Critical Content Marketing Mistakes You May Be Making

The subject of content marketing is becoming borderline cliché these days – not that this takes away from its importance. Whether looking to enhance search engine optimisation efforts or simply do what’s right by your customers, content marketing really is the be all and end all of current and future web marketing.Which is why it’s somewhat surprising that so many brands and businesses are making the kinds of rookie errors that should have been done away with quite some time ago. Contrary to popular belief, a quality content marketing strategy doesn’t have to be spectacularly difficult. But at the same time, it’s not the kind of thing you can a) ignore or b) leave to its own devices once you’ve set your chosen measures in place.So with this in mind, what follows is a quick rundown of just a few content marketing mistakes that remain surprisingly common, even today:1 – Insufficient Keyword ResearchFirst and foremost, there are still so many content marketers for whom keyword research begins and ends with statistical search volumes. In reality, keyword research is something that should be approached much more strategically, in accordance with the overall goals of the business, its branding efforts, public relations, general communication and so on. Keyword research is often brushed over to such an extent that keywords are chosen on the back of gut instinct and assumptions. Suffice to say, this rarely translates to successful keyword research, which in turn rarely translates to quality content marketing.2 – Insufficient TestingThere are countless tools, techniques and strategies available these days that allow for deep and valuable testing of content ideas, in order to learn and adjust accordingly. Whether it’s a case of testing your own ideas or using tools that offer insights into how specific techniques and strategies have worked when used by other businesses, there’s really no reason or excuse for hacking away at things blindly. Content marketing is an on-going process of refinement and improvement – not a one-off site improvement job.3 – Insufficient AnalysisTechnically speaking, it isn’t necessarily a good idea to rely solely on Google Analytics. Nevertheless, research shows that a striking proportion of business owners aren’t actually bothering to use any analytical tools at all, when it comes to gauging the success or otherwise of their content marketing strategies. Without sufficient analysis, you have absolutely no idea what you are wasting time and money on, along with what might actually be working and therefore deserve more intensive focus.4 – Confusing Content Marketing With SEOJust because a high quality content marketing strategy can assist with your search engine optimisation process doesn’t mean that they are in fact one and the same thing. They aren’t, in fact it’s of critical importance to remember that SEO prowess and rankings are determined by a lot more than site content alone. If this is a way of thinking you have fallen into, it’s about time you studied up on the modern face of SEO.5 – ProcrastinationLast but not least, it’s probably safe to say that if you were to read the four mistakes listed above to those making them, probably 90% of them at least would be fully aware of the fact. There’s a big difference between realising there’s something you should be doing and actually doing it – procrastination representing one of the biggest of all mistakes when it comes to content marketing. If it isn’t working, it should be stopped right now. If you should be doing it, you should start doing it right now. Actually getting into the habit of taking corrective action when and where needed can be difficult, but the success of your content marketing strategy may very well depend on it.