Last Updated on December 7, 2012 by Content Team
More and more marketers and website owners are incorporating content marketing as a part of their campaigns. This isn’t surprising at all considering that it has been proven time and again that a well-executed content marketing strategy can do wonders in increasing traffic, boosting sales, improving SERPs and deepening levels of engagement.
If you’re planning to use content marketing as a part of your marketing mix, you are probably aware of the benefits that it can bring to the table. However, you should also take note that such strategy can turn into a liability due to some mishaps that can pull all your efforts to the ground. So to avoid such scenario, be sure to avoid these three content marketing mistakes.
Too text-centric
Take note that content marketing is all about creating and sharing valuable information. However, when you say information that doesn’t mean that everything should be text-based. Your marketing efforts won’t last long if you only provide text-based content. Why? Online is definitely growing and with search engines and social networking sites prioritizing visuals, content that is in written format may not be able to hold people’s attention longer. It can get boring and soon enough readers will just forget what you wrote.
Of course, text-based content won’t disappear, but it will do a lot better if it is used in conjunction with other forms of media. Written content accompanied by some form of image, video or even audio helps people to envision your site or brand. So when you are able to provide valuable content in a wide variety of forms– webinars, podcasts, ebooks, case studies, infographic, etc.–and share them on different platforms, people will be encouraged to visit your site because they know that they can expect something different from you.
Also, when you utilize different forms of content, you are showing your audience that you are able to creatively tap into different resources to showcase your brand’s or site’s strengths and expertise. Thus, readers, viewers and customers alike are able to get a better picture of what your brand truly has to offer to them.
Not checking performance metrics
This is one of the biggest busters when it comes to content marketing that many marketers and site owners commit. They write content, share them, then the process stops there. However, content marketing should not just end with creation and sharing. You also need to evaluate how your content performs, how people consume it, what the audience do with it and if they actually like it or not.
As H. James Harrison, performance improvement expert, has pointed out, measurement is the first step to control and eventually improve. As such, by tracking down metrics such as page views, conversion rate, bounce rate, unique visitors, search engine traffic and inbound links that your content receives, you will have a clear understanding about what adjustments you need to make, what type of content are worth creating and what actions you need to carry out in order to further improve engagement.
No plan or strategy
Remember that the core of content marketing is to connect the needs of users to your site’s or brand’s goals. Unfortunately, many marketers and website owners fail to realize this that they just jump into the bandwagon without actually having a solid plan or strategy in place just to get things off the ground and make a quick sell. Such lack of plan or strategy is the perfect way to failure.
Of course, you do not want this to happen to your campaign. So at the most, you want to have a clear understanding of what you truly want to achieve in using this strategy and know what your target niche wants. Then, you should develop a plan or strategy around these things so that they align with your objectives. The point is to develop a realistic strategy that will provide long term results.
This article was penned by one of the regular contributors of RFK Solutions, a UK-based company that provides a wide range of new media solutions, including web design, programming, graphic design, search engine optimization and e-commerce. They also boast some of the best web designers in West Lothian.
The SEO Doctor freelance writing team consists of around 10 writers I use for different projects.