Marketing can be extremely complicated to someone new to business. But the more you learn about mastering it, the more each piece fits together. One tool can lead you to success with another tool. But only if you learn to use the first tool as effectively as possible first.
Chances are you know you should be using online content in a more effective way. But are you? Do you fall into any of these traps?
Reason #1: You try everything and are good at nothing
Let’s say you decide to build a blog. You build it and start to write.
Then someone mentions Facebook so you create your page. Twitter? Of course, gotta have one of those too. LinkedIn, Google +, Instagram, YouTube. The list goes on and on. Someone talks about it, and you run out and grab an account and add it to your list of marketing tools.
Now let me ask you a question. Which one are you using regularly? And which do you truly understand, use well, and actually see results from?
Ahhh, a different story, right?
If you don’t have results from one tool, stop with all the others and spend the time necessary to turn that tool into a revenue stream. Once you master the concept of content and how to use it to attract potential customers, then move onto the next.
And so on.
Reason #2: You have no idea what type of content to create
You know you have to create content for your blog, so you do that. The problem is you don’t do it regularly. Or have any idea what to say.
So your blog posts take on the “this is what I’m doing today” attitude, and they wind up doing nothing for your business, your customers, or to help you gain any traction in the online world.
If your content doesn’t help customers and reach out to them to educate them, entertain them, motivate them, and help build a relationship with them, you’re failing.
Content should only be created if you are laser focused on who you’re trying to reach and why. Why do they come to you? What do they want to hear?
Then talk to them as if you were meeting them in person. What do you want them to learn? What do you want them to do? Content should be just like a favorite salesperson – it should know exactly what to say. Without being blatantly salesy of course.
Reason #3: You have lots of content but no audience
Maybe you’ve been adding content for a while from a variety of sources. Content isn’t your problem. The problem lies in that only you and your mother read your content with any regularity.
It’s important to create content on a regular basis. It’s imperative that your content gets read all the time. Which means you should spend some of your time writing content, and a lot of time finding resources to bring in the readers.
The key is getting your name out there and letting people know your quality content applies to them. You can use online resources and offline tools. You can share your content in your own newsletters, email campaigns, brochures, postcards, newsfeeds, and guest posts on your power partner sites. The more eyeballs you can get to your content, the more they will connect with you.
Then once you start bringing in people, make sure you have a clearly defined road to follow. When they find a post, what should they do from there? Sign up for your free report? Invest in a small product?
Only you can decide the track your readers should take. But above all, whatever you set up for them, the road should be obvious. It’s the only way you’ll ever grow your business through the use of content.