Content Marketing Mistakes... and How to Avoid Them.

In the first part of our series on content marketing, we looked at the topic of How Much Sales Can Content Marketing Handle. In the second part, we are dedicating ourselves to common mistakes in content marketing and tips on how to avoid them.

Target Audience? Non-existent!

A target audience analysis beforehand should at least include the following questions: Who do I want to reach, where do these people live, what are their interests, how can I offer assistance, prepare topics, and through which channels and in what wording should I disseminate information?

Simply writing whatever comes to mind, hoping to appeal to someone, is insufficient. Those who try to reach everyone often reach no one. It is better to set up a content strategy that focuses on different subject areas.

Content Creation is Done by the Intern

This can work if the intern brings extensive prior knowledge, has a feel for design, possesses writing proficiency, is familiar with SEO standards, and can collaborate with all company departments to coordinate content or request information. Otherwise, probably not. In short: content creation is not a side task; it requires serious engagement with the topics and a bit of experience.

There is Always Tomorrow for That

Posting on Facebook today, writing a blog post next week, and uploading a video to YouTube sometime. A bit of digital marketing is not enough to maintain a presence.

Continuous content production is demanding, but it is an all or nothing principle. Either you do it completely or not at all. There is unfortunately no 'maybe'. Nothing appears less inviting than dormant social media channels or a dusty website with perpetually the same content.

We Can Do Without an Editorial Calendar

If there is no plan for when and where which topics will be discussed, content marketing quickly feels like a tiresome duty. Not infrequently, all activities then cease mid-term.

To prevent this worst-case scenario, it is advisable to set up an editorial calendar. This lists who reports on what, when, in what format, and on which channel. This includes communication via social media, as well as press releases, project descriptions, blog posts, or event communication. All marketing and communication activities of the company are thus bundled and can be disseminated purposefully without asking the same question daily: What do we communicate today?

It is Only About Sales

Content marketing is not a sales channel. It is not about constantly trying to convince people to buy your products, listing flat advertising messages, and short-term sales promotion. Such messages are annoying, and annoyed and/or bored people will not return and, in most cases, do not want to engage further with the product or provider, even if it is inherently useful. So, stop being annoying!

We Do Not Need SEO

All the tricks used to outsmart search engines in the past are now largely obsolete. It is about quality content; the principle of Google and co. is to deliver relevant content in response to search queries that offer high-quality information.

Therefore, if you want to be found, a keyword research is always important in advance. Both for the website and for blog posts on the corporate blog or guest posts on external sites. On the other hand, it also applies: we do not only write for search engines but primarily for people. What do I want to say and who should read it? It therefore requires a little tact to integrate important keywords without engaging in keyword stuffing and over-optimisation.

The (Website) Layout Can Always Look Different

... but it should not. On the one hand, it looks unprofessional, and on the other hand, editors should not have to spend hours dealing with how, where, and in what format an image is embedded in an article. A separation of layout and content is absolutely essential, especially concerning responsive design and for creating semantically correct content. This in turn positively impacts search engine optimisation.

Design? It is About the Content.

That is a blatant lie. Of course, the first impression matters; content marketing and design go hand in hand. The optimal preparation of content is absolutely essential, and its enhancement with photographic or video material as well as infographics is a must. However, care must be taken to ensure that the design does not appear overloaded, causing the content to get lost.

We Do Not Share Our Own Knowledge

Those who do not want to share their expertise will largely produce superficial and boring, generic content. There is nothing wrong with offering assistance and thus positioning oneself as an expert. Tips are gratefully received and spread more easily. This content can be prepared in the form of infographics, white papers, webinars, checklists, or similar.

Other Sources Take Away Traffic

Just as important as sharing your own knowledge is to refer to relevant information from experts or studies. On the one hand, these are current facts, which can be expected to generate higher interest, and on the other hand, this can also be supplemented by one's own opinion. Networking via social media channels or mentioning best practice examples on your own corporate blog offers added value.

Do you have any further tips? Then we look forward to your comments.