Currently content marketing is one of the smartest investments a small business can make, especially if you are in the early startup stages. Content marketing is a way to provide your potential customers with informative content to questions they seek. According to a 2020 Hubspot survey around 40% of marketers say that content marketing is a very important part of their overall strategy.
Although companies have the good intention of implementing effective content strategies, they do not always turn out the way they expected and end up making costly mistakes. Remember that if you are in the early startup stages, you cannot afford to spend your scarce resources. So here is a list of recommendation thoughts to help you critically think about the best content strategies without making the the following mistakes:
Mistake 1: Not using big data to develop your content strategy.
Do not build a strategy from scratch that has no foundation or while only considering what you think your reader would like. If you do, your strategy will probably fail since you do not have data that justifies the customers interest.
Try to analyze the competitors to see which blog articles are generating ROI or better interaction. Use these as content topics in your marketing. Start by asking the following questions:
- Who is the target audience?
- Does the content respond to the needs of the market?
- What value does it bring?
When you generate quality content, you are likely to be seen as an authority on the subject. The best impact is that your content will be read, shared by your readers on their own networks, increasing visibility.
Mistake 2: Not determining the goal of each content marketing topic.
Most of your customers won’t be ready to buy from you the first time they hear from your company. Studies have also shown, customers take 6-7 interactions before they build the trust in you to purchase your product/service.
When customers see over time that you are someone they trust, who is giving them feedback and who also offers them the answers to the questions they are looking for, in a natural way, they will approach you looking for the purchase later. So initially by touching on a particular topic that is a need for your audience, they might become aware that they have a problem that they must solve. Remember the sales funnel shown above.
Mistake 3: Not taking SEO into account.
This error is very common. Search engines generate ten times more website traffic than any of your other channels that you have decided to implement, so investing in SEO should be a priority. Start by doing keyword research to optimize search.
Mistake 4: Not reviewing the performance of content marketing.
Take the time to review the performance of the efforts you are making. If something is not working you should cut that specific tactic and pivot to more valuable initiatives. Don’t let your ego get in the way … allow the data to drive your content success.
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