We’ve all heard that “Content is King” before. Your goal is to create engaging content. These are the mistakes that can stop that from happening.
A great content marketing campaign can give your business an impressive boost.
The content on your blog demonstrates your authority and causes people to trust you more. Every ad that you create or social media post that you share is a part of your content strategy.
You want people to engage with your content so that they become customers.
And it’s an area that a lot of businesses and coaches struggle with.
In fact, 62% have no idea how to measure the ROI of their content marketing campaigns. And 65% of businesses say that they find producing engaging content difficult.
Given that difficulty, it’s no surprise that so many potential customers disengage from content.
You just need to know why.
It may be because you’re making some of the following mistakes when creating your content.
Mistake #1 – Your Content Has No Personality
Mistake #1 – Your Content Has No PersonalityDo you just share dry information in your content?
It may seem like the most practical thing to do. However, your content needs to inspire people into taking a desired action. If it doesn’t have any personality at all, your audience isn’t going to engage.
Start by figuring out what overall message you want your content to convey. This will serve as the key thread that runs through every piece of content you create. Usually, that message will focus on specific pain points that your audience feels.
With the message established, talk to your audience about those pain points. Use them to engage directly before discussing the benefits your service offers.
The key is to create a consistent voice that suits your brand. If your brand appeals to teenagers, an overly-professional tone isn’t going to engage. But being too informal might put B2B customers off.
Mistake #2 – There’s Just Too Much
The average person isn’t going to read a 5,000-word article.
The only people that do have likely requested a detailed report and want to dig into the detail. Most people using the web want you to get to the point quickly so they can make a decision.
Think about how that applies to your content.
The huge blog posts that you share may contain tons of great information. But nobody’s reading it because they don’t want to wade through such massive posts.
The good news here is that you can repurpose that content. Take segments of it and turn them into emails or social media posts. Package the content in more digestible chunks that your audience finds palatable.
It’s also worth talking about lead magnets here.
In a typical lead magnet, you point somebody to a landing page where you make them an offer.
If you’re taking an eternity to get to your point, your readers will click away before they ever think about filling out your form.
Again, your desire to share as much useful content as possible can get in the way. Short lead magnets are easier to scan, which makes them more actionable.
If you do use some of your content for emails, Automation Agency can help you create an automated email sequence. Just send a ticket to our Concierge service.
We can also help you with your lead magnets. Send a ticket if you need to build a lead magnet and its related forms.
Mistake #3 – You Have Weak Headlines
A headline’s job is to convince somebody that your content’s worth reading.
You want to share the purpose of the content and a benefit that the reader gets from it. Take the headline of this article as an example. We’re telling you that we’re going to show you some key content creation mistakes. Plus, we’re sharing a benefit in terms of how avoiding these mistakes helps you to engage people with content.
Apply that same line of thinking to your own headlines.
As importantly, make sure you deliver on the promise your headline makes. Deliver what you say you’ll deliver or you’ll lose your audience’s trust.
Mistake #4 – You Have Terrible Thumbnails and Images
Let’s say that you want to share an article on social media.
The content’s solid and offers plenty for the reader. But that’s not what a social media user’s going to see.
They’re going to see the thumbnail that you use to showcase the content. That image has to convey the message that your content delivers once it’s clicked on.
A poor image leads to your followers not clicking on the piece. All of that effort you put into content creation goes down the drain as a result.
This extends to the images you use in the content as well. If they don’t relate to what the visitor’s reading, they’re going to turn people off. Bold and attractive images keep people engaged and help you to break up your content so it’s more palatable.
Clear and attractive pictures and thumbnails are as much a part of your content strategy as the article itself.
The good news is that Automation Agency can help you here too. Send a ticket to the Concierge service to talk to our design team about creating new thumbnails.
Mistake #5 – Your Content Lacks Social Proof
What is social proof?
It could be the list of big brand customers that you work with. Or, it’s those client testimonials that you keep tucked away in a far-flung corner of your website.
Social proof is anything that tells people how great you are without those words having to come out of your mouth.
That list of big brand customers shows the reader that major companies use and trust your services. The testimonials act as reviews from people who’ve experienced the benefits of what you do first hand.
Sprinkle them throughout your content. Create case studies and stories that showcase how you’ve helped people to achieve their goals.
A lack of social proof means that you’re asking people to rely on your word alone. Most won’t want to do that.
This is especially important in your direct sales content. Social proof builds trust and shows the reader that you deliver on your promises. Don’t forget about it when you’re making the final sales push with a piece of content.
Mistake #6 – You’re All About the Sales Pitch
The ultimate goal of any piece of content is to help you achieve a sale.
The mistake that many make is thinking that they need to make a pitch every single time. While the sale is the big goal, every piece of content you create has a different purpose. Most involve guiding a prospect through your funnel until they’re at a point where they’re ready for your pitch.
If you’re coming on too strong with every piece of content, your audience will get bored. They’ll see that you only care about the money they bring in rather than in helping them.
Focus on providing value with every piece that you create. And when it comes time to sell, support the pitch with social proof that highlights the value that you deliver.
Mistake #7 – You’re Writing Without Listening First
That does your audience want from you?
If you can’t answer that question, you’re going to struggle to create content that engages.
Your audience has needs and pain points. If you’re just writing for the sake of getting something out there, you’re not focusing on what your readers really need.
The mistake comes from not listening to your audience first.
Direct conversations with customers reveal a lot about what they think of your product and what they need from you. If one customer has a problem, it’s likely that many potential customers share that problem. Use this as the basis for a piece of content that engages all of them.
Monitor social media chatter to find out what people talk about. You’ll find tons of content ideas hiding in the conversations that people have about your product and your niche.
Let your audience tell you what they want. Then, focus on delivering with your content.
Create Content That Engages
Do any of these mistakes sound familiar to you?
Recognise the issue is the first step you’ll take to solving it. If you’re making any of these mistakes, follow the advice we’ve given to correct them.
And once you have the perfect piece of content, you can engage us to help you do something with it. We can help with image and form design, email automation, and a range of other tasks. Send a ticket to our Concierge service to get started.
But what if you’re not a member yet? You need to figure out if we’re a good fit for your business. Talk to our Right Fit Chatbot to find out if we can work together.
