Try to engage with your audience and respond when needed,
Put some effort into blogging.
Is it getting you somewhere?
Or do you fit the more common mold: unhappy, the results aren’t what you had hoped, and it’s A LOT of work to get all of this done. It should be easier than this, right? Shouldn’t the product, as amazing and worthwhile as it is, sell itself?
Unfortunately, this scenario happens a lot in content marketing.
We hate to break it to you, but it’s kind of like paying for McDonald’s and expecting Panera – or P.F. Chang’s.
Why Your Content Marketing is Failing: You’re Not Doing Anything Different
What is your favorite fast food joint?
Before you go touting your love of all things organic and kale-based (I’m a clean food freak, myself) – keep in mind that fast food restaurants in America serve millions of customers every day, even while we claim to understand the health benefits of all things green.
So why do those greasy, salty chains still do so well? Why are seven out of the top ten chains marked by fried food, calorie-laden sodas, and “unclean” food?
Because somewhere along the way, they set themselves apart and became different from the competition – and made a permanent impression upon their target audience’s mind.
When it comes to content marketing, you get what you put into it.
There’s a reason your content marketing efforts are producing Happy Meal-sized results when what you really want to serve is a delicious, home-cooked meal with a side of conversions and authentic engagement.
[clickToTweet tweet=”If you’re not doing anything different than the competition, you’re not going to stand out. @JuliaEMcCoy” quote=”If you’re not doing anything different than the competition, you’re not going to stand out. @JuliaEMcCoy”]
The good news?
You can change that, and we’re here to help you. Ready to chew on it?
Creating Compelling Content By Using the Right Approach
Joe Pulizzi reminds us at CMI that what we are creating must be valuable, useful, compelling, and different.
This means we have to step aside from the time we spend worrying about the process and approaches to content creation and move toward being more concerned with the actual content we create and the difference it makes for our audience.
Which means it actually has to make a difference.
Why post to social media? Why send out a newsletter? Why should your readers step away from their fried greasy plate over to your buffet of deliciousness and take a bite?
After all, there is a fast food joint on every corner.
There are 300 hundred hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute in addition to over 4 million Facebook “likes” and 347,222 Tweets.
3 Ways to Take Your Content Marketing from Greasy to Great
Our content marketing is failing not because we aren’t trying, but because we all look the same. There are some ways to change that and take your content from greasy, drive-thru fare to take-a-seat, dive in greatness of the finest of meals.
Are you ready to begin creating quality content with the maximum amount of engagement?
1. Be okay with changing course & diving deeper
No one likes to be in pain, but changing course and diving deeper usually means pain:
More investment/money
More time on your part
More hassle
But there is good news! This effort and time will give your content marketing so much more of a return on investment. Have you always done a blog post, social media post, and e-newsletter, right on time? Switch it up and do a podcast, experiment with Facebook Live, or move toward something more interactive.
It’s okay to pass up that burger place and keep driving for something more satisfying.
This is the number #1 trait that goaded me to work harder and achieve greater results since early 2016. Before that, I was a mediocre blogger. But today – I care.
Check out the case study I wrote last year on where we’re at: and for an example of a “more time/investment” post, check out the big spend infographic we did. Content like that isn’t cheap, but it’s worth it. Don’t do anything less.
2. Turn your focus back to your audience
Are you confident in the voice you are developing as an authority in your field? This requires effort on your part and takes some investment in understanding the readers and staying current on the content you are offering.
One way to turn the focus back on the audience – where it belongs – is to create a list of the biggest and best blogs in the niche you are in, and then analyzing the good, the bad, and the ugly.
No matter the subject matter, if it isn’t different, the audience won’t care. They will keep looking until they find the relevant and interesting solutions for their needs.
Remember that you aren’t writing to the whole world.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Find your niche, get to know it, and write/publish/create for the people in it. @JuliaEMcCoy” quote=”Find your niche, get to know it, and write/publish/create for the people in it. @JuliaEMcCoy”]
3. Use only the best tools
Let’s say you are looking to market your new business, which sells custom-made home décor. Besides the obvious competition from the big names, you have a host of smaller shops on sites like Etsy that will be selling similar products as your own.
