Content marketing is all the rage, with companies around the world investing heavily in the production of content. Whether to aid conversion, inspire interactions, or simply raise brand awareness, the attention given to content marketing shows no sign of abating. What this means, however, is that standing out from a crowded marketplace is becoming harder by the day.
In the current sea of production, ensuring the content you produce gets the attention it deserves relies as much on the quality as it does the subject. Of course, you’ll know your business better than anyone; therefore, the audience you’re targeting and the message you want to send should be more than familiar. In which case, your focus needs to turn to the quality of the content, and it’s here that the following content marketing mistakes are all too common.
Address each point when preparing any new content and you can look to engender trust, increase readership, enhance interactions and, ultimately, generate greater sales.
You have no voice
Who are you? Are you your company or are you an individual? Do you speak for a collective or are you independent of your organisation? All too often, the voice conveying the message lacks personality and fails to connect with the reader. For example, how many times have you simply deleted marketing emails without so much as reading the subject line? Or failed to purchase because the sales technique was too pressured?
In these instances, it is often the tone of voice that has a detrimental effect. Ensure you establish a tone – and a personality – that can connect with your desired audience; if your core demographic is customers aged 65 and over, communicating in text speak or creating content with irreverent humour is going to sabotage any potential engagement. Identify your voice and stick to it.
Your copy is inconsistent
It’s somewhat disconcerting to consider how much trust we currently place in those we never meet. More so when that trust is placed in those with whom we wish to invest. Yet, how many times have you entered card or bank details and personal information online or over the phone? If you hope to secure a sale, you should ensure there are no errors or inconsistencies in your content, because even the simplest of mistakes can see potential customers fall by the wayside.
While errors are a definite no-no, it’s familiarity that breeds trust. Your message should be consistent whatever medium you’re using to communicate. Keep the tone of your copy consistent across your website, and customers will be more inclined to stick with you throughout the buying cycle.
Your content marketing is all “we, we, we…”
Every company is guilty of hubris, with an eagerness to detail how it’s the best company ever to offer such-and-such a service, and has won award after award after award. But, from a customer perspective, does any of that really matter? Sure, everyone needs reassurance that they’re purchasing from the right provider, and knowing that the company is leading the market in terms of performance is fantastic. But the most important person for any business is the customer being spoken to.
The single most important word in any form of advertising or marketing is ‘you’. Make your sales pitch focus centre entirely on your customer. With the right focus, both you and your customer will soon be reaping the rewards.
Your content is pointless
Creating great content isn’t easy. Creating content for the sake of it, however, is. With content marketing the hot trend in digital marketing, it’s now easier than ever to get lost in a sea of information. Stand out from the competition by developing content that really offers something different. Content that goes beyond the mundane, challenges its readers, and answers questions and desires in a manner not seen before will ensure you pique interest and generate the traffic your content deserves.
Your headlines suck
What led you to this article? Was it the image? Was it the meta description? Chances are, the standout point of attraction was the headline. Advertising great, David Ogilvy, put it best: “On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.” Put as much effort in crafting a headline as you do writing the article. You’ll soon find your readership increases significantly.
