Content Marketing Mistakes You Shouldn’t Be Making

Published on: 31 March 2021 Last Updated on: 27 December 2024

By now, most people know the value of a content marketing campaign to your business. Given the reach and convenience of the internet, most brands are bound to hop onto the content marketing bandwagon.

The only problem here is that not everyone who hops onto trends completely understands them. Before you fully commit to a content marketing campaign, it’s important to know what you’re getting yourself into so you can avoid making catastrophic errors.

In this article, we have outlined some horrible content marketing mistakes many marketers are making these days. Read this article if you don’t want to make these mistakes.

Why Should I Consider Investing In Content Marketing?

ROI: The first reason that content marketing is beneficial is that it significantly contributes to your return on investment (ROI).

ROI can come in different forms, such as a customer subscription, better brand visibility, improved brand reputation, increased inbound traffic, and customer loyalty.

Establishing Brand Authority: Content marketing also helps establish your brand as an authority, so long as your content is of good quality. You can even become your niche’s primary source of information. When this happens, customers are more likely to remember your brand whenever they need a product or service that you offer.

Interact with Target Audience: Finally, content marketing is a potent means to interact with your target audience (and your target demographic). Sharing content helps you build trust with your audience, and it also acts as a means to extend your reach even further whenever your audience shares your content.

Lead Generation: Furthermore, frequent followers and readers eventually become actual customers.

Content marketing is a useful method to bolster your business’ performance, but only if you utilize it properly. It’s not a silver bullet that’s going to solve all your marketing problems.

Generally, your best course of action is to hire a content marketing agency to launch and implement your campaign properly, but for those who want to try their hand at doing their own content marketing, there are some mistakes that you need to avoid.

Poor Audience Understanding

At the core level, it boils down to how well you know your audience. Your marketing message will work through the content you publish when you know who you are speaking to. The digital mediums, the analytics, and the other technical aspects come way later.

Publishing content without knowing your audience is simply shooting arrows in the dark. It negatively impacts the different marketing and sales metrics you are trying to achieve.

Here’s how your digital presence might suffer if you make the mistake of not understanding your audience –

Low Engagement

When your content isn’t aligning with your audience, your website will suffer from low engagement.

Low Traffic: Your website can also suffer from low traffic.

Poor Brand Reputation: when your business content is everywhere, your audience doesn’t recognize what you are posting. You also don’t get to build your brand image which can sustain your business for the long term.

Poor SERP Ranking: readers will not stick around to read content that isn’t engaging, giving your website a poor search engine presence.

Publishing Content Without A Goal In Mind:

If you aren’t doing anything for free then you shouldn’t also do anything without a purpose in mind.

Whenever we publish content, it’s important to always have a goal in mind. You have to determine whether the goal of your content is to sell, generate leads, inform, or engage with your audience.

These goals or purposes shape your content strategy, which dominates the core function of your content journey. What’s the content journey, you ask? It’s your process to create, publish, distribute, promote, and measure your content.

Then there are your content channels and promotion tactics based on the type of channel and the type of content you are putting out. Yes, we are talking about everything starting from Social Media and YouTube to Blogs. If you are posting it on Instagram, you’ll use Instagram analytics. But, for blogs, you’ll need to use tools like Google Analytics.

Your goal will determine things about your content, such as your call to action and tone (whether conversational, informative, or imperative). For example, if your content is meant to sell a product, it needs to sound friendly yet informative. A post that’s meant to engage with your audience is best written in a sincere, genuine tone.

Failing To Utilize Paid Content Amplification:

The internet is currently oversaturated and highly competitive. Content brands are constantly vying to get their message on the feeds of prospective customers.

The brand that gets relegated to the background will surely lose customers, even if its product is superior to that of its competitor. Paid amplification helps your content reach your intended audience, and it almost always produces quality leads. Consider the fact that even industry giants make use of paid content amplification.

This means that you should do so as well if you want to stay relevant in your chosen industry.

Forgoing The Use Of Social Media Stories:

Social media stories are mobile-viewed vertical videos and images that appear outside a user’s regular feed and last only 24 hours. Storytelling will be the key to distributing your content successfully. Stories are perfect for building emotional connections with your audience because they are more casual and are mostly used as a medium for real-time engagement.

Stories also have a natural progression. This means that users can arrange their content to be more cohesive to viewers. Stories also allow users to enable their viewers to react to the story while also helping users determine the type of content that viewers want.

Limiting Your Content Form:

In today’s market, text and image content alone will not differentiate you from your competitors, especially when you consider that users are gradually shifting away from written content because of the increasing popularity of video content, podcasts, and infographics. This is especially true considering how these types of content are also searchable on major search engines.

