Content Strategy

What's your content marketing strategy for 2020? Will there be white papers and long-form videos, case studies, and podcasts? Before you get busy, take stock of possible mistakes you may have committed in 2019 and learn to avoid them by 2020. 

Content marketing mistakes may range from something as significant as posting a distasteful ad to something minor such as failing to repurpose content. Either way, you should avoid or stop committing the following common content marketing mistakes:

The online world is one colorful, versatile palette of content formats. Different businesses rely on a range of content kinds to appeal to their target audience and to differentiate themselves from their competitors, so you see brands post social media polls to drive engagement, sponsored posts to gain more visibility, Instagram imagery to inspire their followers, and YouTube tutorials to educate their audience. Of course, the relevance of the written word never wanes, so businesses still religiously stick to their blog-posting schedules. However, what is the relevance of infographics on this wide spectrum of content formats?

Summer is a distraction. While promises of consistent blogging are easy to make here in South Dakota when temperatures are below freezing, the true test of a blogger is spending time in front of the computer when the warm sunny skies of summer are on us. The successful blogger is one that posts consistently and routinely throughout the year. The ideal blogger puts the readers first before himself or herself. Regular readers of my blog already know this but for the record let me state it anyway, I'm not that blogger.

Do people land on your website and instantly bounce away? If conversion rates are low, you may be lacking a key ingredient — visitor intent. To meet user needs and stand out from competitors, understand why your audience seeks you out in the first place. People are attracted to websites for a variety of reasons, and it's essential to address them all.

Storytelling is in our genes. It’s how we share experiences with others, as we all have similar yet different stories to tell – common ground for understanding each other and forging meaningful bonds and connections. 

Because of these reasons, storytelling has been a part of branding for decades but started gaining true recognition with the advancement of technology and the internet as well as with inbound marketing taking over. It’s what made design matter even more, helping the business create a unique story, with your customers and your own brand being the main characters.  

No matter what type of business you run, a style guide helps solidify your brand and present a consistent image across multiple media. The style for an industrial business may vary slightly from other types of businesses. People want to know they can trust you, so consistency and reliability become even more of a factor than, say, for an e-commerce store that sells kitchen gadgets. However, some of the rules are similar.