How to Overcome Common Content Strategy Problems

Today’s widely fragmented and competitive market means that companies are increasingly having to find creative ways to convey their brand. Whether that’s something as simple as sharing compelling images to social media or writing a series of blog pieces, businesses in all industries are seeking fresh ways to engage with their desired target audience through content marketing.

When executed well, you can quickly experience traffic growth in comparison to any competitors who may be yet to adopt content into their overall marketing strategy. In fact, according to research carried out by SEO expert Neil Patel, content marketing leaders experience 7.8x more site traffic than non-leaders. For your content marketing to really pay off, you need to develop a concise content strategy based on what you audience want to see and invest your time into continually refining and improving it. Developing a content marketing strategy that works can be difficult, so we have broken down three common problems that may arise and how to overcome them:

Problem 1: Getting Found

Ultimately, search engines are created to answers questions. SEO software specialists Moz perfectly describes its purpose as being there to find, understand and organise all the content on the internet in order to offer the most relevant results to the questions that a user is asking. So, if you’re not creating content to best answer the questions that you audience is asking, don’t expect to be found for it.

There are many things that search engines take into consideration when crawling your website. This is everything from your robots.txt file, to your URL’s, page structure (we could go on), but arguably most importantly, your content and keyword selection.

Using appropriate long-tail and semantic keywords is key to helping your content get found.  They are the cornerstone of planning effective content strategies and giving your users what they want, when they want it, ultimately driving more customers and retaining their loyalty because you are truly offering them value.

Ensure that your website gets found through systematic keyword search, hitting users at the right stage in their journey. Avoid guesswork and random brainstorming in searching for relevant keywords and use real data to guide your content.

Problem 2: Creative Block  

To make any content marketing strategy successful, your content needs to be well-timed, relevant, interesting and useful to your audience. The pressure of formulating a plan based on this coupled with your own business objectives can often lead to problems finding inspiration when it comes to developing your content.

Inspiration can come from anywhere. The more you are exposed to through thorough research, the more you will understand exactly what kind of information your target audience are looking for. Sign up for podcasts, blogs, alerts, read more, and get creative!

Although you may get inspiration from other sources, it’s vital that you avoid copying other company’s content marketing strategies. It is your originality combined with a targeted approach which will make your brand survive. Embodying your company’s perspective and creating bespoke content to accompany it should always be at the forefront of your strategy, rather than simply repeating what other people are already saying.

Problem 3: Finding Time

Creating fresh content is a time-consuming process. In fact, 42% of writers take up to 2 hours to write just 500 words. For many marketers, the cost of time affects their strategy as internal pressure can often force them to minimise the amount of content they are able to push out.

Make the most out of your current assets and find new and exciting ways to update it and ensure that it is keeping with the current climate. Good content is often evergreen, so by revising and updating, you can drive new traffic without having to reinvent the wheel.

Try experimenting with other types of content such as videos or podcasts which are both great for improving your SEO. Grab your audience’s attention with something that is easy for them to engage with, and once have their attention, push them to other forms of content you have already created.

Repurposing content reduces pressure to produce, creates new forms of content easily and efficiently and allows you to target wider audiences. Don’t forget – content doesn’t just refer to writing. Social media posts, photographs and videos are all important aspects of content you should embody into your strategy.

As an integrated marketing agency, our content team use intricate methods and strong strategy to create content that is unique and optimised for search. Whether it’s video marketing, blog writing or infographic designing, our team of graphic designers, content writers and video specialists can work together to create and execute a holistic marketing strategy that works. If you are considering outsourcing your marketing and would like to invest into your content strategy, please contact us on 0121 355 8092 or email info@edge-creative.com.

Request a free consultation today.

SOURCES:

https://neilpatel.com/blog/38-content-marketing-stats-that-every-marketer-needs-to-know/

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/blogging-time-benchmark

https://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo/how-search-engines-operate