Content marketing is an essential part of most businesses’ growth strategies in the current digital landscape. However, the world of content can be murky and full of myths – myths that are holding your content marketing back from being successful! Instead of focusing on what’s easy, we need to focus on the bigger picture and avoid listening to these content myths.
Below are some common myths about content marketing (that may be hurting more than helping). Take a look to see if any of these myths have made their way into your strategy and learn how to overcome them.
Content marketing is an important function of any business because it can boost your site traffic and make your brand visible. It involves creating meaningful content for an audience who will find it valuable and engaging. The content you create can be about your product or service but, in turn, should educate customers. Creating educational content increases brand awareness and improves trust between your business and consumers, generating leads and increasing sales.
Some marketers have bought into the myth that a content strategy is too expensive and time-consuming to create, or they think they don’t need one if they’re posting on social media only. Don’t fall into these traps. Starting without a strategy will only set you up for failure. Use tools like Google Analytics and a basic editorial calendar to see what works. This will keep you on track to consistently create relevant content your audience wants.
Many content marketers create content on a need to have basis. Their goal is to create as much content as possible, as quickly as possible, to stay ahead of their competitors. The problem with that? This sort of thinking leads to what can only be described as disposable content. While there’s nothing wrong with creating this type of content – it serves its purpose and that’s that – it does not help you grow your business. Disposable content is not part of a strategy, so start thinking strategically and let go of that myth!
How many times have you seen content marketers focus on creating short, quick blogs? The rationale behind these types of content pieces is that they are easy and require little thought. But we should be focusing on quality, not quantity. If your time and budget allow for it, create some epic pieces of content that will attract people back to your website again and again and leave them wanting more.
In many cases, business owners just want things to be easy rather than focusing on what’s effective. They believe that doing what’s easy will get the results – but it rarely does. But you can’t create quality content that resonates with your audience when you’re focusing on what’s easy.
Yes, search engine optimization (SEO) is indeed an essential part of content marketing. However, it’s not only about SEO, but also helping to build your brand, drive sales, and create customer loyalty. The truth is that content marketing is an important business strategy that can help your company stand out from its competitors in a crowded marketplace. SEO is only one piece of an effective content marketing strategy. If you focus on only SEO when creating and distributing content, chances are you’ll end up with a lot of hidden assets that no one finds or reads and therefore does little to help your brand reach new customers.
There are so many articles, studies, and success stories out there about how content marketing can be beneficial for any business if done strategically. Your strategy should be based on your target audience and objectives for your content, not because you hear that every business needs a blog or that online content can’t be great. Think about what will help you achieve your business goals. If your customers love video, then include video in your strategy. Get creative! There is no one-size-fits-all solution here – it’s all about knowing what will work best for you.
Like most things in marketing, content marketing is a journey. If you’re feeling stuck or not sure where to start your content marketing strategy, we want to hear from you. At Zero Gravity Marketing, we cater our content marketing services to each unique client, leading them to reach their goals. Contact us today to get started.