It’s important to invest in other content channels to maximize your reach. This also allows your users to choose how they consume your content. The best part about this is that you don’t necessarily have to generate new content to fill these channels.

In fact, you can repurpose written content and simply change the channel they’re published on. An old blog post can serve as your framework for your video and audio content. Your users will appreciate the variety of your content, and this variation will also help improve your website’s SEO ranking.

Ignoring Data Analysis:

Successful content marketing is not just based on artistic taste and content popularity. It is also heavily influenced by data. Running an analysis of your campaign’s performance grants brands the insight needed to make informed decisions regarding content.

The numbers will help you determine which approach is better for a particular demographic. This also allows users to correct a wrong approach.

For example, if you’ve discovered that most of your users are active at a certain time, then use that data to determine the best time to publish your content. Simply ignoring the data will not only rob you of the traffic you would have gotten otherwise, but it will also convey that you’re indifferent to your audience, which will eventually spell the failure of your campaign.

Conclusion

Content marketing is a boon to business owners because it grants them the ability to grow their businesses quickly. It requires a lot of work and experience to get it right the first time, but since you’re posting your content on the internet, it essentially means that as long as your website is up, your content will continue to do its job. Whether your content becomes effective or not depends on whether you do things correctly.

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Soumava Goswami

A passionate writer and an avid reader, Soumava is academically inclined and loves writing on topics requiring deep research. Having 3+ years of experience, Soumava also loves writing blogs in other domains, including digital marketing, business, technology, travel, and sports.

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The 7 Steps to Create a Storybrand to Ensure Marketing that Works

If you want to engage your customer base in a way that deeply resonates with their needs, you need to communicate a story well. One of the best ways to do story-based marketing is through the Storybrand system. The folks developed the system around seven fundamental principles that make marketing a clear, intuitive, and organic process. Storybrand marketing is a customer-focused marketing technique that you can apply to just about any business model. If you're interested in creating a compelling brand story that engages with your target market, read on for seven essential steps to get started. The 7 Steps to Create a Storybrand to Ensure Marketing that Works: 1. Start With The Customer: Every good story starts with a central character. A lot of businesses feel that they need to be the central character in their account. In reality, the customer should be the center of the story. This restructuring allows them to place themselves within the narrative you are trying to create. 2. Identify A Problem: According to Donald Miller, every good story has a problem or conflict. This problem that you identify is the central need that your customer faces. This need is the exact problem that you can solve for your customer - and it is often what defines your value as a company. 3. Identify Yourself as The Guide: This is where you come in. You are the guide in the story who has the ability to lead your customer through the murky confusion of their problem and can guide them to the solution. Speaking of guides, a storybrand certified guide can help accomplish all the steps on this list professionally. Make sure that you, as the company, are clearly the solution to your customer's unique problem. 4. Have A Plan: You need to identify yourself as an expert. You have a unique solution to your customer's issue. This is especially critical for any business-to-business model. You need to explicitly communicate the expertise that you have built over a long period of time. 5. Have a Clear Call to Action: Now that you have clearly identified the hero in the story (your customer) and the solution to their problem (you), there should be a clear call to action present. It doesn't need to be pushy -- just compelling. Remember, the story should do most of the work for you. A storybrand certified guide can help you toe the line of compelling and overzealous. 6. Define Success or Failure: The narrative that you craft should make it abundantly clear that if the customer follows the instructions given to him by the guide, they will achieve success. If they choose not to accept the guide's help, they will run into the same problems that they have been facing. 7. Failure: Failure shouldn't be the centerpiece of your story, but it should serve as a vehicle of helpful tension for your story. Make sure that the customer understands the possibility of failure if they choose to not engage with your product or service, as well as the benefit of using your company. Read Also: How To Foolproof Your Digital Marketing Strategy? Four Things Marketing And Public Relations Firms Want To Tell You Why Every Business Holder Should Start Using The Drip Marketing Campaign

