Looking ahead to the new year, it is likely that you are trying to organize an effective strategy for reaching more people and growing your business through content marketing. If that describes you, keep reading. I have some important advice to share that will help you achieve those goals.
Please pay close attention if 2018 didn’t net the results you wanted. There is probably a reason for that. In fact, there was probably more than one. Here are 10 things marketers do to derail their own campaigns. Which of them would you be honest enough to admit held you back over the past year? Which ones should you be trying to fix?
#1: They Haven’t Clearly Defined Their Audience
I harp on this one a lot because it matters. It has practically become novel to receive a detailed brief from a client that includes detailed information on who is going to be reading the piece. Believe me, that matters. Knowing your audience and writing to them, not at them, is vital for your success.
#2: They Don’t Split Test
Are you developing different headlines and checking your metrics to see which one gets the best engagement? Are you doing the same for your visuals? Are you tracking which platforms receive your content the best? If you aren’t, you are not reaching anywhere near as many people as possible.
#3: They Curate Too Much Content
People keep scrolling past content they’ve seen 20 times already. You can get away with using the same articles and web content, but it must be framed in a unique way. Switch up the visuals, write catchy headlines (a little controversy in those headlines always helps), and stray away from clickbaiting.
Along those lines, please remember that there is a difference between an interesting picture or headline and one that is designed to get clicks. Most readers these days know the difference. Some will even alert others in the comments, and that will cost you in clicks.
#4: They Don’t Use Email Correctly
How often do you engage with your list? If your email blasts are sporadic or tend to favor certain types of content while neglecting others, you are communicating that only parts of your message are relevant. Anytime something new is posted, an email blast is necessary.
Bottom line: If you are only sending out emails when it’s time to sell something, that’s not engagement. Today’s consumer is all about brand relationships, not sales, so be consistent in your email marketing. Make people care about all your content, and it will work in your favor when it’s time to shift into sales mode.
#5: They Don’t Listen to the Market
Many marketers tend to put their content marketing on autopilot when they should be constantly investigating market trends. Whatever niche you adopt, it is as important to investigate what your competition is posting and keep up on a daily basis.
Be careful, however, not to fall into the trap of mimicking competing content. Ask yourself how your brand would present the same messaging, and develop content that makes your audience feel like it’s been written just for them.
#6: They Keep Recycling Keywords
I’ve said this over and over again, but it bears repeating: Keywords are not static. What worked last week or last month or last year will not necessarily work now. It is absolutely necessary to research relevant keywords for every piece. If you or the copywriting content development agency you work with aren’t doing this already, you are missing out on tons of engagement.
#7: They Don’t Pay Close Enough Attention to Branding
This is the trap that many marketers fall into when curating content. “If it worked for this company, it’ll work for us.” No, actually, that’s not set in stone. Remember what I said earlier: Do you want people to stop or keep scrolling when they see your content? If it’s the former, what you present must be unique and clearly identify your brand.
#8: They Are Inconsistent with Content Delivery
It occurred to me that I went after email a little prematurely since this is where those kinds of problems actually start. If you don’t have a consistent publishing schedule for all your content, you can’t be consistent with anything, including email. Get your audience used to hearing from you at strategic intervals, and always meet their expectations.
Think about it this way: Before the days of streaming, networks relied on viewers to be in front of their TVs when shows aired. Imagine if the network decided to air “Cheers” this week on Saturday at 9 p.m. and next week aired it on Thursday at 7 p.m. I guarantee you it would have been off the air in far less than the 11 years it actually ran.
#9: They Write for Themselves, Not Their Audiences
This can actually go in several different directions, but let me focus on what I refer to as the Toxic Two. Toxic content can either take the form of catering to the writer/client instead of the intended audience, or it can come in the form of micromanagement and assumptions about how the content will be received. The latter almost always comes with no data to back up the decision about what to include in the content.
In the first instance, the writer/client becomes obsessed with how he or she would engage with the content with no deference to the audience. In the second instance, the writer/client assumes the role of the helicopter parent afraid of the reader getting hit with a random comma or reading an opinion that might night jibe with their own.
Remember, this is not about you. You don’t have to stick with messaging that tickles your own ears. Instead, keep your audience – particularly your ideal avatar – in the forefront when delivering content.
#10: They Don’t Engage on Social Media
Whether it’s you or someone you trust to post as you, it is vital that you stay in front of your audience on social media. If you do work with an outside copywriting agency, like BeezContent, please be sure that whoever writes your content is using a consistent voice along any medium where you speak to your audience directly. This accounts predominantly for email and social media.
Also keep in mind that social media is vital for building off-page SEO. To neglect it is to say you don’t care if you ever generate organic traffic to your site, and we both know that’s not your intention.
I hope I’ve given you the means to identify problem areas in your content and shown you how to fix some of them. If you feel like your content creation efforts could use a little boost, contact us. Not only do we understand the pitfalls, we can also help you avoid them.
