Content marketing is very tricky. Even the most experienced specialists face many challenges throughout their marketing campaigns and are bound to make mistakes. But some mistakes in content marketing are quite common, which allows you to learn and adapt through the experience of others.
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We thought it’d be quite helpful to compile a list of the most common mistakes made in content marketing and the best ways to avoid, circumvent, or solve them.
Lack of Voice
The “voice” in content is an abstract idea, so it’s pretty hard to define, but we’ll do our best. Two creators may cover the same subject and still produce radically different content, simply because their voices are different. Not the voice you speak with, but rather the tone that your content conveys, such as motivational, informative, soothing, academic, etc.
While content marketing metrics are important, one thing you should always keep in mind is that you create content for people, not just numbers on a graph. All content needs a voice that an audience can resonate with regardless of what format you’re working with. Use a tone that feels comfortable for you or sounds the most authentic to you and audiences are sure to resonate with your content.
No Defined Audience
An issue that is closely related to the lack of voice is an undefined or ill-defined audience. To reiterate a previous statement (that I believe is the backbone of any good content), you make content for people, not numbers or metrics. On top of understanding what voice or tone your content should carry, you should also define who your audience is.
For example, if you notice that in your food blog, articles that consistently receive the most reactions and comments are the ones about vegan food, this means you have an opportunity to focus on that particular audience. Once you figure out who your audience is, the other steps of your marketing campaign such as lead generation with content, planning, production, and distribution of content become much easier.
Vague Goals
Content marketing should always have some kind of goal. Whether the creator is expanding their audience, diversifying their content formats, or improving KPIs (key performance indicators), they should have a set goal in mind.
Explaining what a vague versus concrete goal would be too wordy, so why don’t you just look at the example below:
Vague Goal: Expand audience.
Concrete Goal: Reach 5,000 YouTube subscribers and 15,000 channel views in the first two quarters of the year (January-June).
See how the first goal is too vague and doesn’t specify the kind of results being sought after, whereas the second one gives concrete metrics and a timeline. Don’t work with vague goals; understand what you need and when you need it to plan your content marketing strategy accordingly.
Being Too Pushy
Content marketing treads a very fine line between entertainment and marketing. The content you produce should aim to accomplish some kind of a goal, as we’ve stated above, but avoid being too pushy when it comes to marketing whatever you’re trying to sell or get your audience to do.
For example, if you’re trying to expand your audience on a YouTube channel, don’t be too pushy with the whole “Like, favorite, and subscribe.” Don’t remind your viewers to do this every minute, otherwise, they’ll feel pandered to. The same goes for filling your written content to the brim with keywords or pasting a metric ton of links on your SMM posts. As long as your content is entertaining and reliable, audiences will be interested in more.
Not Doing Enough Research
There’s a famous quote by Mark Twain that also acts as great advice for content creators: “Write what you know.” This quote relates to content marketing in that ideally you should create content about subjects that you’re comfortable with and are knowledgeable about.
Audiences typically look for SMEs or subject-matter experts who have greater authority over a subject. One of the biggest challenges of content marketing is getting audiences to trust your authority as a specialist.
Regardless of what subject matter you’re covering, be it content for doctors, sports fans, or astrology connoisseurs, do thorough research for all your content.
Ignoring Metrics
I’ve already mentioned a couple of times that content should be made with people in mind, not numbers. This statement is still true, but it doesn’t mean that you should ignore the metrics of your content. You should use your content analytics to reach the goals you set out for yourself.
Metrics give strategists a clear idea of weak points and opportunities for growth in their content marketing strategies. Look into which of your content performs the best and replicate that same success in other pieces of content.
Here’s a pro tip: there are tons of great deals on courses about content marketing metrics, and how to collect, read, and use them to your advantage. Do your homework on metrics and your next content marketing strategy will be far more effective in achieving the desired results.
Mistakes Can Be Opportunities
Even if you are well aware of these mistakes, it is still very easy to let them happen. This is a natural part of the process and will happen regardless of how careful you are. Mistakes can be quite beneficial, however, as they offer a chance to learn.
Getting good at anything requires that you make mistakes, learn from them, and improve. In fact, one of the biggest mistakes you can make, not just in marketing, is not learning from your previous mistakes.
Look back on your previous content marketing strategies and think about what mistakes you’ve made. Once you’ve done so, simply think of steps that you can avoid in the future, and there you go; you’ve already made a positive difference in your content marketing strategy.