We all make mistakes in life and unfortunately, it’s the only true way to learn. The same goes for our content marketing strategies. The space grows, and simultaneously, so do our mistakes.
Below is a list of what we know hurts brands rather than help them, and how to avoid these four content mistakes in the future.
1. No Goals.
A strong foundation is needed to achieve a goal, and that strength comes from asking questions before you begin writing your content. First, what are you trying to achieve? Is it quality leads? Is it to engage new buyers and introduce them to your brand? Or is it simply wanting to let the audience know who you are, not what you do? If you can ask and then answer your own questions you have a better chance at providing value and gaining results.
2. Not Providing Quality Content.
Can you list the top 50 burning questions your audience would really like an answer to? If you can’t, then you need to find out. Throwing trivial information at them, rather than information they yearn for, will not help to gain their attention or keep them engaged. For example, if you are a bridal shop and you’re writing a piece on how to lose weight before the big day, it may not be as effective as if you provide tips on how not to trip down the aisle. Which according to Brides.com is one of the most popular concerns a woman has. Your content marketing strategy should simply answer your customers’ questions and most general concerns.
3. Not Posting Enough.
This one is really simple. The more quality content you publish, the more website traffic gained. Hubspot recently reported that brands that published 16+ blog posts per month received about 4.5X more leads than companies that published between 0 – 4 monthly posts.
4. Manipulation.
Content Marketers are not in the business of manipulating their consumers. They know their audience can sniff out a sales pitch instantly. Today, nobody wants to be sold or bombarded with shameless plugs, they want to be educated or entertained. When you provide compelling content, you draw in engagement and social media shares, which is key. So don’t be a salesperson, it just doesn’t work.
Thinking about creating a “how-to” video? If not, you should be. The company reports over 100 million hours watched in 2015.
YouTube “how-to” views are continually growing, in fact 70% year over year. It’s an opportunity for brands big and small to get “seen”. Millennials are the key drivers of this growth and Google cites that 67% state they can find a YouTube video for anything they want to learn. It’s quick, it’s easy and it’s at their fingertips.
The most popular “how-to” searches are related to home-improvement, beauty and cooking videos. However, don’t let that discourage you if your business or product does not fit into one of these categories; video is still a powerful SEO tool that all brands should be using.
Watch this short video on the best way to create your own video. Enjoy!
Social Media is an incredible tool for many businesses. It is a great way to connect with your customers, target audience, and potential clients in somewhat of an informal setting. Unfortunately, it also provides opportunity for those who find themselves dissatisfied with your product or service, a place to vent. Specifically on sites like Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Yelp.
While it’s wonderful to receive positive reviews, many times negative posts tend to outshine and ultimately weigh heavily on your new & impressionable, visitors.
Seeing as there’s no way to prevent negative reviews, we’ve come up with three easy steps to help your business to handle them.
1) Do not delete the comment. Many times, your instinct will tell you to delete – but that often causes more harm than good. Ignoring & banishing the complaints of your customers will only aggravate them further. To be sure that their voice is heard, they may enlist friends and family members to spam your social accounts with negative comments as well, thus creating a much larger problem than initially intended.
2) Respond, but choose your words wisely. You’ve made the smart decision to keep the comment public, now it’s time to respond…and fast. Take the time reply to the individual(s) as promptly as possible. Your response should first and foremost always be professional. Do not get defensive or aggressive with your words. It is appropriate to apologize for whatever may be angering this customer; be sure to let them know that you sympathize and understand their frustration.
3) Fix it. The last step in this process is to make an effort to rectify the situation to the best of your ability. Sometimes people simply want to speak to someone – put them in touch. If they want a refund or replacement – do your best to adhere to that request. If all else fails, offer a discount, coupon, free additional service, etc. We may not always be able to make everything 100% better, but giving it your best effort will hopefully leave the customer with a less bitter taste in their mouth, and prevent them from further posting negative comments about your company on the internet.
