Working Out the Problems of Content Marketing
Content marketing is a crucial topic for companies who want to showcase their cultures, products, ethos, and many other intangible elements. This forms deeper customer loyalties, giving companies an edge over others. Solving content marketing issues is as important as producing the content itself.
Infomercials, marketing intelligence, press releases, thought leadership… all these classic marketing formats were developed to meet business goals – conversions, brand engagement, sales and revenues – by adopting an essentially editorial approach. Content marketing in its many forms adopts the same basic mechanism today.
Content marketing is about engaging prospects and consumers with informative or entertaining content they’ll want to use or consume for its own sake, rather than pushing or interrupting them with direct sales or promotional messages. That’s not to say, of course, that this isn’t a commercial activity – just that the consumer has changed, and so must the way we market to them.
There are however, issues associated with content marketing — but there are solutions as well that can keep them from hindering your ability to create epic content.
Problem 1: The Content Reach
This problem occurs when content is not reaching your audience/customers or not adding value to them in any way that you can measure, or helping them solve a problem.
Solution:
Instead of primarily writing about products or services you are trying to pitch, focus first on what the reader is looking to get out of the content you provide. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Who is the audience which you are writing the content for?
- What kind of value your content is adding, or which problem does it solve for the readers?
- Would you share your own content?
Problem 2: The Content Variety
It is estimated that the average enterprise uses 17 different content types as part of its content marketing programs. Readers feel overwhelmed by the number of channels they are following, and companies as well are not able to direct the right content to the right audience.
Solution:
Choose one channel and be great at it. Work toward the goal of being the leading provider of information for your customers on that particular platform. Put most of your energy into the channel you choose (depending on your audience, and their needs and usage patterns).
Problem 3: The Lack of an Audience
It happens to all of us. We get so focused on creating our content that we forget that our audience development strategy should come first. Audience consideration should come immediately after content planning. If you are creating content and don’t have an audience yet, please stop creating content (you may want to repeat that in your head).
Solution:
Develop an audience acquisition program that combines organic and paid strategies. Here are some thoughts that will help:
- Focus on the influencers: focus on the top influencers, and share your content with. Build your influencer hit list and execute this strategy. Done right, your network of influencers will help you build an audience.
- Embrace Guest Postings: You have to give to get. Guest posting and guest contributions should be a major part of your strategy for growing your subscriber base.
Problem 4: The Lack of Marketing for Content Marketing
Many believe that once they hit the “share” button that their content will reach to their audience, but in most cases it doesn’t. Content marketing is ineffective if it doesn’t reach to the audience, the right audience, and as many of that.
Solution:
Build your audience that are relevant to the expertise you provide, promote your content as much as you can and engage with the audience, and use your content to attract and create discussion points.
Lessons from the Coca Cola Company Content Marketing Strategy
Content marketing is a great tool for brands to build customer communities and discuss their products instead of selling their products. Brands however, should overcome problems created by the lack of content marketing marketing and try to enrich their audience with what they provide adding value to their relationship.