Do you want the good news or the good news first? It is all good news because you can improve your content marketing, no matter how many threats there currently are with content marketing. Here at Agile Marketing, we are happy to share the biggest threats you can have in your content marketing plan or team and the solutions to those threats, as well.
Are you ready? Let’s dive in.
1 – FEAR
The first and often the most misplaced threat is fear. Think about you and your company for a moment. How far have you gotten in your content marketing efforts? There are many companies that never get very far because they are scared of who they will offend, who they will attract, who they won’t attract and so much more.
It is time to let go of that FEAR. To combat your fears and the fears of your employees, start tracking your content personas, compiling your style guide, drafting your content strategy and proposing your editorial calendar. Get this information to all of your staff and make sure everyone is ready to get going with it. If there are any concerns, have those presented by everyone ahead of time, so it can be smooth sailing from here.
2 – Expecting Immediate Results
Another one of the biggest threats to content marketing it within your own company – expecting immediate results. Hard work and effort takes time. If you are going to fix this issue, you and your team will need to focus on data-driven results. In order to do this, you will need to document and measure results and metrics over time. This is the best way to contribute to your revenue and overall company expansion.
3 – Everyone Being on Different Pages
Everyone….and this means everyone… in your entire company should be on the same page. When you leave out the middlemen or the people on the “lower roles” in your company, there are large gaps between everyone. If everyone is on different pages, chaos will ensue within the upper and lower portions of your company. Take the time to include everyone in your team meetings and then, you will start seeing better results in your content marketing strategy.
4 – Inconsistency
Many companies haven’t eradicated inconsistency and there is a reason why. If you find that efforts and content or anything else is inconsistent within your company, it is time for a meeting. Talk to the members of your team and create a stronger foundation with them. Have everyone agree on some clearer goals. By doing this, you can start getting rid of inconsistency altogether because everyone will be working on the same plan.
5 – Easy, Fast, and Cheap Expectations
Just as with anything in life, the easy, fast and cheap way is not usually the best way to do things. If you want long-term gains, people within your company are going to need to work hard. Even if there is a bit of short-term pain with lengthy meetings and expensive input at the beginning, this may be the best option for your content marketing strategy overall.
6 – Budget Cuts
You may think that budget cuts are one of the best decisions for your company. However, in the long run, these may actually be hurting you. When it comes to your content marketing strategy, you should double down in your efforts and not cut things short. With so much of a businesses brand being online these days, content is more important than ever before.
7 – Creating Generic Content
Have you noticed that your business ratings have gone down recently? Do you find you are losing clients or not finding as many clients as you were before? Part of the reason for this could be due to your company creating generic content. It may seem like the fastest way to ramp out content. However, that isn’t the best way to reach your intended audience. There is a connection between creating unique, reader-friendly content that grabs the awws and woahs and higher ratings. Try it and see how well it works out for your team. Better yet, reach out to our Agile Marketing team to have your our team create high-quality, reader-friendly, unique content for you.
8 – Complacency within Your Company
Depending on where you are at with your content marketing team, things can go on a downward spiral if everyone is convinced that things are fine just as they are. In order to have the best content marketing strategy, you and your team need to be convinced that trying new things is the best way to go about it. If you want a new view on your content marketing strategy or help with developing a plan, reach out to our Agile Marketing team today. We are here to help you advance your company.
9 – Content Focused Solely on Your Company and Not Your Audience
What is your content focused on? Do you focus on selling your company? Does everything you and your team write speak directly to and about your company? It is great to have some sales pages and techniques. However, you also need to focus on your audience and their needs and not just your company. The content you write and deliver to your audience should be informative, yet engaging, honest and people-oriented. Keep your audience coming back for more from you and your team.
10 – Unsafe Networking and Online Procedures
Do you have any networking and online policy procedures? Has your team been hacked in the past? What about your clients? Do they feel secure with the information they are sharing on your website and with your company? If you don’t have the greatest or any secure measures being taken by your company, now is the time to get something put into place. THere are many programs and software that can help to prevent cyber-security threats.
11 – Starting with a Format and Not an Idea
When your content team creates information, where does it come from? Is it coming from someone telling them to write about something specific? Do you give them a straight guideline with no freedom to move about in their writing and marketing efforts? If this is the case, it is time to switch things up a bit. The more freedom your team has to spark ideas rather than just work off a pre-written format, the better content and marketing strategies that are bound to come about.
Focus on Solutions – Get Content Marketing Help from Agile Marketing Today
Content marketing isn’t something that just happens overnight. It takes time, effort, change and consistency. Do you find that you and your team are struggling with the content or marketing side at this time? If so, don’t keep letting it hold you and your company back. You can get ahead of your competitors. How can you do this? You can hire a content marketing company to handle your content marketing strategy from this point onward. You will be surprised by the results.
Contact us here today at Agile Marketing to get the results you are looking for in your content marketing efforts.