How do you even begin to market to your audience and set your brand apart from the others? Here are a few tools we love.
Quora: This collaborative information-sharing and learning site connects the information needs of real humans (your target audience) with solutions provided by real people (you).
Answer the Public: This site finds and maps keyword suggestions and predictions that users see when they search on Google. Here, you can find out what questions your customers will have by way of a free report.
KW Finder: When you’re ready to research keywords and get the best bang for your buck, KW Finder gives you exact search volume data for your needs. The process is simplified and your results are a helpful way to find out which keywords to use based on the competition.
BuzzSumo: This powerful online tool lets any user find out what content is most popular by topic or by website. Quickly identify what content works well in a given industry and who the major influencers are. See a more extensive guide I wrote on BuzzSumo, here.
Boost Your Content Presence & Never Worry Why Your Content Marketing is Failing Again
The question now becomes, what are you going to do differently?
How can you change course, focus on the audience, and use effective tools for maximum impact?
You don’t have to be average, or settle for that – in any shape or form. There are so many ways to be different, so many ways to stand out and let your brand authenticity through.
Our guest host this week was none other than Joe Pulizzi! Joe is person who coinedthe term content marketing, and the founder of Content Marketing Institute. He’s also a speaker and an author on content marketing. He shared some amazing tips during our chat all about building your audience online.
Q1: How can content help you build your online brand or presence?
You probably hear others talk about the importance of content all the time, but how exactly does it help you build your brand? Let’s break it down:
A1: Content for content’s sake won’t do anything for your brand. #contentwritingchat
The first thing to keep in mind is this piece of advice Joe offered. Content for content’s sake won’t do anything for your brand. You shouldn’t just create because that’s what you’re supposed to do. The content you publish should add value and serve a purpose within your brand. Remember that!
A1: Find a niche (however small) that you can be the leading resource/expert on the web (the smaller the better) #contentwritingchat
Joe’s next piece of advice is to find a niche that you can be the leading resource/expert for. It’s important that you show your audience that you know your stuff to help build trust with them.
A1: Content can help a brand or company stand out. It can also help you connect with your audience and build trust. #contentwritingchat
Content can be what helps your company stand out from the rest. It’s also a great way to connect with your audience and establish a level of trust with them.
@writingchat A1 – Content lends to thought leadership as long as you are generating original, provoking words. #ContentWritingChat
The content you create can lend itself to establishing you as a thought leader in your field. You just need to make sure you’re generating original and thought-provoking content. Great answer, Katie!
A1: Content builds online presence via #SEO (answering user ?s)+builds trust during the sales cycle by illust expertise #ContentWritingChat
As Maureen said, content can also help build your presence through SEO. Focus on answering the questions your audience has and providing value to them. It helps to build trust and shows your expertise.
Q1: One benefit is the ability to grow interactive online relationships by sharing valuable insights with an audience #ContentWritingChat
Edanry summed it all up with his answer. Content helps build SEO while developing a framework for authority, expertise, and trustworthiness.
Q2: What do you need to know about your audience in order to create content they’ll love?
Now that you know why great content is so important, you need to understand your audience in order to create content that appeals to them. Here’s what you need to know about your audience:
A2: You need to know “what keeps my audience up at night?” – You know that, live that, you’ll be successful. #contentwritingchat
What keeps your audience up at night? Where do they hang out online? Who do they trust? Who are your attention competitors? Joe recommends answering these questions to get to know your audience even better.
A2: To create relevant content you need to know your audience’s pain points. Your content should help #ContentWritingChat@writingchat
Many people from Tuesday’s chat agreed on this one! You need to know the pain points of your audience. What problems do they have? Create content that solves those issues for them.