Why Email Marketing is the BEST Digital Marketing Outreach in Singapore

Times have changed. Commerce no longer waits for customers to head into a brick-and-mortar store, but instead takes on a proactive approach. Marketers must rely on various tools to reach out to their consumers, create sales channels, and generate revenue. Gone are the days when newspaper ads and billboards took center stage; with technology, digital marketing outreach becomes a necessity as it can reach a considerable amount of users in the shortest amount of time. Marketers often ask us about the most effective platform they should first choose, and our answer always goes back to good old email marketing. Singaporeans are so comfortable with technology, and the majority of the technologically-savvy generation will check their emails at least once a day. Even though it’s one of the most traditional methods, it’s still used frequently because it simply works. Here’s the tricky part: email marketing has to be implemented correctly. Use it right, and it’ll become an incredibly powerful tool. Use it wrong, and you’ll risk turning away customers, both potential and returning ones. Unconvinced? We’ll give you two reasons why email marketing is the best digital marketing outreach, and how you should use it effectively. Whether you’re on a limited budget or hiring a digital marketing agency in Singapore, it’s important to understand email marketing so you can use it to your advantage, especially after your lead generation agency has delivered new prospects for your business. 1. Email marketing provides endless possibilities. Like we’ve mentioned, email marketing may be one of the oldest forms of digital marketing, yet marketers in most industries still use it today as it’s efficient and cost-effective. It involves sending emails to a target audience’s inbox and gives companies a chance to promote their product or service, create brand loyalty, deliver value to consumers; the possibilities are endless. Since there are so many ways to use email marketing, there is no reason for you to stick to one type. As sending the same emails too frequently may turn consumers away, you should find the right balance to keep your readers interested and hopefully increase sales. Here are two different types of marketing emails that you can send out to engage your subscribers. Welcome emails are usually the first email a subscriber receives after giving you their email address. As it’s the first connection, it’s essential to not only introduce your brand but also make it a memorable one. There are several ways you can do this: you can either share with them more about your brand’s story, invite them to connect via other means (such as social media) or get to know more about them (such as asking for their birthdays). Since the purpose of welcome emails is to increase your engagement with your subscribers, an excellent way to start would be to give them a gift, either a trial or discount code. Informational emails are a series of emails sent to users to keep them engaged with your brand. There are several ways you can do this, depending on your brand. If sales are your priority, you can send out targeted emails informing your subscribers of promotions, discount codes, and holiday sales. If you’re providing software, and your main goal is to increase brand awareness, you can release a series of tips and tutorials on how to make the best out of it. There are so many ways you can continuously engage your subscribers, but remember to keep a steady pace; you want to provide your readers with value, not flood them with dozens of emails. As there are so many ways to use email marketing, if you’re hiring a digital marketing agency in Singapore, be sure to let them know what you’re trying to achieve. Different goals require different types of emails, and your agency needs to know what you need before they can help you get the results you want. Email marketing lets you personalize your engagement. Although every business has a buyer persona, it may not always be the same. As a brand, you may have a range of audiences that differ based on age, gender, and other demographics. The best way to reach out to different audiences is to cater to them differently, and email marketing helps you do so by segmenting your audiences into categories. The idea is to tailor various emails that will resonate with each audience segment and provide them with something exciting and of value. If you use email marketing correctly, you can not only address your subscribers by name but also provide them with something that they want. For example, you can email your VIP members about an exclusive event or reach out to your teen audience about a back-to-school sale. By targeting each segment differently, you can increase the effectiveness of your emails. This is extremely important as an email can only be successful if your subscribers open it, read it, and appreciate it. We can go on and on about how effective email marketing can be, but the best way for you to find out is to try it yourself. If you’re confused and not sure where to begin, now’s a good time to ask for help. Reach out to a digital marketing agency in Singapore, let them know what you need, and they’ll help you achieve it. Read Also: Why Every Business Holder Should Start Using The Drip Marketing Campaign Snov.Io Review: The Missing Piece Of The Marketing Outreach Strategy Puzzle

