Content marketing is fast becoming the trendiest marketing buzzword with more and more companies looking to try out this organic marketing form. According to Econsultency, content marketing has doubled in popularity as a search term in the last two years which serves as an indication of how popular the concept has become. However, while any company can and should invest time, effort and in some cases funds in a content marketing strategy, not all brands are always ‘getting it’ and the result is poorly executed campaigns that don’t really work. Here are a few things that marketers should keep in mind when planning and implementing their content marketing strategy.

Not distributing content beyond their own channels

Of course posting and sharing regular articles or other content pieces on your company blog or website is a valuable aspect of any brand’s content marketing strategy. In fact, it is right at the core, but it is important to understand that your content strategy cannot end there. Unless, your company is lucky enough to boast a wildly successful site or blog that enjoys ample traffic, it is going to be necessary to spread content out to other channels as well. This could include plans to guest blog for other companies or to syndicate content to other websites and directories.

Not monitoring metrics

Content marketing, just like any other marketing strategy needs to be monitored in order to establish its effectiveness and whether there is a return on investment. Neglecting to do so could mean that your brand may be spending time and money on efforts that may not be delivering and that could thus be better spent in other places. Having a clear idea of what is and isn’t working can also help the content management team to think of ways in which the content on publication protocol can perhaps be altered to perform better.

Placing too much hope in virality

While social media is an integral part of all content strategies, it is important for brands not to get carried away with notions of amazing viral success. While it is true that seemingly obscure content can and does go viral online, it is almost always more an indication of the quality of the content than the social nature of social networks in themselves. Instead of blindly sharing content through social media in the hope that someone will notice, use the information you have about your fans and subscribers’ to create content that will stand out in their feeds.

A hard sell approach

Content marketing is about creating original branded content that can be shared and consumed by your target market and beyond and can either serve as pure entertainment or be as serious as a valuable resource such as a whitepaper or eBook. Note however that branded content does not necessarily mean content that revolves exclusively around your brand or aims to be overtly promotional. Rather, the aim is to create content that relates to your brand or industry and is not serving as daily advertisements for your company. It’s about establishing your brand as a thought leader in certain topics and being able to show your consumers that you are knowledgeable, helpful and fun. It’s a more subtle approach, but one that works extremely well.

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