In our current digital landscape, creating content for your brand or business is more important than ever before. That being said, you’ll never get something completely right the first time you try it, and over our 10 plus years in business, we’ve had our fair share of bumps in the road. One of the best ways to ensure a return on investment is to know the right—and the wrong—moves to make. So learn from our mistakes! By avoiding these five common content marketing mishaps, you’ll be on the road to building a successful online presence for your brand or business.

Before we begin, if you’re thinking, “What is content anyway?” Check out our previous blog, “What is Content Marketing,” for a beginner’s guide to content marketing and the importance of constructing your content library for later use in your business.

1. Begin With the End in Mind

Can you think of a business that abruptly stopped posting? Whether it's email marketing, blog posts, or social media, people quit sharing content left and right. Why? In our experience, business owners get bogged down trying to promote their product or service while following trends, and get frustrated when they're not seeing immediate results.

Our advice to business owners who are new to the content marketing game? Begin with the end in mind. Set a goal for your content, then develop a plan and content schedule to meet your objective. Start small! This can look like posting consistently week to week, or ensuring your content hits certain strategic markers like boosting engagement or time on page.

Consistent content builds a brand image, allows your audience to know what to expect from your content, and will make it easier to adjust your content marketing strategy when you’re ready to scale.

2. Quantity over Quality

Producing a large amount of content that is cranked out quickly is a common content marketing mistake. According to SJInsights.net, the average consumer may see as many as 5,000 or more ads daily, and of 590 total media minutes spent, they note 153 ads. Out of 153, only 12 ads engage consumers daily. Companies should focus more on engagement and quality and less on quantity.

Content bombing often leads to burnout, both for you and your consumers. Our advice to marketers and business owners is to scale back the quantity, at least at first, and focus on making content that you’re proud of. Be the brand that offers a laugh, that checks in on their followers, or seamlessly slips into the fold to share a fun fact—create a conversation! If you fail to create compelling content, it’ll take longer for your business to grow and resonate with consumers.

In a world overflowing with content, quality trumps quantity every time. It's the remarkable, thoughtfully created content that truly shines and makes an impact that lasts.

3. Tapping the Wrong Distribution Channel

It’s essential to know how your target audience is finding your business and navigating to your website. This knowledge empowers you to strategically position your content in places where it’s most likely to resonate with potential customers.

We suggest using tools like Google Analytics to see the traffic source and medium for your online marketing collateral. With this information, you can tailor your content marketing strategy, directing your efforts towards platforms that have proven to yield the most fruitful outcomes. By aligning your content with the preferred channels of your audience, you’ll maximize the impact of your marketing endeavors and optimize the return on your investment.

4. Leaving out a Call to Action

After you’ve mastered following a consistent content marketing schedule and creating content that caters to your target audience, the next step includes promotion. Every piece of content you post becomes more than just words or visuals – it transforms into a way to spark conversations, interactions, and conversions. Each creation needs a purpose, and that’s where the “call to action” comes in.

A call to action is your chance to turn passive readers into active participants. Whether it’s guiding them to sign up for your newsletter, explore your latest products, or just shoot you a message, the call to action is a friendly nudge that helps your audience take the next step.

So, remember, every piece of content you share isn’t just about sharing; it’s about inspiring action, building connections, engagement, and taking your content game to a whole new level!

5. Budgeting Time—Get Organized

Keeping all your ducks in a row can be a real challenge, and some marketers and business owners can underestimate the time it takes to craft and facilitate a quality content marketing plan. Set aside time in your schedule to brain storm, strategize, create promotions, craft your message, design graphics, review and finalize. This process looks different for everyone but the one consistent factor is TIME. You need time to make magic and if you don’t give your content marketing the time it deserves, you will be less likely to reap the benefits. Taking time can look like 1 hour a day, 1 day a week, or a specific schedule lined out with you and your team. The idea is to stay consistent!

We suggest starting small and finding a few organizational tools that will help you stay on track with your content marketing strategy. This could be using a scheduling tool to help you plan out your posts, or using a storage system to keep track of your assets. For a list of the most current tools and services available, just ask us!

As you grow and scale your business, reaching out to a marketing team to spearhead your content efforts can be a great investment. If you find yourself lost in a sea of endless tasks, or just need some help so you can focus on other aspects of your business, contact the team at JanMar Agency today for a Free 1-Hour Consultation to see how our Galveston County, Texas-based content marketing team can help you. We are always just a click away!