The best part about social media is that it allows people to interact directly with brands and companies – use this opportunity to your advantage. Do your best to converse with those who are singing your praises, as well as those who are doing just the opposite. Either way, your attention will be appreciated.
Almost every company has a website today. In fact, if a company doesn’t have a website, many potential customers wonder why it is so behind the times and may even consider passing them up in favor of a more contemporary firm—one that realizes we’re living in the Twenty-First century.
And then, of course, there are those companies that have a website simply because they have to have a website—but do very little to maintain or update it. Okay, so they’re in the Twenty-First Century—but wish they weren’t. As much as they may like to, they can’t have it both ways.
Sometimes the problem is that these leaders don’t know the first thing about websites and don’t want to spend the funds necessary to have someone on staff who does. Other times it’s because they haven’t taken the time to read up on the value of effective website marketing.
What company leaders need to realize is that this new century is populated by many marketing communications firms that know exactly what to do when a website isn’t doing its job. And you know what? That way, these same leaders can have it both ways.
When do you know you need a new website or need to completely update the one you’ve got?
When you can’t remember the last time anyone worked on it.
When you look at it and realize that it no longer accurately reflects your brand.
When you check with your customers and discover that your site long ago stopped being useful to them.
Our blog is always about image marketing and marketing communications — not necessarily about blogs themselves. But since many companies now use blogs as part of their marketing efforts (like we do), a blog about blogs isn’t totally out of the question.
Many blogs aren’t nearly as successful as they should be for one of three reasons—and often all three at the same time.
They’re too wordy
They’re not well written
They’re unfocused (or have more than one focus)
Pick one topic to write about. Stick to it. Get to the point right away. State your objective or share your observations in as few words as possible.
That doesn’t mean you can’t have an aside or two or stick in a quip or two. But remember that most people are stressed to the max and have little time or patience for too many asides or quips that don’t help them in one way or another right off the bat.
Speaking of ‘right off the bat,’ avoid clichés whenever possible. Of course, clichés become clichés because they are expressive and meaningful. So go ahead and use a few if you’d like. Just don’t use so many in one blog that it seems like they’re raining down like cats and dogs.
Your special event involves planning, expense, and usually agita. The mainstream media probably will cover it. An employee is doing a video of the high points and will edit them so that your organization can post the best on your website and on YouTube. One thing you might not have thought of is this: Live-blogging.
In essence, someone who’s adept at blogging uses your or his/her blog platform to chronicle and comment on the activities. That’s live-blogging.
At Apple’s new product announcements, the major media send their bloggers to catch every fact and nuance of what is being unveiled. The bloggers might also interview the Apple leadership as well as those in the audience. They could also interview other bloggers at the event. Those posts, which could number 5, 10, 20, or 30, reach readers around the world (blogs are global) in real time. Afterward the bloggers might follow that up with a more formal article on the roll-out. The two reinforce each other and bloggers usually put links to their posts in the article.
On top of all the rest you are concerned about for your special event, doing live-blogging may seem too much. Actually it isn’t. Bloggers love to blog. They especially love doing it about an event which is being covered in real time. Each post contains one small aspect of the story, one interview, one observation. There could be photos. There could be video clips attached.
What are the benefits of live-blogging for your organization? Here are just a handful:
Creates Excitement. From the corner of their eyes participants spot the blogger. This enhances the specialness of the event. They will ask you to email them all the links. Of course, they want to see them.
Involves Audience. Interviewing attendees makes the event interactive. Those interviewed probably will send the links along to their own networks. They might post them on their own digital sites. They might send them to media. All that provides a multiplier effect for the exposure the special event receives.
Provides Links. The 5, 10, 15, 20 or 30 posts leave you with links you can bundle and provide on your digital sites, send to media, package as marketing material for prospects, and analyze for insight on what to do the same or differently on your next special event.
Kate Sirignano, founder of Image Marketing Consultants, provides complimentary consultations of live-blogging as well as Social Media, Special Events, Advertising, Public Relations, and Parterning 203-404-4868, mgenova981@aol.com.