The Importance of Packaging Design in Small Business Success

As you strive to take your small business idea and make it into a reality, there will be various ways to set yourself up for success. From the creation of your product to the building of your team, there are different parts to a brand, making it for the long haul. Something to pay attention to when striving for success is the importance of packaging design. Here are a few reasons why: 1. To Make It Through Shipping When you have products that need to be shipped, packaging is really important, as you have to think about how it will arrive to the consumer. From testing ASTM F1980 to making sure it can stand the environment in shipping to materials that keep the product safe during handling, there are various components of safe shipping to pay attention to. Firstly, you’ll want to find appropriate shipping and packaging practices for the kind of products that you’ll be selling so that you can always be sure that they’ll arrive intact. 2. Aesthetics, of Course Another way that packaging design is key to your brand’s success is how it can be the perfect first impression of your business. When a product arrives at the consumer’s home or office, the first thing they’ll see is the packaging itself. This is why careful planning and even brand strategizing should go into your packaging design. The aesthetics matter more than you’d realize when it comes to putting your best foot forward in your packaging, so hire a professional to help you design the perfect product protection. 3. Sustainable Materials Something else to consider when designing your product’s packaging is that customers are looking for sustainable brands to do business with. So, as you get going with your product’s packaging design, think about what materials can work both for your product’s protection but also for the environment. The good news is that there are a lot of great sustainable packaging brands to choose from in today’s eco-conscious world, so keep this in mind as you seek the best practices for your product’s packaging 4. A Unique Way to Advertise Something else to consider as you come up with the best packaging options for your product is that your packaging can be the perfect way to advertise. Have you ever thought about how many people may see your product in one day? From the people who are delivering your product to the individuals who pass by it as it sits at a neighbour’s door, there are numerous eyes on a package, making it the perfect “billboard” space for your advertising. Why stress about getting a billboard when a package can help get your product sold just as well? From a funny quip to clear brand messaging, there are several ways to use the canvas space on a package for better marketing practices. 5. To Set Your Brand Apart As you strive to stand out from competitors, know that sustainable practices and smart messaging can help your brand stand out from the rest. It may take more planning than simply picking out products from a packaging supplier, but you can trust that consumers do sit up and take notice of the packaging. What that means is that if you want your brand to stand out as you build up your small business, don’t ignore the importance of your packaging when looking for ways to stand out from your competition. It can make a bigger impact on your target demographic than you’d imagine. 6. Good Packing Design Builds Brand Awareness It is very important to have original and recognizable packaging that will only enhance brand recognition and awareness and generate more revenue for the brand. Unique packaging creates an identity for the brand that goes a long way, like the powder blue box of Tiffany & Co. They make a lasting impact on the minds of the consumers, creating a strong recall factor. The main goal of good packing is to make the consumers think of your brand and product only by looking at the packing. And if the packaging is attractive and good, then sharing it along with the product on social media increases. This increases the brand value all over social media as well. 7. A Good Packing Design Differentiates You From the Competition Packaging is the first thing that consumers remember when they think about a brand. Such as, when you think of Victoria’s Secret, the pink bags come to mind same goes for Tiffany & Co.; the light blue box is the first thing that comes to mind. So it is important that when you are designing, the packages should be done keeping in mind the target audience of the brand. Whether they can relate to the packaging and find it good and relatable to their aesthetic or not. Guidelines to Keep in Mind Before Designing a Product Packaging There are certain things that you need to keep in mind before you start designing the packages for your brand. So follow these guidelines to know all about them. Your Audience: You need to understand the preferences, interests, and expectations of your target audience that way, your brand's brand loyalty and awareness increase by a lot. Your Brand: Your packaging must display your brand's style and personality so that your customers can identify and recall your products at first glance. If your brand is modern and sleek, a lot of people will notice it and remember it. How to protect your product: You should also think about how and from what you need to protect your product so your customers will receive it in its best condition. Some products require a material that keeps moisture and oxygen out, so using a metalized, foil or transparent barrier is necessary. Wrapping Up! Are you striving to set your brand apart from the rest or to make an impact with advertising? Turn to your packaging to achieve the goals that you have in mind. It’s more important than many businesses realize. Read More: Streamlining Your Operations: The Benefits Of Partnering With Fulfilment Companies Unpacking The Importance Of Quality Assurance In Customer Satisfaction Motivational Tips to Kick-Start Your Packing Process for the House Move

Content Marketing Mistakes You Shouldn’t Be Making

Why Should I Consider Investing In Content Marketing?

Poor Audience Understanding

Publishing Content Without A Goal In Mind:

Failing To Utilize Paid Content Amplification:

Forgoing The Use Of Social Media Stories:

Limiting Your Content Form:

Ignoring Data Analysis:

Conclusion

5 Ways Marketing Strategies Will Change Post COVID-19

Creating A Successful Call To Action In Your Business Emails: Here Are 5 Tips To Consider

Soumava Goswami

A passionate writer and an avid reader, Soumava is academically inclined and loves writing on topics requiring deep research. Having 3+ years of experience, Soumava also loves writing blogs in other domains, including digital marketing, business, technology, travel, and sports.

Leave a Reply

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Related

The 7 Steps to Create a Storybrand to Ensure Marketing that Works

Why Email Marketing is the BEST Digital Marketing Outreach in Singapore

The Importance of Packaging Design in Small Business Success

Content Marketing Mistakes You Shouldn’t Be Making

Why Should I Consider Investing In Content Marketing?

Poor Audience Understanding

Publishing Content Without A Goal In Mind:

Failing To Utilize Paid Content Amplification:

Forgoing The Use Of Social Media Stories:

Limiting Your Content Form:

Ignoring Data Analysis:

Conclusion

Share this Article

5 Ways Marketing Strategies Will Change Post COVID-19

Creating A Successful Call To Action In Your Business Emails: Here Are 5 Tips To Consider

A passionate writer and an avid reader, Soumava is academically inclined and loves writing on topics requiring deep research. Having 3+ years of experience, Soumava also loves writing blogs in other domains, including digital marketing, business, technology, travel, and sports.

Leave a Reply

Popular

Follow Us

Recent

Related