Mistakes are a part of life. But you don’t want them to be even a small part of your best search marketing design experience. We know that providing valuable information via our blog, emails, and social media is the best way to attract customers and clients.

And by figuring out exactly what their pain points, needs, and desires are, we can create content that best meets their expectations.

People’s time is priceless. Don’t waste it with irrelevant messages. Engage them with messages that they are interested in.

Content marketing is the process of delivering brand value to an audience by publishing branded content designed to help or entertain to earn attention rather than pay for it.

Related: 12 Lessons from Ben and Jerry’s Marketing Strategies

Have you ever wondered if the content you are writing is run of the mill or just plain boring? If no one likes your content, you won’t get any social shares, linkbacks, or traffic.

Whether you write content for B2B or B2C sites, there is an art to content creation.

Follow the tips below, and you’ll increase the likelihood of your content being shared, which will help you generate traffic.

Content marketing is all the rage. It seems marketers are falling all over themselves to increase budgets, increase volume, and in many cases, decrease the value.

Like any other business initiative, content marketing is a STRATEGY, not a tactic. And as such, it should be planned and executed with well thought out processes and procedures.

While there are articles, books and a plethora of data on what content marketing IS, I’ve decided to discuss the mistakes to avoid in delivering content readers are clamoring for:

Search marketing … focus on the best content marketing strategy

Content marketing needs to put attention on the consumer, not on your business.

Content marketing strategy is not about you or the public relations of your business.

Make it difficult to share

It seems like common sense to have sharing widgets on your content so users can easily make a couple of clicks of the mouse and share your words with the masses, but so many people miss this all-important step.

And if you’re creating something like a brochure? Include the URL, so you can easily be found.

Expensive

Or at least it doesn’t have to be. Remember that your content marketing strategy sources can (and should) include: your brand, your staff, your customers and EVERYTHING else that surrounds your company.

With all of those sources, it shouldn’t take moving mountains to create something creatively good.

Too promotional

examples of content marketing — Examples of content marketing.

Successful marketers know good content aims to help, not sell. Be a help and avoid selling at all costs.

Remember selling is a component of marketing, but marketing is not selling.

Best content marketing design … a “Project”

Try an on-going process. It takes gobs of time to do it right, and if done correctly it’s never over.

Tackle it in an iterative manner and use reviewers to critique the work.

A Blog

While your blog is one way to create content marketing, it shouldn’t be the only way your company distributes content for your would-be clients to consume.

There’s also: social media, eBooks, case studies, informational packets and brochures, presentations, videos, podcasts, and workshops.

Everything to everybody all the time

Good content marketing efforts nurture prospects and lead through the entire lifecycle. It should continually aid current customers.

One piece of content won’t be helpful to everyone at every stage.

Boring content

The only way your content has a chance of going viral is if it’s perceived as EXTREMELY valuable. As in, you’re sharing jaw-dropping tips and tricks for your industry.

Otherwise, your story about the amazing service you received at the pancake house is just serving your need to see your name in the byline.

One-way communication

It’s not enough to push your content out.

To execute a content marketing strategy that is helpful, you’ll need to respond, comment, ask questions, and interact with the people who are consuming your work.

Solely from marketing

Not only should you consider having several departments help create content, you can’t rule out having your customers help you create great content, also.

Or at least ask good questions for you to respond to.

Remember this simple fact

Stop interrupting what people are interested in and be what people are interested in. Let your content marketing success be your difference maker.

From maximizing quality to increasing your online entry points, eliminating these content marketing mistake will help build a foundation that will serve your customers, your brand and — perhaps most importantly — your bottom line.

What would you add? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below!

Need some help in capturing more customers from your marketing strategies? Creative ideas to help the differentiation with potential customers?

Call today for a FREE consultation or a FREE quote. Learn about some options to scope your job.

Call Mike at 607-725-8240.

All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.

When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step. Call today.

Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.

Are you devoting enough energy to improve your marketing, branding, and advertising?

Do you have a lesson about making your marketing strategy better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?

Mike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he blogs on topics that relate to improving the performance of your business. Find them on G+, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way. Call us for a free quote today. You will be amazed at how reasonable we will be.

Pinterest Marketing … Rich Pin Tips for Discovery Shopping

Improve Success with Small Business Tagline Designs

How to Get Small Business Press Coverage

Secrets to BMW Marketing Videos … Effective Campaign?

Like this short blog? Follow Digital Spark Marketing on LinkedIn or add us to your circles for 3-4 short, interesting blogs, stories per week.

In the digital age of today, your business needs a carefully planned digital marketing strategy. To effectively lure and retain customers, you have to create content that’s eye-catching, easy to understand, and easily shareable. If your planned digital marketing strategy is not delivering the desired results, you can liven things up by incorporating more infographics in your content.

Here are four reasons why infographics should form part of your digital marketing strategy.

1. Eye-Catching

Image via Pixabay by geralt

If you present a reader with two advertisements, namely one that just contains text and another that contains pictures, chances are they’ll focus on the one with the pictures. Humans are visual creatures and studies show that about 90% of the information we process is visual.

It’s just how we’re wired. Including images in your press releases, presentations, or blogs is an effective way to increase user interest and engagement. Visual communication works because it’s far more interesting, especially if you include different colors, shapes, images, and also animated infographics or videos.

2. Easy To Understand

By using infographics, you’ll do just that. The saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” is apt. Apart from the fact that our brains can process images 60,000 times faster than text, one is just simply able to convey more information with images. Instead of working their way through many paragraphs of words, your customers can look at a few pictures and understand your message.

