The 5 Most Common Content Marketing Myths

Over the past few years, many brands have come to realize the benefits of harnessing the power of content marketing. Unfortunately, there are a number of myths that have cropped up along the way. Let us delve into the most common ones:

1. It is cheap

Jay Baer posits that content is different expensive, rather than inexpensive. There is a common misconception among marketers that when compared to other marketing methods, content will be cheaper. Technology has to some extent leveled the ground making both small and big brands to benefit from content. Different brands invest different amounts in content. For instance, Orabrush got very impressive results from a YouTube video that cost them $500 while Neil Patel has to spend 5 figure sums for the free educational content on Quicksprout.

Most content marketing strategies will need consistency in their efforts for them to yield results. This means that content needs a budget allocation. Many marketers allocate at least 30% of their budgets to content. 58% of brands plan to increase their content budgets over the next year.

2. It can be automated

Creation of content that will engage clients requires a great deal of time. Automating this process is however not the way out. The truth is to an extent, we can automate content, for instance, alerts, monitoring on social media and curation. But not everything can be automated. Some of the things that you shouldn’t automate include: content creation and interaction with customers and visitors. You cannot put an auto-response on your comments. Someone needs to be available to respond to your clients, identify complaints, receive the compliments, and come up with ways to address the complaints.

3. It is easy

Content marketing’s main pillar is building trust. This is no mean feat. You can put in a lot of effort and time. It however takes a moment to destroy it. Each piece of content you create must work towards enhancing a good relationship with your clients and building your brand’s trust. You must provide value, engage with your audience, and keep them entertained. Unlike advertising where you create campaigns, they run their course and the results are measured, content entails creation of a lifetime campaign. Transparency and authenticity are essential for building trust. They help cushion your brand should something go wrong.

4. It can be done by anyone

The truth is that everyone does have some knowledge to share, and some of it may be very valid. Unfortunately, not everyone can clearly express themselves in writing. Content creation requires a particular set of skills: extensive and intensive research, a journalistic writing style, some humor, and a way to simplify complex subjects. Other people can be involved in other aspects of content creation, especially the design, product development, marketing and sales teams.

5. You cannot measure it

Measuring the ROI of content marketing is not easy, but it is possible. There are a number of ways and tools to aid in this. There are several metrics that help determine the frequency with which content is consumed and the actions that follow it. Marketing automation software goes a long way in making evaluation of the efficacy of your strategy easier.

6. It is all about news

News is not the sole reason why we need content for sites, blogs and social media platforms. Content aimed at customers and clients needs to be meaningful, shareable and educational. If you need to publish news, package it in a way that is relevant to your audience. For instance, you can do a blog post, like '5 reasons why you need to upgrade to windows 10'. You then need to provide more useful content like the prerequisite requirements, tips and things to look out for during and after installation. This approach systematically leads visitors down the sales funnel and creates interest and loyalty.

7. You cannot sustain it

It is possible to produce quality content regularly. You need to keep finding new and interesting ways to tell the story of your brand. Diversify topics about your brand and business. Find out what your persona’s pain points are and provide solutions using your content. If these means incorporating the services of an agency, then you better pay the price to produce value and engagement to your audience.