A content marketing plan will not come without some challenges. Whether you're just beginning to implement a content marketing strategy or you have been going at it for a while, you may face a road block or two along the way. You may feel tapped for ideas or feel like no one is seeing what you're producing. In this post we'll discuss some common challenges and some easy solutions to help you out of a potential content marketing stump!
1. No time to create content
Solution: Get into the content creation mindset.
This is where it all begins. If you're not in the mindset to create content nothing will happen no matter what other solutions are posted below. All you need is the right frame of mind that yes, even you, can write a fully optimized blog post that is tweeted and posted it to Facebook before your next meeting. Once you're in that mindset you will easily find the time to create content. After a while you'll spend hardly any time at all writing a blog post or creating a slide share presentation and the ideas will begin to flow freely. To get started, all you need is a clear and open mind!
2. Little to no content marketing knowledge
Solution: Use your industry passion to take advantage of available resources.
This is the next biggest challenge behind the "no time" excuse. Use your passion for the industry that you're in to take advantage of the numerous resources available if you feel like you are tapped for new content marketing ideas.
Here are a few favorite blog resources:
3. No one is seeing your content
Solution: Make your content marketing part of a larger inbound marketing strategy.
Inbound marketing is the process of creating remarkable content that is optimized and promoted through social media, email, and paid search. Ultimately, through the bigger picture of inbound marketing, you will drive traffic to your website and convert this traffic into leads/revenue.
Be sure you are focusing on:
- Engaging in social media
- Creating and promoting blog posts on some sort of schedule (weekly, biweekly)
- Optimizing all content for search (for both on-page and off-page seo)
- Measuring traffic
- Tracking leads
If you focus on these things you will see an increase in traffic to your website, be privy to current consumer trends, and see an increase in revenue.
4. You feel like you're not producing a wide range of content
Solution: Concentrate less on making everything perfect and more on getting it out there.
Here are two different and helpful tools that will help you organize, track, and create content:
- Google Alerts: Tracks subject matter and brand through aggregated emails.
- Storify: A really helpful tool that assists in curating social media. It preserves stories and timelines using social media such as twitter, photos and videos.
You can also try:
- video blogging
- covering a news story related to your industry
- curating content from different websites
You can also repurpose old blog posts into slide share presentations, infographics, or into a popular meme to share via social media. This is a great way to get more people to see your content. Some people may skim your blog articles but may actually take the time to click through and really look at a visual presentation of your content.
5. Failure to publish targeted content
A big challenge in content marketing is failing to produce content that is targeted for your audience. This is failure to produce content that will engage prospects and customers.
Solution:
- Answer frequently-asked-questions
- Based on the needs of your audience provide tips and advice
- Crowd source: ask your audience if there is anything thy would like to know in particular or ask what their interests are for some fresh ideas
If you know how to confront and conquer a content marketing challenge you will reap the benefits this type of marketing has to offer. You will forge an emotional connection to your audience, solidify yourself/company as a vital source of information, and you will attract a relevant and reliable consumer base.