Common Beginner Mistakes in Content Marketing

Quick fact: Interesting content is one of the top reasons people follow brands on social media platforms. Did you know that?

In fact six out of ten Twitter and Facebook users are more likely to recommend a social media account or blog they follow to their friends and family. The only reason for this is thanks to the quality content. This is why it’s crucial for you to understand why content marketing isn’t effective without first addressing the value your content conveys to its readers.

content marketing mistakes

Nevertheless, there is a proper way to go about reaching out to people and inspiring decisions. With so much resources at one’s disposal, there is little to no excuse for content marketers who aren’t optimizing every resource to their advantage.

Are you a beginner content marketer without a clue as to what you are doing wrong? Well, we took the time to highlight some of the most common mistakes you should avoid in content marketing.

Writing for the Sake of Writing

In internet marketing circles, the phrase “content is king” is the most popular. Back then, there was nothing like Google Panda or Penguin, so people wrote a huge number of articles to land high ranks in the SERPS – a very acceptable approach. But, now, things have taken a drastic turn. Submitting dozens of articles, a day to top the web directories does not work, not even a bit.

As of now, what matters is relevance and perception. If you want to attract and convert prospects into customers, your content needs to be valuable. Think of yourself as the link between your reader’s problems and their solutions. Provide useful information that will help your potential leads quickly access what they are looking for. This way, you can become the go-to person relevant content in a particular niche.

Taking the General DIY Approach

The do-it-yourself approach is one of the many mistakes in content marketing. This mistake stems from beginners thinking they have all it takes to break into the industry without taking the time to learn the ropes.

Seth Godin, Brian Clark, and Darren Rowse attract massive followings for a reason. They know how to channel all their energies on doing what they do best, which is blogging. Even though it seems like they now have enough resources to focus on one particular niche, they all started as beginners, just like you.

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These expert content marketers didn’t have it all laid out for them. In fact, they have to learn the hard way; that trying to be a one-person army is the fastest way downhill. To avoid failing at an early stage of their careers, the trio took the initiative to lay out a strategy that allowed them to focus more on their strengths rather than their weaknesses.

So, as a beginner content marketer, it’s inevitable that you understand the limits of risks to undertake before going in blindly into the industry. Having a solid plan and strategy applies to any career without the exemption of a beginner content marketer.

Don’t be in a hurry to prove a point at what a badass content manager you are when you have a lot to learn from experts in this field. This is not to say that you don’t have what it takes to improve at content management. Just don’t burn out trying to get tons of traffic at the expense of quality content.

Ignoring SEO

A lot of business owners are in a better position to finance Search Engine Optimization (SEO). However, countless of them neglect this area for their website. Why? Either due to ignorance or simple oversight.

With the importance of SEO in today’s digital writing industry, many brands are still convinced that the money spent on the right SEO tools is money wasted. Well, that is a huge misconception that is not accurate. Every expert content marketer or manager can tell you how essential investing in a useful SEO tool is for the visibility of any online content.

With the right SEO tools and materials, just about any new website can rank higher on search engines than some older sites.

The great thing about Search Engine Optimization(SEO) is that you can manage by yourself, even as a beginner content marketer. First, you need to undergo a learning process. Depending on how fast you can grasp information, the learning curve shouldn’t be so steep.

Ignoring SEO

When your brand ranks high on search engines – Google, Yahoo, or Bing, it will bring more traffic to your site. In turn, that will generate potential leads for your business. As an entrepreneur, you can decide to research and understand how to go about marketing your content with the help of SEO, or you can hire professionals to help you out until you can handle it yourself.

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Not Measuring Statistics

This is another common mistake beginner content marketer makes that can be easily corrected. The truth is, if you find numbers or statistics boring, then you are probably in the wrong line of work. Sure, it can be frustrating when the analytics do not match up with your expectations. However, this doesn’t mean to completely ignore stats in the hopes that something magical will save your failing website traffic.

Gone are the days when analyzing statistics was considered a job for only PROs. Now, with tools like Google Analytics and others simplifying it for even beginners, there is no excuse to neglect the stats of your content.

There are so many reasons why ignoring statistics is one of the most expensive mistakes you can make in content marketing. Without measuring stats:

  • You cannot understand the behavior of your audience.
  • You will not understand which keywords are beneficial to your brand and which ones are not.
  • You will also ignore essential tools to optimize, like click-through rates, bounce rates, average time spent on your site, conversion rates, source of your traffic, where your audience is from, and many others.

Another useful thing with regular analytics of your site is that you can create and monitor campaigns specific to a failing area of your website or blog. If you want to have a successful campaign, this should be at the back of your mind. Several tools are readily available to cater to the analytical needs of your site without any hassle from you.

When you understand your stats, you will be able to devise ways to optimize your content, thereby improving your content marketing skills. The info gotten from analytical tools will help you build a better relationship with your visitors and enhance their brand loyalty.

Ditching Social Media

A lot of business owners and new marketers fail to recognize the importance of social media in this digital era. Most social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are mainly for making new connections and staying in touch with old ones. And this is precisely the reason why you cannot ignore the impact of social media in optimizing your content or marketing your content.

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If we are to take a page from big brands like Nike and Coca-Cola, we would realize that the power of social media cannot be overemphasized. Not only does it make the business more accessible, but it also creates an avenue to engage people in a fun and creative way. Social media can help or break your business if not used well.

In 2019, there are about 223 million active social media users in the United States alone, and this number is bound to keep increasing. There is simply no logic for not using social media as an avenue to your advantage.

By merely creating a Facebook Business Page or a Twitter profile, you can connect and share your content with others the same way anyone would make friends. This form of content marketing is subtle but very credible as you can create more brand awareness organically, thanks to the quality content you put out on social media platforms.

Not Being Consistent

The most important word for every successful content creator is consistency. This has to do with simplifying your content for easy consumption by your readers. You need consistency for a well-functioning website to avoid confusion for your visitors. In order not to lose the interest of readers and have them come back for more, you must remove any complexities in your writing.

Another thing to emphasize about consistency is the frequency in posting content to your site. It’s essential for the growth of your audience that you post new or updated content as often as possible. This is not a license to publish poorly written content to keep your site active; high-quality content is still key!

When it comes to marketing your content, avoid publishing content once in a blue moon. The problem with this strategy is that when you promote those content and generate traffic to your site, you will leave your readers wanting more. It takes hard work to consistently put out premium-quality content in a world with new information coming out at every turn.

Think of Expanding Your Audience

When you have the right content, feel free to share that content in as many languages to attract traffic from other languages. These days, it’s easy to get fast translation services like The Word Point to help bridge the gap between you and your potential new audience. Taking this into consideration will help you create better campaigns that include your new target audience. 

These are some of the most common mistakes content marketers make, especially as beginners. These points should remind you of what is lacking in your content, limiting you from reaching your target audience.

Author bio

Melissa Mauro is a self-improvement author who is always interested in new projects. She wants to create her own writer brand, that’s why Melissa is looking for fresh platforms for the implementation of her ideas. Creativity and unique style make it possible to deliver valuable and engaging content to her ideal reader.

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