If the Internet has taught us anything, it’s that you can’t believe everything you read (and no, you ‘probably’ don’t have a long-lost relative of Royal African descent who’s just named you the sole heir to his fortune).
If you believe every bit of information you read, there’s a fair chance you’ve come across a number of content marketing myths that you might have mistaken for truth. And, in believing these, your business could be missing out on plenty of potential leads.
So, to help you find better value for your content marketing strategy, including its use to drive Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), we thought we’d debunk a few of those common myths for you.
Myth 1: Creating content is easy!
Reality: It’s about more than putting words on a page
According to an annual content marketing study by MarketingProfs, two critical factors differentiate great content marketers from the rest:
1. Having a documented marketing strategy, and
2. Following it very closely. 
A mere 35% of marketers say they have a content marketing strategy that’s documented, and these marketers are eight times more likely to consider themselves effective content marketers.
A great content marketer needs:
- A guiding strategy
- An understanding of what good content actually is
- The ability to shape ideas and communicate them, and
- Quality control
Having an editorial calendar is a good place to start to ensure you aren’t left with a severe case of writer’s block and a fast-approaching deadline. You might also like to read a recent blog on a number of amazing Technology tools (such as Write or Die and Focus@will) to maximise your writing productivity.
And of course, strategy and content creation take time and significant planning.
Myth 2: Content marketing isn’t necessary or effective in my field
Reality: Content marketing can be effective in any field if done well
Ask yourself three questions:
- What does your target market care about? You have developed a buyer persona for your target audience, haven’t you? (Find more on buyer persona here).
- What is your target market’s level of awareness and knowledge?
- How and where do your target market gather their information?
If you can answer all three of these questions, it’s now a matter of communicating effectively and being where your audience is.
For example, if you know your target market turn to trade publications for their news and information, be there. If you think you’ll lose their attention after 2 bullet points, stop writing! And if you know they have no interest in gossip articles or fashion, you probably shouldn’t write about Kim Kardashian’s latest outfit, should you?
Myth 3: Content marketing is only for B2C brands
Reality: B2C or B2B – at the end of the day, you’re still talking to people
Content marketing has earned a somewhat inaccurate reputation for being useful for B2C companies only. This simply isn’t true.
With the right adjustments and careful catering to your target audience, it’s possible to create a valuable content marketing strategy for any business.
At the end of the day, no matter if you’re in B2C or B2B, you’re still dealing with people. For more on person-to-person relationships, you might like to read a recent blog on why the B2B and B2C distinction no longer matters – and why it never really did in the first place.
Myth 4: The only reason to blog is to share news/product updates*
Reality: Have you considered your customer’s “What’s In It For Me” value?
Of course you’re excited about recent developments internally at your company, but have you ever found a blog reader saying, “I can’t wait to read about the next version update of this software company’s bug fixes”, or something similar? No, you probably haven’t. And you probably never will.
And that’s because customers are concerned with what’s in it for them (read more on the ‘What’s In It For Me’ principle). So if they’re not interested in the goings on of your product updates, what are they interested in? That’s easy – they’re interested in themselves.
Remember that your blog is customer facing, so it’s a place for you to share educational, meaningful and shareable content your audience actually care about. Revert back to Myth 2, question 1 – What does your target market care about?
*Bearing in mind that the terms “content marketing” and “blogging” are related, not interchangeable – blogging is just one strategy in the realm of content marketing.
Myth 5: I can’t measure the ROI of content marketing, so there’s no point
Reality: It’s not an easy task, but then again it’s not impossible either.
Content marketing is different from other forms of online marketing in that it doesn’t always deliver ROI quickly, or in a specific time frame. So many people try it once or twice and declare it doesn’t work. But it’s more about being consistent. And each piece of content makes up a larger strategy.
One way you can attribute leads to content is by using lead-capture forms, such as restricting a piece of content to those who complete a form or sign up to a newsletter.
Understanding your ROI from content lead generations can then be achieved with a few simple calculations. For example, if a piece of content costs $1500 to produce and $2000 to promote it (a total investment of $3500) and each lead you get has a value of $70; to break even on your investment, your content needs to generate 50 leads.
Of course, if we can help you develop better content marketing strategies for your business; we’d love to chat! You can give us a call on (02) 9994 8005 or drop us a note.
