For years, marketers have been told that content is king. As search engines, particularly Google, have made repeated tweaks to their algorithms, the emphasis on quality content has increased. As a result, the onus has been placed on brands to step up their game in terms of content marketing. From blogs to social media posts, the demand for high quality online content produced in a consistent manner has increased.
As is the case with all other forms of marketing, content marketing requires brands to constantly think of new ways to reach their consumer base. At the same time, it is imperative for brands to review past performance to determine what has or what has not worked. With the introduction of numerous new tools, it has become possible to automate many aspects of digital marketing. When it comes to content marketing, success requires originality, creativity, and customization.
If you have noticed recently that your content marketing strategy is not everything that it should be, it is possible that you could be making at least one of the following critical errors in your approach.
Not Being Selecting of Publishing Opportunities
In the past, content marketing strategies often dictated that you publish wherever and whenever possible. This strategy was based on numbers. The more often you published and the more places you content was seen, the better. Today, that is no longer the case. In fact, failing to be selective of where you publish your content could actually harm your brand if your content is posted on a website with poor authority. Regardless of how well-written your content may be, if it is published on a website with content that is deemed to be low quality, your brand is going to suffer. Prior to accepting an invitation to guest blog on any website, take the time to scope out the site and determine whether publishing there will help your brand or harm it.
Not Branching Out from Social Media to Share Content
Social media has proven to be an effective tool for quickly and easily publishing content. Even so, it is important to recognize that social media is not the only source for disseminating your content. Taboola, a content recommendation website, is certainly one to watch. According to Fortune magazine, Taboola reaches approximately 400 million unique visitors each month and serves up 1.5 billion recommendations on a daily basis.
Not Considering Content Linking Authority
Linking to other sites can be a great way to boost your own content marketing efforts, but prior to doing so, you must first vet the other sites. Google is increasingly concerned with domain authority. By linking to a site with poor domain authority, whether it is through a guest blog post or even something as simple as a link mention, you could unwittingly drag down your own content marketing strategy.
Disguising Advertising as Content
Unfortunately, too many companies have been slow to make the transition to quality content. Far too often, many brands continue to churn out what amounts to advertorials disguised as articles. Today, this simply will no longer cut it. Not only is it important to publish high quality content for SEO purposes, but it is also vital for winning the trust of your consumers.
Not Measuring Content Marketing Results
Perhaps the worst mistake that marketers make today when it comes to their content marketing strategy is simply not measuring the results. Without gaining insight into what works and what does not, there is no possible way that you can correct your course. While click-through rates and bounce rates are important in terms of sales, when it comes to content marketing, it is important to focus on the type of media that interest your customers the most. For instance, which of your most recently published content did your customers engage with the most? Even a basic tool such as Google Analytics can provide you with this level of insight. Additionally, find out how your content was shared by using a tool such as Hootsuite.
There is little doubt that content marketing is growing increasingly sophisticated. As search engines continue to place enhanced focus on the importance of quality content, marketers of all sizes must learn to keep pace in order to remain competitive.
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