Over a decade ago, Bill Gates offered marketers invaluable advice: “Content is King.” This still rings true as nearly 90% of businesses utilize content as a marketing method. Despite its proven success, some brands still deny the effectiveness of content marketing. Many businesses feel that it is a waste of time because they go through the trouble of creating content that never shows any results.
Though some brands are quick to criticize content marketing, the truth is that they unfortunately are impatient and expect immediate results. Another possibility is that businesses are not or may lack the proper knowledge of how to approach content marketing.
Let’s take a look at some reasons why your content marketing efforts aren’t producing your desired results.
You Aren’t Setting Objectives
Have you set an objective when you craft your content strategy? If content marketing isn’t living up to your expectations, you need to reevaluate your company’s goals and objectives. What is the desired outcome of your content marketing efforts?
- Are you trying to build brand awareness?
- Do you want to increase engagement on social media?
- Are you trying to increase sales or email subscriptions?
- Do you want to position yourself as a thought leader?
If you do not have an end goal, then how can you tell if your content marketing is successful or not? When developing a content strategy, it is imperative that you have defined objectives. Doing so allows you to craft content that is specifically designed to help you achieve these goals.
Your Targeting is Off
A common mistake that many content marketers make is writing to a general audience. Many businesses are put off by the idea of narrowing their audience by only focusing on certain demographics because it seems counterproductive to limit their potential reach. But when you have a target audience in mind, you can create content that attracts your ideal customer.
Do you know who your ideal customers are? Do you know what age brackets they fall into? What about their income, education, and other distinguishing demographics? More importantly, are you aware of their needs and wants?
Why do your customers need your help? The answer should be clear in your content. You have the solution they are looking for. Remember that customers will use your services because you can help them with their problems. So the content you create should offer solutions to their problems. After all, would you rather have your content reach millions of people who will never buy from you? Or would you rather reach a few thousand who will become loyal customers and brand advocates?
Not Utilizing Your Existing Content
Marketers often create content that they only use once. While some content is time-sensitive, other content can be used multiple times. You simply need to repurpose it into a different format, as well multiple formats. Maybe you have a great blog post with compelling information. Why not convert it into a webinar, e-book, white paper, or infographic?
New clients visit your website everyday. Just because your content is a few months old, doesn’t mean that the information isn’t useful. Even if you feel your content may be old, rest assure it can still be useful to potential customers. As long as the information is still relevant, recycle it as much as possible so that you get the most out of your content.
Calling it Quits
You may believe that posting and promoting a few of your blogs on different social media channels is a content strategy – it is not. If you’re expecting to see results from this, you’re going to be disappointed; but don’t get discouraged and give up when you don’t see immediate results. Content marketing – like SEO – is an ongoing investment. Content marketing is a marathon, not a race.
The truth is that there is no magic number or formula to predict when you will start seeing results. Many successful content marketers usually report seeing results after 6 months; however, this is not set in stone.
There is no finish line because you should always be creating new content that answers your customer’s questions. Always remember that content marketing takes time; but if you put in the hard work, you will eventually see results. For more on how to create and manage successful content, contact the experts at Premiere Creative. Call us at (973) 346-8100.
