Content marketing efforts not working? Try these 4 things

When you see everyone online talking about how great content marketing is, you still can’t seem to make it work? A professional beauty blogger and YouTuber recently contacted me on LinkedIn and shared her frustrations with content marketing.

“I’ve been publishing videos on YouTube and blogging for a year, and I feel like I’m not growing fast enough. I feel like it’s not working.”

This is not the first time I have heard such a statement. As content strategists and writers, this is a common theme. Most clients come to me asking for help creating their content and assurance that it will work this time. They want to know if “this long-form blog content” or “email autoresponder sequence” I’m creating for them will be the thing that finally gives them magical results and makes them rich.

I don’t know what your frame of mind is. But if you’re anywhere near that kind of thinking, it’s time for a reality check. Content marketing doesn’t work like that!Don’t get me wrong. Yes, content marketing works. It’s the most cost-effective approach I’ve seen in today’s digital economy. But you need to learn the truth about what it is, and what it isn’t – before you can expect it to work well for you.

Nothing can be more discouraging than pouring your effort, time, money, and resources into creating content only to have it fall flat!

In this article, I want to help you get out of the weeds and finally start experiencing a bountiful harvest with your content marketing efforts.

Let’s jump right into it.

1. Get a content marketing strategy and document it

Many small business owners have major obstacles They do not have enough clarity in the marketing puzzle. If you don’t know what you want and you don’t have a clear objective with a realistic plan of the goals you want to achieve, how will you know what works and what doesn’t?

You need a roadmap to achieve the results you want Something that gives you and the team structure.

There must be a way to layer the content you create with your buyer’s journey. Assuming you have a carefully crafted marketing funnel, it’s imperative that every part of that funnel meets the needs of your ideal buyer. That way, he or she can find exactly what they need. And, they see you as a trusted authority as they move through the buying cycle.

For this you need one documented techniques. This takes the guesswork out of the game, keeps you more organized, and enables your brand to remain highly relevant to your ideal client in all of your content marketing efforts.

2. Focus on finding and hitting the sweet spot.

Have a sweet spot?

absolutely

And yes, if your content marketing isn’t hitting that sweet spot, you’re leaving a lot of money on the table. No wonder you feel so frustrated. *sigh* Assuming you’ve researched your audience well and know a lot about what your ideal customer wants, the sweet spot you want to hit is the overlap between their wants and challenges and your business solution.

The value you deliver + the client’s goals/problems + the client’s desires are meant to overlap at some point. That’s the point your content marketing should focus on hitting as much as possible.

You can create all the long form content you want but if it doesn’t resonate with your audience, it’s not great content marketing. This is correct in theory but not in practice.

Quick story time:

I was giving a content strategy session to a new client who had a unique workout program to get them in the best shape of their lives before their wedding.

It takes six weeks and anyone can do it. Unfortunately, he’s missing the sweet spot in his content marketing efforts. Month after month the results were stagnant. When I took her through this exercise, she realized she wasn’t hitting the sweet spot. She thought that by creating content focused on “looking good in your wedding dress for a photo shoot,” brides would find her offer irresistible.

I told her as ex-bride; There’s more to it than just looking good in pictures. The bride’s desires and challenges transcend the photoshoot session when it comes to her body. It’s about finding time in his already busy life to spare two hours at the gym. It’s a challenge.

It’s also about feeling sexy and confident being naked (or half-naked) for most of the honeymoon. I mean the bride wants to know that the honeymoon will create a lasting emotional experience that makes her even more desirable to her new husband. It’s a huge wish.

My client’s solution meets both the challenges and desires this bride faces (consciously or unconsciously) to create a sweet spot that goes deeper than just looking good for a photo shoot. There is an overlap between these three things and new content that has far outperformed the previous stuff he created six months ago.

All this reminds you of one thing. The more focused you are on finding the overlap between your value-added solution and the desires and challenges faced by your ideal audience, the higher the return on investment (ROI) you’ll see with content marketing. Have you identified your sweet spot yet?

3. Change your mindset and expectations.

If you clearly understand that content marketing is not advertising or infomercials and is not a short-term game, you are already out of the weeds!

stop Take a deep breath. Change your approach to content marketing.

It is designed to be a long term game. It’s a relationship builder, not a quick buck maker.

It’s time to get in the right mindset and set the right expectations for your business. If you want to win with content marketing, instant gratification and viral content cannot be a priority.

If you focus too much on quickly “selling” your beautiful app, product, tool or service, you risk self-sabotaging the longevity and success of your business. Don’t even bother going into content marketing if you’re in a hurry or desperate to make a quick buck. Stick to a more direct and traditional approach.

Consumer habits have changed dramatically. People hate being sold these days. They hate ads that seem thin, exaggerated and exaggerated They also hate to be rushed. As with any relationship, you must nurture and give generously. When you set out to launch a content marketing campaign, be sure to set clear goals and a reasonable timeline for testing and measuring.

4. Change the type of content marketing you’re using

Another common cause of the result is due to incorrect use Types of content marketing. You can also think of it as the right key but in the wrong door. there Different types of content marketing Available for business owners and marketers. If the method you are currently using does not work. You may want to try other techniques or a combination of techniques.

For example, say you’re trying to use YouTube to drive interest in your brand but aren’t seeing results. You can try other medium like blogging. Or, you can combine the 2 techniques. Like using Instagram Reels to drive people to your YouTube channel.

You can do the same thing with podcasting and blogging. If your blogging efforts aren’t working as expected, publish a 20-minute blog episode on the same topic you’re blogging about. These combinations will help your target audience decide how they want to consume your content This may prompt them to visit you for information more frequently.

Conclusion

Content marketing is something I ultimately believe in Many successful business and marketing gurus preach the same message But here’s the thing, communicating carelessly doesn’t work.

Many small business owners are mired in misconceptions that only lead to frustration and no revenue. Don’t fall into the same trap when it comes to your content marketing efforts. Leverage the recommendations I’ve shared. If you still need a little help or some clarity on how to do it, you can always contact me for some extra help so your content marketing lives up to its full potential.

This article was originally published in February 2019 but has been updated and expanded

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Featured · Find Your Way · Grow Your Business · Marketing · Productivity · Sales

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Find Your Way · Grow Your Business · Marketing · Your Mindset