Long gone are the days of the Internet’s Wild West. You know… the days where someone establishes a free site so they can toss a deluge of animated ducks dunking their heads in water on the screen. GIFs entertained Internet goers for hours as all of us randomly searched for pointless content.
Time has passed and a complex and dynamic environment now thrives on the web. More often than not, businesses enlist an internet strategy consultant to get the return for their investment. These days, successful businesses must avoid pitfalls and work closely with experts to provide power-packed content marketing. Without treading lightly, a company sets themselves up to fail from the start.
Culprits Leading to Content Marketing Failures
Whether you’re working with an internet strategy consultant or not, knowing the most common content marketing mistakes made by others will save you a ton of grief if you know what to avoid in the first place.
Exclusively posting blogs as the only content. Blogs inform readers and round out a site with continual fresh content… chalk-full of good info. But, blogs aren’t enough. Other content such as short videos, checklists, memes, etc. will further enhance your offerings.
Solely focusing on SEO Search Engine Optimization has blown up ever since the term “Google” has become a household name. Afterall, we want the search engines to pluck our content on a given user’s search to promote it to the first page. But, zeroing in only on SEO can burn you in the end. Enlisting an internet strategy consultant will help steer you onto a more well-rounded path. With millions of posts hitting the web daily, and everyone focusing on SEO, other facets of marketing must be considered.
Poor content. Not all content is created equal. Just because a company posts things on a daily basis doesn’t equate to quality. For success, high caliber information must be posted, not just filler to satisfy a quota.
Doing too much. We don’t have enough fingers and toes to count all the social media outlets available. By taking on too many, you chance losing site of all of them. It does no good to blast YouTube with a ton of videos six months ago only to fade away because you started to focus on Instagram.
Don’t expect immediate engagement. It’ll take time for followers to accumulate and start engaging. It doesn’t happen overnight. Allow some time to pass before you expect to see people reacting and involving themselves with your content.
The Do’s and Don’ts
Because businesses perform so many mistakes with content marketing, it might be helpful to know some things you shouldn’t do and what to consider instead.
Don’t start asking before you begin giving. Customers want value and information when visiting your site. If you initiate your journey by expecting something immediately from them, you’ll never acquire followers. Do make sure to provide value first so the public will want to come back.
Don’t push too hard for sales. Just like asking the customer for too much in the beginning, it’s not a good idea to start your journey by forcefully pushing your offerings on them. Do start by engaging, entertaining, and educating to gather an audience.
Don’t overcomplicate things with technical jargon. By spouting off industry-specific complicated concepts to a general audience, all you’ll achieve is alienating them from you. Do compose your thoughts in easy-to-understand language in a relatable way. Try to make friends with the audience!
Don’t forget to call for action. People want to tackle a task, take action, and engage with others. Don’t neglect the opportunity to ask your audience to engage and even make a change. Do enlist your audience to sign up for emails, join mailing lists, share your content, etc.
One more ‘do’ to add to your list would be to hire an internet strategy consultant if you haven’t already. Though educating yourself on common mistakes, what to do, and concepts to consider, there’s no replacement for an expert. We’ve moved beyond some simple common sense to a professional who’s been educated and trained to work specifically in an internet strategy consultant position.
You could spend days on the web researching content marketing and countless valuable lessons would pop up page after page. Constructing a solid content marketing strategy is a process and balance. With diligence, persistence, and an internet strategy consultant on board, you’ll be able to raise in the ranks and gain the exposure you’re seeking.
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To Your Best Online!
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Ingrid Maddox, Internet Marketing & Strategy Consultant. bluedress INTERNET MARKETING®, an Internet Marketing Company headquartered in Knoxville, TN. Internet Marketing Developed, Implemented, and Managed to Full Circle! Organic Internet Search Engine Guru. Turn-Key Internet Optimization Programs Placing You Everywhere and Anywhere You Need to Be Online.
bluedress INTERNET MARKETING® provides research-proven digital strategies and powerful marketing ideas. Our strength is full service, turn-key implementation. Creating multiple digital channels and strategies to help grow your business!
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