Are you making one of these common – but very fixable – mistakes in your content creation?
Content marketing is a great asset for small businesses: easy to get started, affordable to create, and brings your personality forward.
Too often though, when I speak with small business owners and entrepreneurs, they tell me they aren’t happy with the results they get from their content.
Either they feel that content takes up too much of their time or that they do get nice engagement from their followers but the sales don’t follow.
Behind these content struggles there are often the same mistakes or misunderstandings. Luckily, these five are so easy to fix!
1 – Misunderstanding the role of content marketing
Content creation is a great way to add value for small businesses. It grows your audience and creates opportunities to engage with potential clients.
What content is not, is a fast-track to sales.
A single blog post, social media post or a downloadable guide rarely generates a flood of clients at once. However, content builds brand awareness, highlights the uniqueness of your business and helps to forge long-lasting relationships with clients.
Content has its place but it doesn’t work alone. Pair it up with other client acquisition strategies and set your goals cautiously.
2 – Overlooking the metrics
Did the previous sentence make you flinch and ask “Which goals?”
If you haven’t set your content any goals or aren’t tracking them regularly, that is your next action point. Set up a few goals that are in line with your business goals and keep an eye on them at least monthly.
Are vanity metrics keeping you stuck?
3 – Thinking of content instead of strategy
Keeping business goals in mind helps in planning content strategically, too.
Still, too many entrepreneurs approach their content as a “must have” or just another item on their “to do” list rather than as a strategic sales tool.
Each content idea should lead your clients to the next step of your sales process: to sign up for your newsletter, book a call or start a demo, for example.
That said, your content needs to be high quality and add value – just not too much.
Read More: Don’t add too much value!
4 – Prioritizing other projects over content creation
Content marketing is often a great way to get started as a small business owner, because you can create a lot on your own, which makes it affordable. You still need time, and content creation needs to be prioritized, if you want to see results.
If your content creation is always at the bottom of your priorities, it reflects on the quality. Make content creation a regular priority and if you’re still struggling, check that you’re not trying to do too much at once. It’s better to be fully present on one or two channels than have a wide presence without quality content.
5 – Publishing content irregularly
Lack of prioritization leads to the lack of consistency. Even if your content is strategically planned, drives the right goals and you track your metrics, if it’s not consistent, you won’t’ see results.
It takes time to break through in the saturated social media and content landscape. If your podcast is quiet for a few months, your listeners head elsewhere and you need to start all over again.
Hardest step: taking action
Did you recognise yourself or your team in some of the points above? Start implementing the ideas one at a time, so neither you nor your team gets overwhelmed.
Sometimes it can be hard to figure out where to start – or even see where the problem really is. If that sounds like you, schedule a complementary Strategy Mapping call with me. Let’s map out an action plan together!
Recent Comments