Top 9 Content Marketing Mistakes Business Coaches Make 
and How To Avoid Them with Becky Auer

We’ve all been there, and we’ve probably all done it. We’re asked to hold a seminar or to write an article about a particular topic, and now what? Well, being the fantabulous entrepreneurs we are, we create it of course!!! And that’s called “content marketing.”

Content marketing is a very effective form of marketing that has been around for ages, well before the internet. It involves getting to know our audience’s problems or difficulties and then providing the solution via content, seminars, or products. If you’re having trouble meeting your business goals, take a look at these top 9 content marketing mistakes to learn how to fix things or avoid making the mistakes altogether.

Mistake #1: Marketing Content Without A Plan

If you want to be successful, you need a content marketing plan. Look at where you are now and where you want to go. Then devise a plan of action to meet your goals.

Start by defining and describing your target audience. Plan to use the marketing methods that work best with your audience. Marketing methods might include email, social media, content creation, videos, affiliates, etc. Based on the social media networks your audience prefers, create accounts on those platforms. Also, hire Move Ahead Media Facebook ads services to make sure you are connecting with the right people to buy your product or service.

Make a marketing plan that includes the kinds of content you will create, as well as how, where, and when you will promote the content. Your goal is to reach your target market and turn them into customers. Use best practices when marketing to your audience. Adjust your plan based on your audience’s needs and their responses to your content. If your audience comments and/or asks questions, include that in your marketing plan for next time!

Mistake #2: Not Repurposing Your Content

If creating new content stresses you out, the good news is that you can repurpose your older existing content. Just edit, update, and release it in a different format such as turning a report into an e-course or video. You may want to do the same with related content and release the items together as a new bundle.

Images qualify as content too. You can turn them into memes by adding quotes, tips, titles, and more. Another option is to add other elements to the images and create product covers.

Recorded webinars can be broken down into images, audio, and text products which can be converted into a variety of formats and products from checklists… to reports with audio.

Everyone has a different learning style and they like having content in different formats. Find out which formats your audience prefers and repurpose your content to meet their preferences.

Mistake #3: Writing The Wrong Content

If you’re not making sales or getting click-throughs, you may have written the wrong content. This can happen when you don’t research your audience enough, know your avatar, understand the problem completely, or misunderstand the solution type/format your audience prefers.

The most important part of creating content is making sure you provide content that provides tremendous VALUE to your audience. The best way to accomplish this is to research and study your audience first.

When you find out what their problems are, create focused content that addresses their concerns, informs them of their options, and persuades them to try the solution you suggest.

Mistake #4: Not Responding to Questions

Your audience will have questions about products and niche concepts. The questions will be everywhere you go including social media, your blog, and your inbox. When a question is asked, it’s important that you or someone “official” answers… or at least acknowledges/redirects it as soon as possible. To keep questions manageable, create a customer support area and redirect all questions there. Add an FAQ to make finding the answers easier for everyone.

While the questions may annoy you at times, they’re a great sign! When people ask questions, it means they’re reading your content. They’re interested in the topic. They value your opinion and want to know more. Turn the questions into more content that will help others and thank or call out the person who asked the question.

Mistake #5: Promoting Like a Used Car Salesman

Content marketers sometimes sound like a used car salesman. For most audiences, a “hard sell” won’t work. Persuading your audience to buy or act on your recommendations is a much better tactic to use. Your content should inform, instruct, educate, and inspire your audience to take a certain action based on their trust in your opinion and judgment. To get them to take action, build trust. Then show your audience how and why your recommended action/solution has helped others and how it could benefit them too. Don’t pursue, persuade.

Mistake #6: Using Poor Quality Content

While you know to use high-quality content, there are times when you can’t or don’t take the time to edit (or create) content as you should. If you’ve ever published content that isn’t up to your standard, you also probably felt a little guilty about doing so.

Just because a piece of content isn’t your usual high-quality work, it’s not necessarily poor quality. It depends on how high your standards are and where you draw the “acceptable” line. What may be “acceptable” to one person may be “poor quality” to another. The bottom line here – KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE!

To help you decide what’s “acceptable” and what’s not, ask yourself, “Would I pay for and use it as-is or would I toss it in the trash, even if it was free?”

Mistake #7: Content Not Easily Skimmed

Online and offline readers tend to skim content whether the content is a short article on your site or a long PDF report that has been downloaded. If you haven’t provided for easy skimming of your content, you may lose readers and worse, lose sales.

To avoid these consequences, make all of your content ‘skim-ready’. Use whitespace to help break up content. Create headings and subheadings that signify section / topic changes. Add bullet points to identify simple lists. Include images to support your written content.

Mistake #8: Not Having KILLER Headlines

Interesting, compelling headlines sell content. Many content marketers just slap on a headline that has keywords and a few descriptive words. Then they move on to the next project. This is a HUGE mistake.

One of the first things that grab a reader’s attention is the headline of the content. If the headline is carefully crafted, it can induce the reader to take a closer look, read more about it and ultimately buy. If the headline doesn’t make the reader want to know more, it hasn’t done its job.

To keep this from happening, the headline should intrigue, state an attainable promise, express a specific need or state a fact that resonates with the reader. Make your content headlines work harder and sell more services or products for you.

Mistake #9: Trying to Do Everything Yourself

You have exceptional skills and talents but you also have your limitations. You can’t do it all and you shouldn’t even try. And you know it! Trying to do everything in your business only leads to a huge amount of stress being added to your plate. That makes things even more difficult.

When your business is still in the beginning stage, it’s possible to perform many tasks without the help of someone else. However, learning complex skills you will only use once or twice is a waste of your time, web design singapore and things that require highly specialized skills are great examples of this.

You need to enlist the help and expertise of others, especially a Marketing Specialist. Use your skills and talents to operate your business. You’re the only person who can make “owner” decisions and plans. Learn to delegate. Start building your team now and let an experienced professional do all the rest.

These top 9 content marketing mistakes are common. As a business owner, we’re all a little ADD. Just know if you’ve already made a few of these mistakes yourself you’re in good company. Be sure you fix the mistakes and don’t repeat them. On the off chance that you haven’t had any of these uh-oh moments, you now know what to watch for and you can avoid them altogether.