“Put all of your focus on video marketing instead,” “You can be successful by posting one blog a month,” “AI tools make content marketing easy.” There are many misconceptions about content marketing floating around, and this incorrect advice is leading many businesses to fall behind their competition.
Content marketing is the most valuable channel for any small business owner. What would they share on social without content creation efforts? What would they use to nurture their prospects? Creating written, engaging content that solves challenges will lead to trust and ultimately bring in more leads that convert.
Content marketing isn’t going anywhere. 70% of marketers are still actively investing in content marketing, 56% of businesses want to increase their content spending, and 92% of marketers view content as a genuine business asset. Content marketing misconceptions shouldn’t put small businesses off from getting started.
1. Content Marketing Is Only for SEO
Content and SEO work hand in hand, but for different reasons. Many take content marketing as a chance to rank better in Google or get conversions from their traffic. However, it’s quite different in the real world.
Utilizing the right keywords within content is key to ranking high in search engines such as Google; this can’t be disputed. While this is an excellent way to improve organic positions, the role of SEO within content marketing is one of the biggest misconceptions around.
Marketers obsess over keywords as they unnaturally try to cram in as many as possible, making for poor reading and worse conversion rates. In fact, the focus should be on humans — valuable content readers visit and share with others while moving your website close to the top of the search rankings.
Many businesses fall into the trap of stuffing content with keywords that are relevant to their businesses. Small businesses need to avoid this as Google’s algorithm is more advanced than many assume. Keyword stuffing can result in minimal traffic spikes, but Google knows how users react when on the page.
If readers click on the piece of content and immediately leave, Google knows the content isn’t valuable and will immediately send your content down the search rankings. While content should be SERP-friendly, the focus should be on creating valuable content with context in mind.
2. You Can’t Track Content Marketing ROI
Another major misconception is that small businesses can’t track content marketing ROI and that it isn’t measurable. The problem is many marketers don’t have a documented content marketing strategy, so they’re right to be frustrated when they can’t see the results.
However, there are various tools small businesses can use to track the ROI of their content strategy efforts. Google Analytics is the first stop and the most common method used to measure website data, blog, social media channels, and more. The beauty of this is Google Analytics can dig into the granular results, unlike other platforms.
Small businesses can look at the cost of creating content, the cost of distribution, calculate the sales directly from content and more. There are many ways to track this ROI.
3. Content Marketing and Brand Awareness Marketing Are the Same Thing
Most businesses fail to continue with their content marketing efforts because their strategy revolves around creating brand awareness content, where they essentially shout about themselves. While it can be effective later on in the funnel, content marketing involves much more.
Content should be created and optimized across the entire funnel and each stage of the buyer’s journey. The content at each stage does something differently, whether it’s educating or comparing, for example. Not every business is aware of this, which is why it tends to be a major content marketing misconception — as the reader’s needs change as they go through the process, so should the content.
For instance, if a customer visits a website and leaves after clicking on a page, small businesses can use retargeting tools to track the user and showcase the departed page’s content as they visit other websites. Another option is to secure an email address early on and send follow-up emails tailored to move prospects along the buyer’s journey by sharing relevant content.
Content marketing is a long game and about building relationships. It takes time as nobody will view one piece of content and immediately buy from a business, so it’s essential to create and optimize a wide range of content across the buyer’s journey.
4. Content Marketing Is Easy
Content marketing can be easy as anybody can technically create content, but good content marketing takes a lot of effort and resources. This is arguably the biggest content marketing misconception out there, as the assumption is one blog a month and sharing it on Twitter is enough to get the results small businesses need.
Firstly, this volume might not be enough. Secondly, this misconception underestimates the sheer level of skill involved in content marketing and making it work for a business.
Content creation, marketing knowledge, brand knowledge, understanding of the digital landscape, audience, and persona knowledge — creating content covering these bases is no easy task. Content marketing isn’t just about creating content, but it’s also about analyzing the trends, such as the type of content that resonates with readers, the platforms they use, whether it converts and more.
Failing to invest suitable time, energy and resources is bound to make any content marketing efforts fall flat. If you lack the resources, Vervology can take the burden off your shoulders, allowing you to focus on what you do best.
Don’t Fall For These Misconceptions About Content Marketing
At Vervology, we know the pressure small businesses have when it comes to creating content on a full-time basis, so we take care of it all for you. With a people-first, brand-oriented style, Vervology creates the content your patrons want to see and emphasizes organic, professional interactions.
From strategy to delivery, the Vervology team collaborates with small businesses to implement strategic, sustainable, and creative solutions that make a difference. Ready to find out how Vervology helps small businesses?