What are some common beginner mistakes in content marketing?
Not understanding the fundamentals and over complicating the process
- Content marketing is only about two things, communication and persuasion.
- Your CM should enable the reader to do two things, save time, make money. Everything else is fluff.
You don’t need a third, the above is enough. Now I have saved you time, go make some money.
You don’t need a third, the above is enough. Now I have saved you time, go make some money.
But let’s look at this in more detail.
1. Creating content for the wrong person
A specific mistake may be that a beginner looks at all the content that is being produced, notes that certain types of content are more common and think that is the type of content to create.
The flipside of that mistake is when a content type is perceived to be ineffective because it is so common. The listicle is a prime example.
Not creating content that works, because the creator has a personal prejudice against that type of content. An example is our friend, “the listicle”. If you work in creating content with a view to drive traffic, you will learn to loath the listicle. But the hard truth is
NO ONE CARES WHAT YOU THINK
The content is not created for the creator, it is created for the reader
It may be that in your experience you think this type of content is not effective, but that is a different process than thinking, “urgh, I hate listicles, they’re grody to the max.”
The best content creator, in my experience is the one who likes getting under the skin of others, the one who likes to get a rise out of people, the one who needs a reaction to validate their existence. Good content creators are troubled people.
2. Thinking it’s all about the tool
Having a tool means you don’t have to work as hard, it has the promise of saving you time. This is why the idea of the “tool” is very attractive. A blog post that details a list of tools will always work as a type pf content, the more comprehensive the list the better, even if most of the list is not read.
This is because each tool highlighted, each description is a little promise that it will save you time and any content that saves you time gets shared, bookmarked and linked to, more than one that doesn’t.
Which is probably why we see so much content detailing the many tools available to us, such as 12 Free SEO Tools. A blog post I did recently and which drove a nice bit of traffic to this blog.
But you don’t need any tools to do good SEO.
You don’t need tools to create great content.
Yes of course a tool is useful as a mechanical aid to perform a specific task, but excitement over tools is similar to when the DIY nut goes to the store and ends up spending hours going through the specs of the drills, when all she needed was a hole.
It’s really about what happens in the brain of the reader at the time they consume the content
We are wired to compare things, to sort things. The SEO mindset puts this on hyperdrive and so when asked to create content will head to the tools. Therefore if you want to attract the SEO to your blog, create plenty of listicles.
The most simple tool and probably the most effective when it comes to creating content is pen and paper.
But that just sounds boring, doesn’t it?
3. Thinking you can’t come up with new ideas
I often come to a point where I have used up all the obvious ideas for content to create.
The solution to the creative process is the one that works for you. It’s about trying a few out before you find one that fits. This is such a common problem with writers and creative artists that there are many ideas out there about how to get to the point there you have a pile of workable ideas.
My personal solution to this problem is this
- Change the state of mind. Creating content and coming up with the ideas for content are two different things and you should think about them differently, just as the state of mind for writing a first draft is different than editing.
- Go for a walk, change your metabolism. There are studies that prove that walking aids thinking, plus less chance of distraction
- Consume fantastic content. No this does not give you permission to buy the DVD Box set of the Walking Dead to watch from the start, just to experience that “Nagen” moment again. It means consuming content that takes you away from the problem and allows your sub conscious to work on it, whilst shovelling tasty food at the other end.
- Discussing with other human beings. Even though the actual information that another person can tell you may not help you, the act of shifting your brain to one on one, personal communication mode is enough to help shake the box and allow the ideas to flow.
Whatever works is what works. If the ideas are not flowing, pick a solution you have never used before and see how it works. With a mind to developing your own personal box of solutions.
In conclusion.
There are are many mistakes that will be made when a beginner, and don’t let them slow you down when it comes to creating content. Mistakes are there as aids to learning, if no mistakes are being made you are probably not trying hard enough.
At least as a beginner you wont have a huge amount of people watching what you do and picking it apart.