As a role within a marketing department, content marketers are a fairly new concept. But that doesn’t mean we haven’t been around. We’ve just gone by different names – digital marketers, copywriters, even graphic designers. So by now, content marketers have heard it all.
Here are a few things that your favorite neighborhood content marketer wishes you would stop saying.
“Can’t I just hire a copywriter to handle my content?”
No, you can hire a copywriter to write your copy. Content and copy are two different things. Copy is a type of content, but content can also be video, audio, or graphics.
You need to understand your content strategy before you hire anyone who specializes in a certain type of content. Does your audience prefer to watch videos or read blog posts? Answering questions like these will help you develop a clear strategy, and from there you can determine what roles you should hire for.
“I do social media so I don’t need content marketing.”
This always prompts the question “What are you sharing on your social media channels?” I’d be willing to bet you are sharing content on your social media channels. You may not be creating the content yourself (content curation can be a good tactic) but content is still a part of your strategy – plan accordingly.
“The content has no value…and that it gets quick DR results.”
Thanks to my friend Reva Minkoff, Founder of Digital4Startups for this one. Content doesn’t always lead directly to revenue. Content should assist your buyer journey, but there may not be a clear link between your blog posts and sales.
Sometimes your content is there to speed up the purchase path or to save money by reducing calls to your support center. A lack of direct sales from your blog doesn’t mean there isn’t an ROI on your content.
“Our audience is the general public.”
My friend Bridgett Colling, Director of Content Marketing at See3 reminded me of this cringe-worthy comment. No matter what your brand, your audience is not the entire world. Even Coca-Cola, one of the world’s largest brands doesn’t target everyone.
They segment their audience into target groups so they can deliver the best content to their audience members. If Coke does it, you might want to consider doing it as well.
“Quantity over quality.”
This one came from Ali Stone, Senior Digital Marketer at Jones Lang LaSalle. An emphasis on quantity over quality will only hurt your brand in the end.
A focus on generating a specific amount of content, or hitting a content quota works in theory. If managed properly it can keep your team on track for generating fresh content regularly. But if the emphasis shifts towards quantity over quality, your audience will notice and it will hurt your brand’s reputation as the source of good information.
If you catch yourself saying any of the above, don’t feel too bad. We’ve heard it before. But be prepared for your nearest content marketer to lay some knowledge on you.
