There’s a saying that content is king that’s often used in marketing – and yes, it is king because relevant content contributes big time to the success of businesses.
As we strive to build and establish personal and business brands, we are bound to make lots of mistakes in this area. And with all honesty, there’s nothing wrong with that because essentially you learn better through failure. But with the stiff competition and new trends everywhere in this digital era, knowing exactly what to say and do to guarantee success through content marketing saves you time and money. We will therefore help set the pace for you and share what doesn’t work while building a brand and share solutions for the same. This way, you can comfortably hit the ground running.
The first content mistake is creating content for the sake of creating content. Many brands jump on creation of content because they’ve heard that content marketing is key without necessarily understanding why it’s needed and how to do it best. You need to establish who your target audience is before creating any content. Once you establish who should consume your content, then get clear goals and how they align with your audience.
The second mistake is not taking the time to understand what your audience want to see or hear from your content. Relatable and valuable content is the type that improves your target audience’s experience with your brand. What’s the value addition of your content to your consumer’s life? If you have no clarity on this, the best solution is to ask them. Take your time to learn what they really care about.
The third mistake is creating content for yourself and not your ideal client or the persona you think is your ideal client. It goes without saying, it’s not about you but your customer. Take your time to understand your niche and what exactly their needs are. What resonates to you may not necessarily resonate with your consumers.
The fourth mistake in content marketing is not voicing out your unique selling proposition. What differentiates you from the rest 1000 plus competitors in your industry? Why should your niche consider your brand? You therefore need to carry out your market research and find out how your USP affects your target audience. Is it something they care about? Find out how to align to what they truly value.
The next mistake is perhaps the most common in most brands – a lack of consistency. Inconsistency breeds disconnect. It creates a gap in your audience’s ability to connect with your mission, vision, message and brand at large.
Lastly, is the lack of appeal or emotional attachment to your brand by not integrating your brand story into your content. Does the audience feel YOU as they interact with your content? How does your experience help your audience solve their current problem? How can your audience learn from your journey? Allow your brand story to be of benefit to your audience .
