A content strategy is an important and necessary piece of any digital strategy. You should have a plan for how you will engage your audience and what types of messages will connect with them. Still, it’s common to have some doubts about what this content strategy actually looks like.
That’s why today we are going to set the record straight. We are going to take a look at some of the common content marketing myths. We will also be replacing these old, worn-out myths with more productive truths that will help guide you as you develop and produce content.
Myth #1: Constant Production of New Content is the Best Content Strategy
Not only is this not true, it’s also one of the fastest ways that content developers and producers find themselves burned out. Creating new content is important and essential, of course, but you definitely don’t have to focus all of your attention on constantly making something new.
Repurposed content, such as transforming blog posts into infographics and presentations, provide great opportunities to use the research you did for the original piece of content and extend it even further. It allows you to go more in-depth with some pieces, or even break them down into more snackable pieces.
Sharing others’ content is also a necessary part of your content strategy. Whether it be re-tweeting something an influencer wrote on Twitter or posting a link to someone else’s video or blog post in your newsletter, sharing content gets you engaged in the online community. This opens up more conversations and can even create a great sense of loyalty among customers.
If nothing else, updating and reposting old content in a similar or the same format is perfectly acceptable, and sometimes unavoidable. Occasionally, old blog posts will become relevant again and you will find a need to repost them on your social media channels. This method will save you a lot of time in the long run, as opposed to writing a whole new post on essentially the same topic.
Myth #2: All Content Should Be Scheduled and Automated
While it’s great to have a content calendar and a system for automatically posting your pieces, this can’t completely replace the need for spur-of-the-moment, ad-hoc types of posts, particularly on your social media accounts.
Posting a quick note on your Instagram story or writing a thought-provoking tweet will show the human side of your brand. It helps keep people engaged with your online activity.
While it’s not recommended that these sorts of posts overtake planned and thought-out content, feel free to leave some room for inspirations. Just be sure that these non-planned posts are appropriate, consistent with your brand, and have been looked over by at least one trusted individual.
Myth #3: The Only Goal of Content Marketing Is to Convert Users
Relevant, well-produced content is a great tool for drawing people into the site, building trust, and eventually creating a strong customer base. However, that’s not the only measure you should be using to judge content success.
Things like bounce rate, click-through traffic, and social media shares are also incredibly important. While you may be expecting a bump in customer interaction and purchasing on your website with high-quality content, take a look at all of the metrics. Some people may not be buying quite yet, but if they’re sharing your insights and clicking through to read more, you can still consider your content strategy successful.
Myth #4: Content Will Bring Quick Results Every Time
Along the same lines as the last myth, content may take time to gain traction. It’s certainly not unheard of for posts and videos to go viral overnight, but if that’s your goal each time you create something, you’ll probably be disappointed.
The important thing is to begin by building a solid content base. Get on a regular posting schedule and stick to it as much as possible. Build up engagement by sharing your content on social media and getting your employees to share it as well. As your message continues to spread, you’ll be able to organically build an audience that actively engages with what you post.
Myth #5: Once a Piece of Content is Posted, You Can Forget It
One common misconception is that once content is out of the chute and into the world, it’s time to place all of your focus on the next piece, and the cycle continues. As we mentioned previously, if you do this, you’re missing a huge opportunity to repurpose that content. Plus, it’s important to go back and update posts for relevancy as time goes on.
Re-sharing posts (even months or years later, assuming you update them) is an excellent content strategy for furthering your reach and targeting new audiences. You’ll also get a higher return on investment for that particular post, which was probably close to free to re-share.
So, don’t discount that piece of content from last fall, even if it didn’t perform as well as you’d hoped. There’s still plenty of opportunities to get it in front of people.
Bringing It All Together
Content strategizing is a difficult endeavor, particularly for small businesses. It’s hard to know what kind of posts will resonate with your audience and even harder to rank for certain topics in Google. However, if you can pivot your content strategy to cut out these myths and create a more effective plan, you’ll see more success in your future.
Setting aside the time to build a content strategy is difficult, but that’s where Vervology can help. We’re here to partner with you and create a content plan that drives results. Contact us for a free consultation.