The Myths of Content Marketing

If marketers are too pushy, post content that is uninteresting and only focus on search engine optimization, they will have a difficult time convincing consumers to listen.

Marketers need to be aware of the traps and myths of content marketing before starting a campaign, writes Rachel Foster of the Content Marketing Institute. She lists three big myths and how to avoid them.

• The first myth is the belief that sharing content on only one channel is enough.

Foster suggests spreading the content to different platforms to reach a wider audience. Companies shouldn’t assume that just because they put something out there, people will be inclined to take it in.

• Another mistake is focusing too much on SEO.

“Publishing keyword-rich content can improve your search engine rankings and bring more visitors to your website, but those visitors won’t stick around unless your content is engaging,” Foster writes. If the content is interesting to readers, they will share it, thus creating more inbound links to a brand’s website or blog.

• The third is thinking content marketing is a platform to sell products instead of a place to educate and inform consumers.

“The bulk of your content should educate potential customers and help solve one of their key problems,” Foster writes. “Once your prospects view you as a trusted and helpful resource, they will be more likely to turn to you if they need your product or service.”

Avoiding these traps will save marketers time and energy. After all, there is little point of running a content marketing campaign if no one cares what it has to say.

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