Content Marketing Challenges

Written by: Gary Horsman

Content Marketing Challenges

Overcoming Content Marketing Challenges

Content marketing is a hot item right now. Also, as is often the case with a hot topic in the marketing world, there are also plenty of challenges that go along with it. This is certainly the case when it comes to content marketing.

Whether it’s coming up with ideas, writing newsletter articles, creating and maintaining a blog, or just thinking of material to share on Facebook, Twitter or Google + content marketing has challenges.

As a result, you may have doubts about whether creating content and using a content marketing approach is worthwhile.

Well, let me help you to make a great decision. Content marketing is here and now and it will be a dominate marketing approach going forward. Content is the currency of the Internet. It’s what people consume and share, and it’s what can get your small business found in search and help you engage the traffic you receive.

Here are three common challenges to content marketing and ways to overcome them.

Content Marketing Challenge : I can’t Write!

Great content is all about answering the questions of your audience and solving a problem for them. It’s why someone visits your website or checks out your content in the first place. A visitor needs to learn more about your business and fully understand what you can do to help them. It may also explain the way you will or can help as this may be important to some.

So, whether you’re writing about products, services, events and promotions, or just sharing your expertise about your industry ? you already have those answers.

The key is to be able to present it to others in a meaningful way.

I recommend that you define a set of requirements for a support person that can help you to create delightful content about your products and/or services. There is nothing wrong with asking for help. In fact successful people realize that they cannot do it all themselves and to define what help is needed and then to create this valuable business resource is great management.

Content Marketing Challenge : I Don’t Know How to Create a Content Marketing Plan

It is important to plan your work and work your plan.

For most small businesses, content creation is a last minute process. It’s something they know they need to do each week or month, but many typically do not pay much attention to the content planning process. Many wait until the last minute to come up with content ideas.

Instead, develop an editorial calendar that makes sense for your business. While changes can occur, having a clear plan in place makes it much easier to start brainstorming content early and adjust to any roadblocks you may run into.

Another suggestion is to always be collecting content ideas from things you read online, in magazines, hear on the news, or talk about with your customers. Save them in a folder to tap into when you’re ready to write your email newsletter, blog or social post, and never be caught staring at a blank screen.

Another favorite idea of mine is to use the website Paper.li and create your own personal newspaper that relates specifically to your topics. You will gain special insights and ideas by using Paper.li.

Content Marketing Challenge : Competing with the Big Players in Your Field

You can create content as well and in many cases better than even your biggest online competitors. The trick is to realize this and believe in yourself.

As an experiment, join the email list of your biggest competitor and see how well their emails connect with you as a consumer. Subscribe to their blog RSS feed and learn about what they are blogging about. Include the blogs of your top competitors in your Paper.li newspaper to keep tabs on them.

Ask the questions:

• Does their content out-perform your content?
• How can you out-compete them?
• How can you create more delightful content than your competitors?

When you start to study the content of your competitors you will know where you stand and you may be pleasantly surprised. If they are doing a good job then you need to become inspired to raise the bar above where they are now.

A larger business may have impersonal content. They may be more general and not connect with searchers searching using long-tail keywords. Customers and potential customers want information that is specifically related to them. They want it to be personal.

A big business typically has a harder time providing the type of personalized content that customers actually want.

On the contrary, you’re writing to a customer base you see regularly. People whose questions you’ve answered, whose orders you may have processed yourself, and whose personal interests and behaviors you’ve witnessed. It’s something even your biggest competitors wish they could match.

While there may be other roadblocks along the way, if you follow these tips, you can create great content. The trick is, not letting those roadblocks or your doubts stand in the way of creating content marketing materials that customers will love and want to tell their friends about.

If you want to learn more about Content Marketing then I invite you to take our Content Marketing Tutorial Series. This is a step-by-step guide that will help you to overcome many content marketing challenges.