Content marketing is the new black. Everyone is trying to create quality content with the intent to capture new leads, sales, and in the big picture, ROI (Return On Investment).
Any expert in their niche can create a quality piece of content, but traffic doesn’t flood towards “great content”, so what’s the missing piece to the puzzle?
Content marketers fail because they lack a strategic process – For the record, keyword research isn’t a strategy, it’s a part of the process.
To support this point, Money Journal recently published a 74 step SEO checklist to rank blogs to the top of the search engine results. If you’re not following a step by step process, you’re missing out on incredible opportunities that content marketing has to offer.
Here’s why content marketing isn’t working for you:
1. You’re too ‘salesy’
The purpose of content marketing is to create content with the intent to attain customers. Too many companies are posting weekly coupon codes that provide very little value to those not ready to buy.
When people search for “the best laptops”, they are likely in the research stage. If they happen to land on your site, they’re not looking for coupon codes; they’re looking for answers.
People don’t search for “[Your brand name] coupon code” until they are ready to buy.
Rather than going straight for the sales pitch, you want to help by providing incredible value.
2. Your website is too slow
There is nothing worse than a slow website. Since 9th April 2010, Google included page speed as a part of their ranking algorithm.
You want to optimize the front-end to the best of your abilities to provide the best user experience for your visitors.
For every additional second it takes your site to load, the more customers you’re losing.
3. You’re writing about topics no one cares about
How do you choose your topics? Is it based on a gut feeling or hard data?
Google keyword planner is one place to start, but if you’re blindly throwing in keyword phrases, you’re getting it all wrong.
Google provides data on keyword volumes, but it’s tough to predict what these users are really searching for in context. Rather than guessing, find forums in your niche and pay attention to the way your target audience speaks.
After assessing the language, throw some of those phrases into keyword planner and target your audience from there.
4. Stop trying to compete for one word terms
If you type in a single word like “laptop” in keyword planner, you’ll find that there are over 1.2 million monthly searches for it.
But you’re heading into dead territory.
Mega sites like Dell, Best Buy, and Staples already own these single word terms. It’s not worth the effort to try and outrank these monsters without first building your domain’s authority.
An even greater downside to this is you are trying to rank for a term where you have no insight. For example, when someone searches for “laptops”, they might be looking for images, reviews, benefits of having one over a desktop, and the list goes on.
If you manage to rank for a single word term, you’ll end up with dead traffic that won’t convert into leads or sales.
5. You’re missing the marketing part in content marketing
You might have spent the last month preparing an amazing piece of content. After you hit that post button, you’ll probably flip it on your social media channels and some forums. After that, you start working on your next masterpiece.
The big downside to this is that no one will ever discover your hard work. Before you know it, people who are actively promoting their content will bury your brilliantly helpful article, never to be found.
Promoting your content will be the pillar your success.
Content Marketing Works
When you think back to the days of Netscape Navigator, ICQ, and AIM, would you have ever guessed that the Internet would amass to what it is today? Think about today’s content marketing as back then’s Netscape Navigator.
Content marketing is still in its infancy stage. If you haven’t started, then it’s time to jump on board the bandwagon.
The largest companies in the world including Microsoft, Doritos, and every SaaS Company out there are going all-in on marketing content to generate customers.
Create a marketing strategy and follow it like the next step can’t live without the one before.
About The Author
Sam Oh is a Canadian online entrepreneur from Toronto, Ontario. He’s had the privilege of working from home full time since 2009 and loved every part of his journey.
He’s a simple minded man who loves to teach and talk about business and show the heart of entrepreneurship through hard work, dedication, and creativity.
As he takes the plunge to share his story, he hopes his education in health science with no business background and no money to start will affirm that you too can make it as an entrepreneur in the online world.