As internet trends come and go, they can cause you to abandon your current content strategy and adapt to new practices. By the same token, many of yesterday’s tactics have lost their effectiveness. Protect yourself by learning about five popular content marketing myths that you should ignore in 2018.
Any content will do
Avoid the mistaken belief that practically any content will help you achieve your goals. Instead, you need to understand the people who comprise your audience and use that knowledge to create an online experience that matches their expectations.
Additionally, you must avoid the myth that quantity matters more than quality. If you get in a rush to publish online content, its quality might be diminished, and fewer visitors to your site will have the experience that they’re looking for.
Rather than taking a hasty approach to content, plan your editorial calendar, including the topics and titles that you will cover in coming months. Plan your content and then make sure it has the quality and information needed to engage your audience.
Content Marketing isn’t for “boring” industries.
Sometimes industries and products are so exciting that the words practically leap from your mind onto the page. Other times, you might not understand why anyone would be interested in your content. In either case, what you write matters, as well as how you write it.
In other words, content marketing works for every business that wants to engage their audience and build relationships. The key is to publish high-quality material that solves real-world problems for prospects and customers while adding value to the marketplace.
Anyone can create great content.
Try thinking of content creation as you would think about working on your vehicle. You can do simple things with your car such as inflate tires and refill fluids. However, when the time comes for an engine overhaul, you instinctively look for an expert mechanic.
So, consider involving yourself and your team in the production of basic content while allowing expert employees or freelancers to do the “heavy lifting.” For a freelancer, you can expect to pay between $20 and $30 for each article.
If you get your employees to do the work, consider offering them a chance to work remotely. Doing so can reduce your overhead while substantially increasing employee productivity.
Content marketing ROI can’t be measured.
Every business wants to get ample returns on the money they invest at every level. Unfortunately, many business owners and managers believe the myth that they can’t track the returns generated by content marketing. This isn’t true.
In the end, the goals you set determine how you will measure ROI. So, when you execute a content marketing strategy, you have the responsibility to set goals that contribute to your mission. Also, you need to define relevant metrics that allow you to measure progress.
You can always measure things like page views, downloads, visitor time on site, gathered leads and conversion rates since it’s the engaged website and social media visitors who will contribute the most to your profitability.
Good content is all you need
Don’t believe the notion that, by publishing high-quality content, you can forget about other content marketing issues and SEO.
Even if you have created the most valuable content on the web that precisely meets the needs of your audience, you will still need to promote it. Needless to say, content promotion is a specialized field of its own. In other words, you can’t just promote a Facebook post or tweet and consider the job done.
Instead, spend time optimizing your content to meet the queries of the search engine users that you want to reach. Furthermore, when the time comes to expand your audience, you can utilize PPC and guest-blogging campaigns to promote it.
In conclusion, you have a lot of myths to ignore in 2018, if you want to succeed in content marketing. As you adjust your beliefs, remember that creating a new and successful strategy takes time and effort.
Jen McKenzie is an up-and-coming author from NY. She usually writes on business, marketing and HR subjects. When not at her desk, you can find her taking long strolls in the countryside or enjoying her free time brushing up on photo editing. You can reach Jennifer @jenmcknzie on Twitter.
