Potential Content Marketing “Mistakes” – Here Are 3 to Avoid
Written by Alice Seba
Following up on last week’s Top 3 Content Marketing Plan Tips, let’s consider the “mistakes” (well, nothing is really a mistake, but we can always do better) many of us make…maybe you? 
1. Not being consistent. You can just write a few articles or blog posts and be done with it. You also can’t create a 5-day auto responder series and thinks that’s enough. You need to stay in the mind of you prospect and your customer – so they will buy and they’ll buy over and over again. And helpful content is the perfect way to prime them to do that.
2. Not having a traffic plan. A lot of people have an “if you build it, they will come” attitude when it comes to content. They may have been told that great content will attract an audience through word-of-mouth and people will keep coming back for more. To some extent, good content travels but you need to reach a good size audience before it takes off like that.
a. Do keyword research and basic search engine optimization for phrases that people search for. You can do keyword research at wordtracker.com. Search engine optimization can be a complex subject, but at it’s most basic if you:
- Research keywords people are looking for (again wordtracker.com)
- Include that keyword phrase near the beginning of the title of your article
- Link to the article with that phrase
…it will go a long way for you.
b. Distribute your articles to article directories like ezinearticles.com, go articles.com. Article directories allow you to post content with a link back to your site. Those links can provide with traffic and also gain you favor with search engines as they see links coming into your site.
c. Offer to guest post on other popular blogs. If you’ve got great content to share, contact a blogger with a built-in audience and ask if you post some original content for them in return for a link back.
d. Give distribution rights to affiliate partners. If you have your own product and affiliate program, give your content to your affiliates to publish. Allow them to use their affiliate link, so they get a commission on every sale they refer through the content.
e. Turn your content into press releases and distribute them online (and to offline media). A press release is a more formal piece than an article or blog post, but it is content that can bring you plenty of exposure for your business.
f. Participate in social media like Twitter and Facebook. Share your content and the content of others. When you readily share, the favor is often returned.
g. Give distribution rights to affiliate partners. If you have your own product and affiliate program, give your content to your affiliates to publish. Allow them to use their affiliate link, so they get a commission on every sale they refer through the content.
Those are just 6 ideas to start you out with and the last idea of keeping your traffic brings me to third common mistake. I think the two mistakes we’ve talked about (not being consistent and not having a traffic plan) are common to all people, but there is one in particular that I find common in women. I am not sure if it’s a fear of selling or appearing too pushy, but it truly is self-sabotage to your content marketing efforts and that’s…
3. Not having a call-to-action or specific end goal in mind with their content. Many people think if they create the great content, it will automatically result in more subscribers and sales…but you have to put yourself into the perspective of your reader and how the experience content.
Let’s look at just a couple scenarios:
Scenario #1 People search for content via the Internet. For example, they might search for “how to train my Doberman” and they come across your articles. It’s very informative and they find your tips helpful. You don’t bother to tell them you have an ebook they might want to purchase or a free ecourse on the topic, so they leave. They never come back. Never assume that any ads on the margins of your page are going to do the job. You need to tell them within the article/piece of content what you want them to do next.
Scenario #2 You have regular readers of your blog or newsletter recipients. No matter how great your stuff, a large portion of your readers won’t read all your messages, they won’t know about all your products. You have to tell them and you have to remind them. People are busy with their lives, are concerned about what they have going on…if you have something that can help them, you can to tell them. Sometimes over and over again.
Your call-to-action doesn’t always have to be to buy something. It could be to click a link to read another article, to sign up for a free offer, leave a comment…any number of things. The thing is, you need your readers to be accustomed to taking action when you tell them to.
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