Top 12 Most Common Content Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

Content marketing exists since the time of “boomers”, that is the generation that precedes the
“millennials”. The mediums have changed, from rhyming and pun infused slogans on
newspapers, to catchy jingles on radios, to colorful videos, coupled with a catchy jingle (that’s
evergreen) on the TV, to the internet, the full power of which is yet to be discovered, content
marketing has seen it all.
We, content creators, try to jam up all the three mediums of entertainment on a single blog to
maximize viewership for the assignor and engagement for concerned audience, but ultimately,
we are all humans.

The human element is bound to produce a few “errors” or “mistakes”, and there is always a
room to improve, so in this article, we will cover twelve of the most common mistakes that
should be avoided whilst content marketing:

1. Skipping prior research with regard to the targeted audience

Before putting the pen to paper (or hitting a key on your keyboard), one shall understand the
audience that they are trying to address. A crowd pulling movie, with lots of “seeti maar” scenes
is not gonna get viewership at a platform where people watch explicit non-sugar-coated content,
and vice versa in case of theatres.

2. Ignoring the quirkiness quotient

We already shifted from typewriters to laptops, so the worst you can do is present a document
with just “text”. There has got to be difference between “drafting” and “creating content”. Make
use of animations, memes, gifs, puns and most definitely, humor judiciously to up the oomph
factor. For more clarity, one can refer to the CRED ads.

“Indiranagar ka goonda huun mai”

3. Sticking to the topic to the point of making it bland

Don’t shy away from adding extra value or going a bit south of the main topic. Don’t just write a
mere article, tell a story through your creation, it keeps one engaged in what they’re reading.
Afterall, it has to be odd to be “No. 1”.

4. Missing out interactive features

Remember the educational games we used to play, the tables we used to sing, Bournvita Quiz
Contest, KBC? Yes, they all are examples of interactive learning, and adding interactive
hyperlinks or buttons to your draft does help in increasing the reach. Anyone who got
engrossed, is gonna share or recommend the content, thereby increasing traffic, viewership and
reach.

5. Ignoring impact of pop culture

The current generation would not relate to quotes from “FRIENDS”, but they would get chills,
literal chills, from Brooklyn 99 references. Does that make FRIENDS a bad show or less iconic?
No. The point to note here is that, feed the audience what they like, don’t shove it down their
throat.
 6. Too much technicality is not always preferable

While writing an article with regard to the latest tech, one has to keep it in mind that the one who
would search for it, is trying to learn about it. Thereby keeping the verbiage too technical, isn’t
gonna help. Hyperlinks on certain intricacies, a small guide to the initials used etc. etc., do
wonders to a blog, they are the real MVPs (Most Valuable Player, and here is the example).

7. Underestimating relevance of SEO

Preparing the first blog of a draft, with vocabulary that might put a teenage author to shame is
appreciable, but if it doesn’t get the hits required, it would take no time for you to become
“answerable”. One should comply with the recommendations of an SEO individual, after all,
there’s a reason that they are getting paid, right?

8. Missing out on the latest trends

A trend fizzes out faster than it takes for a soda bottle to lose the same. Make sure to check out
on what is trending on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and other Social Networks so that you can
form an idea as what to inculcate in your blog, might help in diverting traffic to your
organization’s page.

9. Trying too hard to conceal the fact that it is “a sponsored post”

This is more of a request, please, please don’t assume that your audience isn’t smart enough to
understand that what they’re seeing is a disguised advertisement, or in blogging terms “paid
promotion”. Before misguiding your viewers, remember how you felt when you saw your favorite
meme pages/content creators promoting Coolie No. 1 (2020) and “Kaanta Laga”. Don’t make
your audience loose trust on you, companies grow on good faith, and the highest level of it shall
be maintained.

10. Ignoring customer feedback, or reception

This is more of a trial-and-error approach, but that’s how one learns and executes. No one
knows what might work in the market, so one tends to explore in many directions. Being
clueless at the start is acceptable but remaining so is not. After publishing their content, one
should study the reception, the feedback, and reviews, so that they can self-develop and take
negative feedback in a healthy way. I would like to add that a comment section in a blog assists
a lot in this aspect.

11. Forgetting the aims and targets of the company

Every company has their own story, with which their clientele relates to. Taking a sharp detour,
doesn’t always help (looking at you here Apple) but neither does holding rigidly to outdated
ideas (now I’m looking at you Nokia). The aims and targets are the standout factor and is unique
for all brands, thereby, before publishing your content, make sure you delve deep and have a
clear idea as to what your superiors want, though it is never gonna be simple.
 12. Missing out on illustrations

Now that you’ve reached here, I am sure that you were engrossed in what was presented. Now
imagine it all without a single example or meme.
Not that appealing anymore, right? That’s all I wanted to convey with this point.

Conclusion :

It seems that I had your curiosity, but now I have your attention (that's an obvious reference to
Django Unchained).
You may as well give me a positive feedback, given that you are entertained (yes that's a
reference to Gladiator).
Hoping to hear back from you soon. Till then, I wish you all the best and hope that you choose
the best candidate as per your needs.