Content marketing can be hard to master, especially when you're just starting. One major mistake people do is put out a ton of content without having a clear plan. Yes, content is key to driving an audience but that doesn't mean you can just put whatever content you want out into the world without a clear sense of direction.
Here are a few reasons why your content marketing may be failing:
1. Your blog topics are too random
If your goal is to get more people to visit your blog, take the time to plan your topics. You can't expect to attract a significant amount of people if your topics are all over the place.
Use sites like BuzzSumo to search for topics that are on the rise. Analyze the numbers and see which topics have rapidly increasing traffic and social shares. Then, create a blog based on your own version of that topic. This method will not only help you come up with blog topic ideas but you'll also get a better understanding of what people are actually interested in.
Your blog will only thrive if you are giving the audience what they want. That's why it's important to do the research and create content that people are actively searching for. Never assume that just because the topic interests you, then it'll also interest your audience.
2. You overlook SEO
SEO is a huge part of content marketing. Including the right keywords within your content will help you rank at the top of a search query. Don't ignore this step simply because you think it's too technical or complicated. Take some time to search for the right keywords according to your topic. After you see how much engagement your content is getting, you surely won't regret the time you spent looking for keywords.
Don't forget to also include those keywords in your title tags, meta descriptions, alt tags for images, and interlinks. This will raise your ranking probabilities even higher.
3. You think you'll become viral overnight
Just because your content is published doesn't mean your work is done. Very rarely does content miraculously become viral without actually spreading the word about it. Some ways you can promote your content include:
- Joining a group on social media: Share your content with the members of the group. This will help drive traffic and also connect you with others who are in your field.
- Posting on your social platforms: Broadcast your content to a large audience by posting it on all your social media accounts and even sending out emails.
- Using paid advertisement: Promote your content using Google ads or Facebook ads. Don't worry about spending a ton of money, these methods work just as good. However, your ad does have to be properly adjusted in order to reach the audience you want.
4. You're ignoring analytics
Analyzing the analytics of your page on a regular basis can help you improve greatly. Don't ignore the numbers and try to tweak your content according to what the numbers are telling you. Analytics include number of views, follows/unfollows, social shares, clicks, and much more. These numbers are essentially letting you know if your content is working or not.
5. You give up too easily
It's no secret that content marketing is hard, time-consuming, and confusing. But just because you're not seeing results right away doesn't mean you've failed. Marketing takes time and there will be several moments where you'll need to analyze and start from scratch again until you finally get it.
The problem that most people have is that they seek the fast and easy way of doing things. While this method actually works for some, long term results unusually stem from long and hard work. Don't forget that success doesn't happen overnight and that it's OK to fail.