3. A Bigger Audience

Incorporating well-designed and appealing infographics in your digital marketing strategy will help you gain more views and reach a larger audience. Research shows that by using infographics on your site, you can boost traffic by as much as 12%. Also, articles that include infographics generate 72% more views than those that don’t.

4. Increase Search Marketing Results

These are only four of the many compelling reasons to make infographics an important part of your digital marketing strategy. Apart from their efficacy, infographics are also easy and cheap to create.

Mistakes are a part of life. But you don’t want them to be even a small part of your best search marketing design experience. We know that providing valuable information via our blog, emails, and social media is the best way to attract customers and clients.

And by figuring out exactly what their pain points, needs, and desires are, we can create content that best meets their expectations.

People’s time is priceless. Don’t waste it with irrelevant messages. Engage them with messages that they are interested in.

Content marketing is the process of delivering brand value to an audience by publishing branded content designed to help or entertain to earn attention rather than pay for it.

Related: 12 Lessons from Ben and Jerry’s Marketing Strategies

Have you ever wondered if the content you are writing is run of the mill or just plain boring? If no one likes your content, you won’t get any social shares, linkbacks, or traffic.

Whether you write content for B2B or B2C sites, there is an art to content creation.

Follow the tips below, and you’ll increase the likelihood of your content being shared, which will help you generate traffic.

Content marketing is all the rage. It seems marketers are falling all over themselves to increase budgets, increase volume, and in many cases, decrease the value.

Like any other business initiative, content marketing is a STRATEGY, not a tactic. And as such, it should be planned and executed with well thought out processes and procedures.

While there are articles, books and a plethora of data on what content marketing IS, I’ve decided to discuss the mistakes to avoid in delivering content readers are clamoring for:

Search marketing … focus on the best content marketing strategy

Content marketing needs to put attention on the consumer, not on your business.

Content marketing strategy is not about you or the public relations of your business.

Make it difficult to share

It seems like common sense to have sharing widgets on your content so users can easily make a couple of clicks of the mouse and share your words with the masses, but so many people miss this all-important step.

And if you’re creating something like a brochure? Include the URL, so you can easily be found.

Expensive

Or at least it doesn’t have to be. Remember that your content marketing strategy sources can (and should) include: your brand, your staff, your customers and EVERYTHING else that surrounds your company.

With all of those sources, it shouldn’t take moving mountains to create something creatively good.

Too promotional

Successful marketers know good content aims to help, not sell. Be a help and avoid selling at all costs.

Remember selling is a component of marketing, but marketing is not selling.

Best content marketing design … a “Project”

Try an on-going process. It takes gobs of time to do it right, and if done correctly it’s never over.

Tackle it in an iterative manner and use reviewers to critique the work.

A Blog

While your blog is one way to create content marketing, it shouldn’t be the only way your company distributes content for your would-be clients to consume.

There’s also: social media, eBooks, case studies, informational packets and brochures, presentations, videos, podcasts, and workshops.

Everything to everybody all the time

Good content marketing efforts nurture prospects and lead through the entire lifecycle. It should continually aid current customers.

One piece of content won’t be helpful to everyone at every stage.

Boring content

The only way your content has a chance of going viral is if it’s perceived as EXTREMELY valuable. As in, you’re sharing jaw-dropping tips and tricks for your industry.

Otherwise, your story about the amazing service you received at the pancake house is just serving your need to see your name in the byline.

One-way communication

It’s not enough to push your content out.

To execute a content marketing strategy that is helpful, you’ll need to respond, comment, ask questions, and interact with the people who are consuming your work.

Solely from marketing

Not only should you consider having several departments help create content, you can’t rule out having your customers help you create great content, also.

Or at least ask good questions for you to respond to.

Remember this simple fact

Stop interrupting what people are interested in and be what people are interested in. Let your content marketing success be your difference maker.

From maximizing quality to increasing your online entry points, eliminating these content marketing mistake will help build a foundation that will serve your customers, your brand and — perhaps most importantly — your bottom line.

What would you add? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below!

Need some help in capturing more customers from your marketing strategies? Creative ideas to help the differentiation with potential customers?

Call today for a FREE consultation or a FREE quote. Learn about some options to scope your job.

Call Mike at 607-725-8240.

All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.

When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step. Call today.

Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.

Are you devoting enough energy to improve your marketing, branding, and advertising?

Do you have a lesson about making your marketing strategy better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?

Mike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he blogs on topics that relate to improving the performance of your business. Find them on G+, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way. Call us for a free quote today. You will be amazed at how reasonable we will be.

More reading on marketing strategy from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:

Pinterest Marketing … Rich Pin Tips for Discovery Shopping

Improve Success with Small Business Tagline Designs

How to Get Small Business Press Coverage

Secrets to BMW Marketing Videos … Effective Campaign?

Like this short blog? Follow Digital Spark Marketing on LinkedIn or add us to your circles for 3-4 short, interesting blogs, stories per week.

Here are four reasons why infographics should form part of your digital marketing strategy.

1. Eye-Catching

If you present a reader with two advertisements, namely one that just contains text and another that contains pictures, chances are they’ll focus on the one with the pictures. Humans are visual creatures and studies show that about 90% of the information we process is visual.

2. Easy To Understand

3. A Bigger Audience

4. Increase Search Marketing Results

These are only four of the many compelling reasons to make infographics an important part of your digital marketing strategy. Apart from their efficacy, infographics are also easy and cheap to create.