7 Reasons Your Content Marketing Strategy is Not Working
A strategy that has taken center stage in every business playbook – content marketing. Talking about content marketing these days is far from being a mere production of blogs and articles. It is a vast universe of creative formats, including podcasts, newsletters, social media posts, and videos. These mediums are carefully crafted keeping in mind not only to inform but to forge an emotional bond with users, drawing them closer to your brand.
Whether you’re a part of the rat race of corporates or driving your very own startups, content marketing is a key aspect of your overall strategy. An astonishing statistic reveals that a staggering 70% of businesses have embraced content marketing, forming a close knit community.
But here's where the story takes a twist: while many have embarked on the content marketing journey, only a scant 5% of B2C marketers, according to the Content Marketing Institute, feel confident about their results. This unveils a reality where content creators struggle with the challenge of converting their efforts into substantial outcomes, a challenge that not all can conquer.
But here's the question: why doesn't content marketing always deliver what it promises? As we dig deeper, you might find these reasons familiar. Keep reading to see if they match your own experiences, revealing the hidden factors behind content marketing's attractiveness.
1. You are Missing a Content Plan: No Strategy Found
Just like any other marketing strategy, having a well-thought-out plan is crucial for success. Without a clear content plan, you're setting yourself up for failure, which could be a major reason for your struggles.
Even if your plan isn't great, having one is still better than having none at all. When you have a not-so-good plan, you can at least recognize what’s working well and what’s not working for you to monitor and change it. However on the flip side if you don't have a plan, you'll just keep doing the same things, wasting time, losing money, and hurting your brand.
Here's How to Make a Good Content Marketing Plan:
- Start by defining your goals first, if it is to achieve (boosting more views, shares, visitors, clicks, or sales).
- To constantly track, monitor and analyze your desired metrics
- Look at the bigger picture of marketing, including your audience, the money you make, the profit you earn, and your brand identity.
2. You are Not Being Consistent With Your Content
While having a content plan is crucial, not putting it into action can lessen its impact over your audience. Think of it this way: influencers often stress the importance of sticking to a schedule to keep people engaged. Just like how you're reminded by the bell icon on YouTube or notifications on Instagram, your regular content can be a pleasant reminder for your audience. Sometimes, it's as simple as reserving a particular day/time of every week to focus on your content or discovering the right tools to plan and post your content. So, remember, being consistent isn't just for influencers - it's a smart strategy for brands too.
How To Be Consistent With Content?
- There are many tools out there that you can use to schedule and upload your content through different platforms.
- Set aside a few minutes each day to respond to comments and messages to build a stronger and personal connection with your followers.
- Consider dedicating specific blocks of time to create multiple pieces at once to reduce the stress of last-minute deadlines.
3. Are You Forgetting “Marketing” in Content Marketing?
Neglecting your content after creation is the fastest way to sabotage your content marketing efforts. Content creation is just the beginning; the other essential part is promotion. There are two core components of content marketing:
- Crafting content.
- Promoting content.
So, how do you effectively promote your content?
Here are some straightforward methods to give a single blog post a boost:
- Spread the word across your social media platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
- Keep your audience informed and engaged through newsletters
- Collaborate with key influencers in your industry who can amplify and promote your content.
- Connect with fellow bloggers and website owners, requesting them to share your content.
4. Hard Truth But Your Content Lacks Spark and Authenticity
In the realm of content marketing, it's not just about producing content; it's about crafting relatable content. The impact of churning out subpar content isn't positive-it tarnishes your brand's image and hampers its performance.
Audiences swiftly reject content they perceive as mundane, repetitive, and lacking authenticity. Moreover, if your content isn't factual and riddled with errors, engaging them becomes a distant dream.
Pointers for Cultivating Unique Content
- As you embark on content creation, keep your ideal audience in mind. What challenges do they face?
- At what stage of the buyer's journey are they likely to encounter various pieces of your content?
- Craft content that relates with your audience on a personal level and showcases your brand story while maintaining accuracy.
5. Are You Competing with Big Sharks?
Depending on what you do, you might be in a really crowded place where lots of other people are trying to do the same thing. If you're new and not as big as those big companies with lots of money for advertising, it can feel tough. But that doesn't mean you can't make it.
One of the worst things you could do is give up just because it's hard. Instead, keep creating and churning out fresh content and focus on building a community at large.
How to outsmart your competitors?
- Find a specific angle or topic within your industry that's not as crowded. Being a big fish in a small pond can help you stand out.
- Engage with your audience on a personal level. Respond to comments, emails, and messages.
- Add value to the lives of your audience through your content, not just sell your own products.
6. You are Underestimating the Value of SEO
When it comes to digital marketing SEO and content marketing go hand in hand, not like competitors. If you're making cool stuff but nobody can find it, it's not very helpful. So, if you're creating content, you also need to pay attention to how to make it easy for your audience to discover it over the internet.
Here's a simple way to get started: use tools like Moz, BuzzSumo, or SEMrush to find out what people are looking for online. This helps you know what keywords to use in your content.
Now, to make your content even better and easier to find:
- Add keyword-friendly titles, descriptions, links, and other tags.
- These things help search engines and people find your stuff.
- It can also make more people click on your content when they see it in search results.
7. You are Not Analyzing and Updating Your Content
It's important to keep an eye on how your content is doing and make it better if needed. You need to see how many people are reading it and if they like it. You can use tools to figure this out. If something's not working, you can revise it to make it better.
How to Make Sure Your Content is Performing?
- Set aside time to regularly review how your content is performing. This could be weekly, monthly, or as needed.
- Utilize tools like Google Analytics to see how many people are visiting your content, where they're coming from, and what they're doing on your page.
- Notice which topics or type of content is getting the most attention.
Make the Most Out of Your Content Marketing Strategy
We all hope to see our hard work (and the resources we put in) bring good results. Content marketing might seem complex, but when you've covered the fundamentals, your odds of success get better.
As we wrap up our exploration into making the most out of your content marketing strategy, it's evident that a dynamic approach is paramount. By focusing on quality, consistency, and a deep understanding of your audience, you can craft content that resonates and engages. And don't shy away from analyzing and refining your content to align with the pulse of your audience's preferences.
