Top 5 Mistakes of a Novice Content Marketer

Content Marketers

Do you want to learn how to become a successful content marketer? Now hang on. You may wonder, what’s there to learn? Doing content marketing is super easy, right? Not necessarily. Believe it or not, but most beginners make loads of mistakes that reduce their effectiveness. In worse cases, these wrong steps can make them lose considerable sums of money. 

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Top companies like American Express or Coca-Cola know that content marketing strategy needs to be well-thought-out. They invest a lot of time and energy to get it right. 

Laptops on the table

Want to take your marketing plan to similar heights? You can start by becoming aware of the most common beginner mistakes and avoid doing them. Here is a list of top 5 errors to get you started. 

1. Focusing Too much on SEO 

Ranking high on Google is great, and you should try to get your site to appear on the first page of the search. But guess what? Hitting the right keywords is not the only way to get a higher place. Google also rewards websites with a better ranking if they feature content that people are engaging with. So skip the keyword stuffing and focus more on producing quality content. 

And don’t forget the people you’re writing to.

2. Not Producing the Content for Specific Audience

Anyone who understands marketing basics has heard of the importance of knowing your target audience. A common rookie mistake is trying to reach everyone. This approach only leads to failure. Instead, try to research as much about the people you’re trying to reach with your content. It’s the only way to keep your potential clients interested in your business. 

Recommended read: How is digital personalization creating a knowledge bubble for both customers and businesses?

But even when you know perfectly how to hook a specific group of people, you shouldn’t start selling to them right away. This is a common newbie mistake.

3. Going for the Sale Too Soon

Your content’s first aim should be to solve people’s specific problems. This is crucial to building trust with your potential customers. Don’t try to sell anything until you’ve added tons of value to the reader. 

If you’ve been to business for some time now, then the importance of adding value is not marketing news to you. It’s probably part of your overall strategy. But make sure you stand out from the competition with a unique brand.

4. Missing Brand Voice in Marketing

Your company should have a clear message to communicate to the audience. Why is this important? It’s simple. Knowing what your company is about allows you to develop a unique brand voice. This helps you distinguish yourself from the competitors. So take some time to write down what your company stands for and make sure your content reflects these values. 

Recommended read: How These Popular Brands Are Making an Impression on TikTok

Marketing trends in 2020 continue to favor advertising across digital platforms like Facebook and Instagram. To get your brand out there, you need to produce a lot of content. 

5. Not Being Productive Enough

Let’s get one thing straight. There’s nothing easy in creating content. It takes a lot of effort to craft something engaging and valuable to your audience. But the loyal readers are expecting new content regularly. Write down new ideas for content every time they come to you. That way, you can be sure you have enough material to work with. Set yourself strict deadlines and make sure you have the piece ready by the set date. Your readers will be expecting it.

Conclusion

Everyone running a business knows why marketing is important. But not everyone can do it effectively. Learn from the mistakes of others and try to avoid the blunders outlined in this article. Can you afford not to? 

What did you think of our list of top 5 marketing mistakes? Did you recognize any of the errors from your content marketing? Leave comments below, and we’d love to hear about your experiences and answer your further marketing questions.

General FAQs

What is the purpose of content marketing?

Content marketing is used to attract and develop a specific target audience with the ultimate goal of creating true customer engagement. Through using content marketing, you should be striving to change and enhance your customer’s behaviour toward your company in a positive manner.

What makes a good content marketer?

A good content marketer also needs to be value focused and have an eye for quality. They’re not just listening to identify the pain points of the audience, though. That top content marketer is empathetic, putting themselves in the shoes of the audience and truly understanding their needs.

How do you write original content?

Take note of frequently asked questions from your customers and turn them into useful content for your readers. Remember, you don’t need to be Hemingway to create original content. Keep your eyes and ears open and stay true to your own voice and in touch with your reader’s needs.

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Devendra Singh

Director, Content Strategy at Digital Marketing Trends. I develop, evaluate, and improve the company's content strategies. Providing a big online presence for SMEs and StartUps.