Last week, at one of my events I covered the topic content marketing. It is still a topic where most people are either confused and are still figuring out ways to get results. In this article, I cover some of the most common content marketing mistakes I’ve seen.
#1 Writing for search engines and NOT humans
Most people think content marketing is SEO. It isn’t, its way more than that. Keeping search engines and keywords in mind while writing content is important, but it shouldn’t be your only purpose. There is a far greater reason.
#2 Having NO PURPOSE
In my seminar, I asked people why do they blog. Majority of them didn’t have an answer. Sometimes, there is this bandwagon effect that says you need to have a blog, social media accounts, website etc. But if you’re clear about what you want it to do, then there’s a higher probablity of getting there. You can’t be successful if you don’t define success.
#3 Focusing on Quantity
I often hear people say, they need ‘x’ number of articles a day or month. Although it might be important to get more articles on your blog, it’s equally important that they are shared and valued by your readers. If I have a limited budget, I’d rather cut down the number of articles and hire a better writer than have more articles with a less competent writer.
#4 Not aligned to your brand personality
Consistency is so important in almost everything we do in life. When we communicate in one voice with a consistent brand personality, it makes a massive difference. It attracts the right audience, the ones who have the potential to become brand advocates.
#5 Not making content Entertaining and Informative
The old saying, “the purpose of content is to entertain and inform.” Most of the content I see is neither entertaining nor informative. They are either badly written sales letters, or have no purpose at all. It’s time to loosen up a little, add some dash, and bring out your personality.
#6 Not having a TARGET AUDIENCE
If there’s just one thing you’ll take from this article, this is IT! If your target audience is everybody, you’ll reach NOBODY. This is a BIGGIE. Take some time to think about who you want to reach. Then go after them and shower them with love.
#7 Too focused on specific channels rather than experience
Social media channels are tools to distribute your content, that’s it! People today are looking for an experience rather than a transaction. Whether someone is buying a home or a gadget, they are creating memories that are going to last a lifetime. Last time, someone asked me how can brick and mortar retailers compete with ecommerce companies, I said “Give consumers an experience, create memories. If you can’t compete on convenience, compete on the intagibles. Remember, people buy with emotion NOT always logic.”