Sometimes, mistakes are more instructive than tips. If you can learn from the foibles of others, you can prevent yourself from taking the same missteps and putting your business at risk.
When it comes to your digital marketing strategy, avoid these four content marketing don’ts that slow your progress.
1. Neglecting Strategy Altogether
Content marketing isn’t just about creating blog posts and social media snippets for public consumption. If you start creating content without a solid plan, your audience will notice the lack of cohesiveness. Marketing Land stresses the importance of actionable, measurable goals. Without a content strategy, you can’t gauge your progress.
A digital marketing strategy should incorporate both short- and long-term goals. Additionally, you need a way to track key metrics and a plan for the future. You might use an editorial calendar to establish a progression for the content on your blog. That way, your audience will know what to expect from week to week and you can build toward something special.
2. Publishing at Breakneck Speed
Some businesses take the axiom “Content Is King” a little too seriously. If content is king, why not create as much of it as possible? The problem with this strategy is twofold: first, it dilutes the power of each piece because you don’t have time to focus on quality; and second, it often lacks a solid strategy behind it.
If you want to get the most out of your digital marketing strategy, publish higher-quality pieces less often. Have a specific goal for each piece of content you create, and then track its performance over time.
3. Pitching Too Often
Your marketing message is a key element of your digital marketing strategy, but it’s not the only thing. If you’re constantly pitching your product, your audience will become tone deaf to the message. Worse, they might stop consuming your content altogether.
Save your pitches for moments when they will have maximum impact. It’s important to create a strong call-to-action at the end of your content, so don’t pepper an article’s body with more pitches. Trust your audience to reach the end of the piece and to make an informed decision about following through with your CTA.
4. Focusing on the Business
The best content marketing puts the consumer first. It answers the questions they’re asking and helps solve their problems. In other words, if you’re too busy touting your accomplishments and pushing your products, your audience will click away.
A better approach is to put the customer first in each piece of content you create. Imagine you’re sitting across from your target consumer and having a conversation. How would you help him or her?
If you avoid the above content marketing don’ts, you’ll enjoy a better relationship with your audience and increased ROI.
