3 Reasons Why Your Content Isn't Working

So you’re not seeing the response from your content marketing you expected.

It was well written, it was useful information, it was witty. So what happened?

Well, it’s more common than you might think. And over the years, we’ve discovered that there are certain pitfalls that often plague content marketers.

Here are three you should watch out for:

Pitfall #1: Research, research, research

Before you publish anything, you have to know a few things about the marketing landscape. Like, what are your competitors putting out right now? If you’re simply repeating what they’re saying, you’ll get nowhere fast.

You have to find a way to stand out from the also-rans in your category. And that’s in addition to doing all the promotion work we’ll talk about in Pitfall #2.

Always you need to bring a fresh perspective, or go deep into a niche topic, be the expert — just make sure you find a way to be different, too.

Pitfall #2: “We wrote it and published it, so people will certainly read it and then call us.”

Yes, you did all the hard work. But that doesn’t guarantee you an audience. Or an inbound call.

There’s a lot of content out there these days. Competition is stiff.  And even if you’ve published a groundbreaking, novel idea on a topic, it may not be enough.

The harsh reality is that publishing your content is only half the battle. The next step is to get that great information to the right audience. And that comes down to promoting it. Think social media, email marketing, paid digital advertising, and YES direct mail (it’s having a moment right now).

The answer really derives from network theory. You need to expand beyond your usual channels.

Another critical element is that your content has to be good enough to be shared. That’s where it can catch fire. When a prospect shares it with their co-worker, and that co-worker shares it with his LinkedIn network, etc., etc. Then you’re getting somewhere.

Pitfall #3: The “So what?” test

This is a tough one. You have to be brutally honest. Take a look at your content and put yourself in your reader’s shoes. You’re short on time, you get dozens of communications every day... Does this topic matter to that person? No, REALLY matter? Or are they flipping right past it going, yeah....yeah...so what?  Remember, if you’re in the B2B market, people aren’t surfing your site for fun.

They have a pain point and they need relief. They’re trying to solve a problem.

If you don’t offer the antidote in your content, pretty quickly, it isn’t going to get read. That means although you followed all the steps and did everything right — you’re not going to get the content marketing response you expect.  Mainly because you’re not engaging your target audience.

And isn’t that really the goal of content marketing? Get your message to the right audience in a way that tells them they can trust you. You’re the expert, an authority. Then secure in that knowledge, they put you at the top of their consideration set.  And before long, make the decision to work with you.

J&C can help you produce content that attracts the audience you want. As a direct response marketing agency, J&C is experienced in motivating customers to act. With new customer behaviors and new consumer patterns developing, direct response channels and tactics should be built into your re-evaluated marketing strategies.