The last few blogs have discussed the importance of developing the right CONTENT for your blogs, tweets, and websites. A few weeks ago I ran across “Top Ten Reasons Why Your Content Marketing Strategy Fails.” It has application in our discussion.
First, the definition: Content marketing is the technique of creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience, with the objective of driving profitable customer action.
It’s the creation of great content that attracts customers and prospects, educates them, and potentially engages them in a conversation with you.
TOP 10 REASONS YOUR CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGY FAILS
(1) You don't have one: your idea is to stick all you've got on that landing page, mini site, or blog and pray something will stick.
(2) You don't understand the difference between interruption and content marketing: You think that because you have something to sell, you can push it out there and get people to but it because you say so.
(3) Your content does not provide value: The worst offenders will ask for a prospect’s information just to get people in a contact database…and then not deliver anything new to them as a follow-up.
(4) Your in-house experts think it's marketing's job to write it: It's a very bad idea to assume that all marketers are proficient in the unique “digital conversation” that is content. Get help from some experts.
(5) You think that changing the title to last month's paper will work: If you think this will work, then you are delusional, and deserve to fail. And what about next time, will your customers ever believe you again after a stunt like that?
(6) You invite people in for one topic, then you give them something else entirely: It’s a dangerous to assume that people don't pay attention. They won't if this is the kind of treatment you reserve for them. It's like starting a conversation with a great opening, and then putting absolutely no substance behind it.
(7) Your call to action is not clear, or you have multiple ones: There are a lot of reasons NOT to do this, but the main one is, of course, the fact that you won't know what works among the many messages you put out there. When you're focused, things have a way of working out much better for all involved.
(8) You want too much, too soon: There's no relationship built as yet, and you're already asking your customers and prospects to give you something substantial.
(9) You don't get the whole anticipated and relevant part of it: You think “integrated and matching” means you're not interrupting. In other words you missed the whole idea of custom content written specifically to address the needs of the audience you are hoping to engage.
(10) Your content is all about you, not your customer: The surest way to become irrelevant to your prospects is by not even trying to relate to them. At the end of the day, you want to reach the people who will buy your products and services. Whether your content marketing strategy is fulfilled through marketing or public relations activities, you should think about providing value and worry less about measuring clicks and hits.
Will your customers and prospects find you on the Web when they're looking for the resources you provide? Will your articles, bylines, white papers, eBooks, blog posts, Twitter links and the like convey that you understand the issues --- their issues --- that are at play in the marketplace?
Does your site, newsletter, or blog provide timely, relevant tips, commentary, and information that reveal industry or industry vertical knowledge? Do analysts and third parties crowd around your thought leadership to help amplify what you know?
If the answer is no, those are great places for you to start.
“It’s all about belonging to a tribe and not getting pushed out into the jungle where you starve to death and the hyenas eat you.” --- Jay McInerney character in The Good Life