Avoid Making These Content Marketing Mistakes

Is your content marketing in good shape? From Facebook updates to e-books, content marketing is the go-to way to communicate with your customers these days. Your content needs to interest your readers and give them a reason to come back for more, so make sure you steer clear of these five common content marketing mistakes:

1. No Plan
No plan spells disaster for your content marketing. Without a plan, you run the risk of creating haphazard and unfocused content with either too many or not enough updates. Before you start creating, have a goal in mind. Do you want to raise awareness for your business? Increase your online inquiries? Once you have a goal, map out how much content you are going to create, and when you will need it. Scheduling is important in the arena of content marketing.

2. No Value
The Internet is a noisy place, and your prospects are busy people. The content you create needs to bring something of value to their everyday lives, something that will make it worth their while to take in. When it comes to content marketing, the idea is not to sell, but rather to answer questions, solve problems, provide valuable information, or be entertaining.

3. No Personas
When it comes to content, you can't please all people all of the time. If your content is speaking to no one in particular, it will appeal to no one in particular. Creating a persona of your ideal reader or follower will help you craft content that appeals to their needs and concerns, speaking directly to them.

4. Nothing New
Let's be straightforward: Your content won't stand out if it's dry as a bone. I’m not saying to change your tone to mimic a hip surfer dude, unless your target market happens to be hip surfers, but your content does need to be engaging. Think about whether you can offer a new, fresh perspective on something old—don’t let your content get lost in a sea of sameness.