All real and worthwhile concepts, these words – perhaps
because of their relative newness – tend to be used as blanket terms that
describe a laundry list of things. For example, “content marketing” is often
used interchangeably with “social media.”
Here are nine common misconceptions to avoid in your content
marketing.
1. Content marketing
is easy and cheap
The internet is gloriously free. Anyone can start a website
or host a social media account. Perhaps, for this reason, some brands assume
that content marketing is easy. After all, you don’t need a degree or any
special training to create content, right?
This view underestimates the skill involved in making
content work well for the brand. Creating the right content requires deep
knowledge of your brand, the digital landscape, and your audience, which is no
easy task. Does your audience respond more to Facebook posts or videos? Email
or blogs? Is your content actually converting?
Keep this in mind when you start a content strategy. If you
fail to invest the proper amount of time and resources, you might not get very
far in crafting a successful content marketing strategy.
2. Outsourcing is always
a good idea
For companies that want to drive content online but don’t
have the resources to do it in-house, outsourcing can be a viable option. Some
marketing agencies specialize in this kind of work.
However, outsource wisely. Reputable companies will have
proven, verifiable track records. Companies that offer ultra-bargain deals or
operate in a country other than ones in which you operate may not have the
right experience or might use dubious business practices.
For example, a relatively unknown company may seem like a
bargain for its promise to generate tons of content and get it posted on
different websites. Even if it fulfills the promise, it’s most likely using
black-hat SEO tactics, which can backfire. Google penalizes websites if it
discovers the brand’s content and links on a less-than-reputable websites – no
matter who posted it.
If outsourcing, invest the time to research and work only
with reputable companies.
3. Content marketing
is only for SEO
The role of SEO is one of the biggest misconceptions about
content marketing. Many people assume that all content needs to be targeted
toward search engines. True, content is a great way to improve your organic
position in search engines. Valuable content that people visit and share will
move your site closer to page one of search results.
The mistake many make is to try and game Google. Some brands
think that if they stuff their content with keywords relevant to their
business, they’ll beat the system. Keyword stuffing might result in a temporary
spike in traffic, but Google is watching what its users do. The algorithm is
smart, and if it detects your content isn’t valuable to searchers, it will boot
your site down the search engine results chain.
When creating content, make it search-engine friendly, but
focus first on providing content that your targeted audience would find
valuable.
4. The content is
only for your audience
As stated, value should guide your content. However, while
you shouldn’t manipulate search engines, you do want to give them some
direction. There are a number of natural, approved methods of communicating
basic information about your content so that search engines can match people’s
queries with appropriate responses.
These days, Google is relying more on semantic search,
meaning your keywords should be surrounded by relevant words and phrases on the
page. Additionally, you can take a handful of simple steps to make sure your
pages are search-friendly, such as including meta titles, descriptions, and
headers.
5. Content marketing
is only for B2Cs
People often assume that only fun, consumer-focused brands
can reap the rewards of content marketing. But case studies abound showing how
B2Bs have used the core principles of content to improve their power online.
Take SunGard, an IT operations company that supports many
Fortune 100 companies. By creating a video series that brought humor to
industry trends and pain points, and analyzing its audience’s consumption
patterns, the company generated 3,000 leads in three days and scored a
cumulative 87.4% click-through rate.
6. Content marketing
is the same as brand-awareness marketing
True, brand awareness is perhaps the easiest goal – albeit
the hardest to measure – of content marketing. And, to be honest, if its
effectiveness ended at brand awareness, I probably wouldn’t be writing this
right now.
What a lot of brands don’t realize, however, is that content
marketing isn’t just for the first stage of the sales funnel or customer
journey. Content should be created and optimized to address customers’ needs as
they go through the process of engaging with your products and services.
For example, if a customer visits your website, clicks on a
page, and leaves, you could use retargeting tools to track the individual and
advertise that departed page’s content to them as they visit other sites. Or
perhaps, you secure the visitor’s email address in the first visit and send a
follow-up email. Tailor your content to nudge customers further along through
the journey.
7. Content
marketing’s value is not measurable
According to CMI’s 2015 B2B research, only 35% of marketers
have a documented content marketing strategy. It’s no wonder then that some
brands often become frustrated with the lack of perceptible results.
A variety of tools can track the impact of your content.
Google Analytics is probably the most common method of measuring data gleaned
from your website, social media channels, blogs, and more. You can even dig
down and get granular results so you know how your audience interacts with
specific pages and posts.
The web is basically teeming with tools for measuring,
managing and creating content. Figure out which ones work for you and start
tracking your efforts today.
8. Content marketing
delivers instant results
I’ve seen some brands become frustrated that their content
marketing doesn’t pay off as quickly as they would like. This is understandable.
If you invest time and money into something, you want to see results as soon as
possible.
But content marketing is about building relationships. Just
like in life, it takes time. It’s unlikely that someone will view your content
and immediately make a purchase. Be prepared to play the long game. You need to
establish trust with people before they take further action. Take that person
who views your content and get him to provide an email address. Now, you have
the start of a relationship.
Remember, with content marketing, the prospect is in the
driver’s seat. Brands have to provide value to their targeted audiences to
prove their true worth, and that can take months.
Make sure you set manageable benchmarks and set a reasonable
time to expect an ROI on your content efforts.
9. Content marketing
is the same thing as content creation
Of course, the content itself is essential, but it’s only
one part of the overall strategy. Content marketing includes everything from
distribution to interaction and communication. You can’t just create and post a
blog post and expect it to do all the work for you.
These are just some of the many questions you need to
address before implementing your strategy. The takeaway here is that each
individual piece of content needs to interact with a larger plan.
What other misconceptions about content marketing have you
seen? How did you fix them?
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