10  Content Marketing Mistakes All New Marketers Make

When you’re just getting started with content marketing, it’s easy to make costly content marketing mistakes that render it difficult to reap the benefits your brand deserves.

Luckily, it’s also easy to avoid these content marketing mistakes simply by understanding what they are, and how you can take a different approach.

Here’s what you need to know.

10 Common Content Marketing Mistakes

While mistakes are meant to learn from, your content marketing will take off faster and more efficiently if you avoid these obnoxious mistakes:

1. Writing Content That’s Too Short

If you’re new to content marketing, you might think there’s no difference between short content and long content, right?

Wrong, unfortunately.

While it may seem like a blog is a blog, Google has a definite preference for long-form content. According to content guru Neil Patel, blogs that are 2,000 words or longer get more backlinks, social shares, and reads than their short-form counterparts.

How to avoid it: Put in the extra work to churn out long-form material. Shoot for 1,000 words or longer for your standard posts.

Related Article: What is Content Marketing?

2. Your Content Isn’t Evergreen

If your content relates mostly to new stories, trends, or time-sensitive materials, you’re making a mistake. This content is only relevant while the event it’s based on is relevant. As soon as that fades, people will stop reading the material.

How to avoid it: Build at least 20 percent of your content around so-called “Evergreen topics.” These are topics that will always be relevant to your readers. For example, if you run an auto shop, it might be how often your customers should change their oil.

3. Your Promotion is Predictable

Lots of marketers sell their content short by limiting their promotion of it to predictable platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn Pulse. While there’s nothing “wrong” with this, it won’t earn you the reach you deserve.

How to avoid it: Get creative. Instead of sticking with your old tactics, use influencers, post to new platforms, and promote content.

4. You’re Going too Far With Influencers

Use influencers, by all means, but be careful how much you use them. When you start relying too heavily on influencers, you start to risk the value of your content.

How to avoid it: Focus on creating unique content that speaks for itself. Hire influencers to promote your highest-value pieces.

Related Article: Influencer Marketing to Enhance Your SEO

5. Your Content Isn’t Strategic

If you haven’t established a content marketing strategy, you’re missing out. You’re also not alone. Right now, only 32 percent of marketers have a documented content strategy. Unfortunately, the absence of a content strategy makes it almost impossible to develop an intelligent plan for your content, and to ensure you’re hitting your goals.

How to avoid it: Create a content strategy as one of your first moves in the content marketing field. This strategy should define KPIs, define your audience, dictate who will create your content, make the posting schedule clear, and help everyone understand how you’ll define goals and measure success going forward.

6. You’re Not Consistent

Consistency is everything with content. If you’re not sticking to your content calendar and putting out new material at least a few times each week, you’re missing out. When you get spotty with your content, your readership drops off and Google starts to forget you exist.

How to avoid it: Post according to your content calendar. If that’s a few times a week, great. If it’s more frequent, good for you!

7. You Don’t Know Who Your Audience Is

Not sure who your audience is? You’re in the danger zone! Given that about three billion people use the internet daily, it’s impossible to expect to appeal to everyone who could come across your material. With this in mind, it’s essential to know who you’re targeting and write directly to them.

How to avoid it: Do some audience research and build a marketing persona. Update it annually.

Related Article: Blog SEO: How to Search Engine Optimize Your Blog Content

8. Your Voice Is Weak

If you’re writing from a position of “me, me, me,” your audience is going to lose interest. Instead, you’ve got to tailor your voice to your visitors, understanding full well that they’ll only read what speaks to them.

How to avoid it: Provide enough “meat” in your posts. Be sure you’re giving your readers actionable takeaways and valuable lessons.

Related Article: Lessons in Content Writing: Consider The Source

9. You’re Not Sure What Works

In the land of content marketing, you want to work smarter, not harder. This means paying attention to what works and then doing more of it.

How to avoid it: Test and measure the content you publish. If you see a topic or format performing well, do more of it.

10. You’re Not Focusing on Relationships

When it comes to creating outstanding content, you’ve got to focus on relationships. You want your audience to keep coming back to your content, and you want your content to keep bringing in new audiences. This means you can’t be too brand-focused or self-obsessed.

How to avoid it: Keep it about your reader. Give them tips and tricks and take pains to deliver in each piece you write.

Better Content Starts Here

While content marketing can be difficult, understanding these ten common content marketing mistakes gives you a great platform to launch from and ensures effective content both now and in the future.

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