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Content marketing is now the latest buzz in the virtual world, because smart marketers realize that traditional marketing is no longer attracting the customers. The better alternative is content marketing. But what is content marketing all about? It is basically the art of communication effectively used to deliver information that will be useful to your customers. Mind it, it is not a sales pitch; the underlying belief is simple. If we continue to deliver consistent valuable information to our prospective buyers, one day they will come back and buy the products or services. But one cannot create good content without being aware of the pitfalls. So what are the three pitfalls that every content marketing agency makes you aware of?
Focus on the strategy: not on the content alone
Content marketing is not only about using the content for marketing; it is also about asking yourself whether it is adding any value to your prospective customers. A good content marketing strategy works in a two-fold manner; it not only meets the requirements of the customers; but also helps to advance your future business objectives. Ask yourself how effectively can you use the content to your advantage? Before everything else, you need to focus on the strategy.
Without a well-planned strategy, you can never add value to your business. Everyone wants growth; but getting to that point can be a lengthy procedure. Without a well-thought strategy you tend to disappoint your prospective customers in three different ways. You end up creating content that no one really wants, because you are not concentrating on the perspective of the customers; you only tend to focus on short-term objectives like making a sale; and thirdly even when you are generating good content you have no plan of distributing it properly for effective use.
Do not ignore your customers
One of the important aspects of content marketing strategy is to answer the questions of your customers regularly. Customers want to be enlightened and guided, so they will ask all sorts of questions about the product or service you are selling. One should be prepared to answer those questions. And the most effective way to do this is to publish relevant content about the service or the product. In fact, it has been proven that those companies which have engaged in publishing good quality content always have the maximum benefits when it comes to lead generation and website traffic. But do not fall for the trap of obliging your audience with a shameless promotional campaign. Make your content so compelling that it becomes almost hard for the customers to ignore them. And the more they notice, the more likely they will share it through various channels among their networks.
The use of different formats: planning to effectively use what you have
Ask any good content marketing agency, and they will tell you that if you want your content to have an impact, you should utilize the power of various formats. Written content which has substance will always strike the right chord with your audience. But do not ignore other formats like videos, podcasts, or slide presentations. It is all about creating interesting content for your audience. Also, you can have a planned move to transform a piece of good content that you already have and transform it into various media forms. Content creation can be quite expensive at times; a smarter way would be to recycle the content and effectively use it in different formats. So if you have an existing central piece on formulating ways for a social media campaign, you can elaborate each point in different blogs. Or create a presentation on different aspects of social media.
Whether you are recycling your content, or creating fresh content, always remember that your focus should be on adding value to your customers with your campaign. Make your content accessible, so that it is easily distributed through various networks.
