Why your content marketing isn’t working

Wed, Mar 27, 2019 14:18 CET

Content is king, but why isn’t it working then? If you’re already producing content but still aren’t seeing any results, here’s why.

Marketing has changed over the years and what was once something that was considered a side activity is now the core of marketing for many businesses. That’s right, we’re talking about content marketing.

Everyone is doing content marketing today. 93% of the most successful B2B content marketers report their organization is extremely or very committed to content marketing, according to Content Marketing Institute. For small businesses, content marketing is an effective and economical way of driving engagement and traffic to your site.

Some might argue that content marketing doesn’t work. “There’s too much low-quality content out there,” is a common phrase amongst professionals or those who’s just gotten tired of seeing generic videos and blog posts in their social media feeds.

But is it just about low quality? Being successful with content marketing is difficult and there can be many reason why your content isn’t working.

Here are some of the most common reasons why you aren’t seeing any results from your content marketing activities.

#1: You’re not authentic and human

A lot of companies have a corporate, formal approach to content marketing. And being corporate rarely works, especially not if you’re a B2C brand. Even B2B brands can benefit from having a more human approach to content marketing. Here’s what you should do:

Avoid using too many stock images and if you have to use them, stay away from the most overused ones.
Try to involve your customers, whether it’s consumers or businesses, in your content creation. If your customers are producing images of your products and posting on their own social media, consider using them in your own marketing (user-generated content).

When your message comes from someone else than you and your brand, it often appears more real and authentic and trustworthy. Research shows that user-generated content often tends to increase the conversion rate significantly as well as the engagement rate.

#2: It caters to your interests, not theirs

You want to sell more. But selling too much can work in the opposite way when it comes to content marketing. Holding on tight to your brand guidelines and communication guidelines can be the one thing that stops you from generating leads.

Content marketing should focus on your customers and what is relevant and interesting for them. This is where many businesses fail when it comes to content marketing.

Too often the content is a sales pitch and your customers don’t want to hear a sales pitch, they want something of value — whether it’s new insights, knowledge, entertainment or just a funny picture. A sales pitch isn’t valuable at this stage of the sales funnel.

#3:You’re not promoting and distributing

Crafting great blog posts is only the first step. The next step is distributing, sharing and promoting your content. Because if no one reads your content, you won’t know if it works or not.

So make sure you promote your content in all of your channels. If you have the budget for it, creating a sponsored post on for example Facebook is another option. But don’t sponsor all of your posts, as it could push away your followers.

There are many different ways you can promote your content without having to pay for it:

Promote in newsletters
Post on Facebook
Post on Linkedin from your page
Post on Linkedin from your personal profile
Encourage your team members to post it on their personal social media profiles
Mention it when commenting on others posts on Linkedin
Share it as an image on Instagram
Create an Instagram Story
Tweet it (several times for different time zones)
Mention it on forums

#4:You’re not investing in content

If content marketing isn’t a priority in your company, it will shine through. Good content requires time, effort and resources. Hiring for example inexpensive writers will often fire back later. They don’t know your business or industry the way you do. If they’re inexpensive, chances are they might have other, better paid gigs. And better paid gigs are higher prioritized and this might eventually affect the overall quality and outcome.

With high competition it’s very difficult today to create content that stands out. Hire the best writers, spend time crafting quality pieces and don’t be boring. Find a new angle on your topics, be exciting, be challenging.

#5: You’re in a B2B industry or just a tough niche

B2B marketing can be a little more difficult, especially when it comes to social media marketing. Many social media platforms are for consumers and used by individuals as private persons.

When crafting messages for a professional audience, it’s therefore important to consider the distribution channels as well. The timing is also important. Your B2B buyer personas are more likely to visit your website during work hours Monday to Friday than on the weekend.

If you’re in an abstract industry such as IT consulting, whether it’s for consumers or businesses, creating visual content can be difficult. Using stock photos can be tempting, but will make you look like one of millions of companies and you probably won’t reach your objectives.

#6: You‘re not writing from an SEO perspective

Your content must be search engine friendly. If you’re not optimizing your content, no one will find it. It could be as simple as that. If you don’t have the right skills, stay away from black hat techniques and hire an SEO expert or consultant.

#7: You‘re measuring the wrong things and you’re impatient

If you’re not measuring the right things, you will likely never see any results from your content marketing. Hoping for leads from just a few organic Facebook or Instagram posts is to set the wrong kind of expectations. In most cases it won’t happen.

This could be a good time to review your marketing and sales funnel:

Which activities are related to the top and mid funnel?
Where in the funnel can you expect signups?

Patience is a virtue, the journey from awareness to a signup can be several months or more. Just because you aren’t getting any customers today, it doesn’t necessarily mean your marketing isn’t working. It could just mean they’re at the top of the funnel.

#8: You don’t think like a journalist

A lot of great content marketers are former journalists. And there’s a reason for that. Content marketing is about providing knowledge and insights, adding value and being relevant. Journalists are good at storytelling and describe situations from different perspectives and angles. They possess the skill to capture a reader or viewer, and above all — the tell stories that are real and authentic.

So the next time you’re writing that blog post or filming a video for your Facebook page, try to think like a journalist.