Jenn said you need to know who they are, where they are, and what they’re all about. Knowing your audience is really the foundation of creating content.
a2: Know where your audience is, know who they are, tailor your content to the specific platforms &interests #contentwritingchat
Once you know what your audience wants, make sure you create top-notch content that provides them with the answers they’re looking for. Your audience expects the best and they deserve it.
Q3: Which content formats should you create for your audience?
There are a lot of content formats you can choose from, which can make it tricky to figure out which one you should pursue. To help, keep these tips in mind:
A3: Any format can work – print, textual/image/audio – but to build an audience, you need to choose one. #contentwritingchat
As Joe said, any content format can work. He recommends choosing one and sticking to it. When you can do that one thing really well, it’s going to help you stand out from the crowd.
A3) Whichever form your audience likes most! But if you can find a form that they don’t often see, experiment. #ContentWritingChat
Tim’s advice is to consider what your audience likes the most. You want to choose a format that will resonate with them. If you aren’t sure, ask them what they’d like to see.
A3: You have to figure out which content formats resonate with your audience and are enjoyable for you to create. #ContentWritingChat
You also want to choose content formats that are enjoyable for you to create. For example, if you just aren’t comfortable in front of the camera and you feel awkward no matter how much you practice, don’t force yourself to do video. Choose content formats that feel good to you and show off your strengths.
Amalia shared some great content formats to try: video, podcasts, infographics, images, and written articles. Try creating these to see what feels right to you and what your audience enjoys.
A3) Once you have a killer piece of content, repurpose in many forms, blog, video, infographic, slideshare, smoke signal #ContentWritingChat
A friendly reminder from David: don’t forget to repurpose your content. Don’t let the content in your archives go to waste. Find ways to repurpose it and bring new life to it.
Q4: How can you build your audience organically through consistent content creation?
If you’re ready to start building your audience through your content, keep these tips in mind:
A4: Two drivers to building an audience: Truly valuable, targeted content AND consistent delivery #contentwritingchat
Make sure you’re consistently producing quality content to keep your audience coming back for more. Building that audience won’t happen overnight, so you have to keep at it.
A4 Consistently valuable content is like a vending machine. If you know what’s going to be there you’ll keep coming back #contentwritingchat
Don’t forget to actually engage with your audience while doing all of that creating. Take the time to truly connect with them.
Q5: What are ways to use social media to grow your audience?
Social media is a great tool to grow your audience and connect with them. However, if you aren’t sure how to do that, the whole process can feel a little overwhelming. Here’s what you need to know:
A5: Best way to leverage social is to build influencer relationships. Help them, spread their content, build trust #contentwritingchat
Make sure you share your brand’s personality. Allow people to see the person behind the logo. Giving followers a behind-the-scenes look is always great.
A5) Be a real person too, even on a corporate account. If you sound human people will connect FAR more #ContentWritingChat
Jessie recommends trying Facebook ads as a way to expand your reach. You can also add hashtags on Twitter and Instagram to get your content in front of new people.
As Zala said, social media provides communication channels that allow you to connect with your audience. You’re able to nurture your relationships this way.
Q6: How important is it to build the Know, Like, and Trust Factor with your audience?
How important is that KLT Factor? Here’s what some people from Tuesday’s chat had to say about it:
A6: If you build an audience that knows, likes and trusts you, they are much more likely to buy from you. #contentwritingchat
When people know, like, and trust you, they’ll be more likely to buy from you. Joe also said you don’t have to be liked by everyone. You just need your people to like you.
Start by setting goals for your content so you know what you hope to achieve. Knowing this information will help you see what you need to measure and track. Google Analytics is always a great tool to use.
A7 Conversations. Real interest. Leads and revenue. Don’t just go by metrics or numbers! #ContentWritingChat
Nicholas relies on Hootsuite and has been focused on video content.
We look forward to seeing you at the next #ContentWritingChat! Mark your calendars weekly for Tuesday at 10 AM CDT for great chats centered around content writing and marketing. Follow @ExpWriters to stay updated on our new topics and guests!
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