing those backlinks.
Established Authority: A well-aged article can be seen as more authoritative by both users and search engines alike. It's had time to accumulate shares, comments, and other signs of engagement.
Relevancy: Markets change, and so does information. By updating old content, you're ensuring it remains relevant and accurate, boosting its value for readers.
The lesson? Don't abandon your old content. Instead, think of it as a vintage car: with a little tuning and polish, it can shine just as brightly as anything brand new on the lot. Update those stats, repair broken links, and ensure it aligns with today's context.
Content Marketing Mistake #5: Ignoring the marketing KPIs scoreboard
If content is king, metrics are its counsellors, and measuring performance isn't just about tracking page views. Diving deeper will reveal which content pieces resonate and which flop.
To guide your content strategy, establish some Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that align with your objectives, like:
Revenue: Track sales, subscriptions, and downloads. See your content's direct financial impact.
Awareness: Measure visitors, page views, video plays, and social activity. How visible are you?
Loyalty: Monitor newsletter subscriptions and unsubscriptions, page duration, and bounce rate. Are you holding attention?
Engagement: Watch social cues: Likes, Shares, retweets, comments. How involved is your audience?
Leads: Track newsletter sign-ups, form requests, and conversion rates. Is your content driving action?
Effective content marketing starts with an experienced partner
Is your content marketing throwing wrenches in your growth engine? Feeling a bit lost on where to kick things off?
We've got the know-how to help you build and roll out a solid content marketing game plan. Let's ensure your content marketing is pushing you ahead, not holding you back. Contact Mind Meld PR today