Content marketing mistakes that hurt your sales and reach

These mistakes are a deeper dive into the content marketing-specific mistakes that are limiting your reach, making it harder to grow your audience, and making it harder to convert them. In today's episode, I'm sharing 6 of these mistakes that are hurting your sales and your reach.

– Why sharing standard “how-to” content is no longer the default and why this doesn't work for your audience.
– Why using expert language will miss the mark with your audience.
– Why looking at what your competitors are posting and using this as inspiration is a sure fire way to blend in with the masses.
– How mapping out your visibility plan is what's going to get you (and your content) in front of the right people at the right time.
– How sharing your unique take on something will set you apart from others in your industry.

 

 
Today, I'm sharing the big content marketing mistakes that limit your reach, your audience growth, and your sales. Some of the big questions that come up over and over again are how can I reach more of my right clients. Where can I find the right people online? How do I grow my audience? 

And if you're struggling with any of these questions, the reason is probably because you're making one of these key mistakes. 

 

Mistake #1: Sharing educational how-to or tips and tricks style content. 

Now, for years, we've been told that this is the kind of content we have to share, that we're told to deliver loads of value. And if we can just give them enough value, then they will want to buy from us and that will attract the right people. But the problem with this is that most how-to content isn't particularly remarkable. The other problem with this kind of content is your audience probably isn't actually ready for the how-to. 

For example, let's pretend that I'm a dog trainer, and let's say that the thing I'm teaching is how to train your dog to not run away but the problem is, if your audience still believes that they can't teach an old dog new tricks and their dog is too old to learn how to not run away, then they're going to keep scrolling when they see your how to post, because in their mind, they're thinking, this is not going to work for me. So instead, you'd be sharing content like why age doesn't matter when it comes to training your dog. 

Now, the other problem with this kind of content is somebody's not committed to taking action on the how-to because it's free. When you pay for something, you're so much more likely to use it, right? 

 

Mistake #2: Speaking in expert language.

So you are the expert in headaches and your audience is walking around with a headache. Now, if you go to them and you say, Hey, I have the cure for your dehydration because you as the expert know that's what's causing the headache. If you say to them, I have a cure for your dehydration, they're going to say, no, thanks. I've just got a headache, I'm looking for a cure for my headache. 

And that is what happens a lot, especially when you are the expert in whatever you do in your area, your industry and even if you don't think that you are the expert, you still know a lot more than your ideal client does about the problem that they are struggling with.

So this is such a big mistake talking to this ideal client as if they know as much about the problem and the solution as you do. They don't, right? The problem that they are experiencing is probably very different from the problem that you as the expert know it as. They're experiencing a headache, you know, it's caused by dehydration.

 

Mistake #3: Looking at what your competitors are posting and use this as inspiration for your own content topics. 

If you are sharing the same stuff as everybody else. Why would you expect to stand out? So instead, where are the opportunities for you to stand out? What is nobody else saying online? And what is it that makes you different? Why should somebody listen to you rather than anybody else in your industry? 

I highly recommend getting clear on this, because once you can articulate what makes you different, it makes it a whole lot easier to stand out. It could be that you have the most unique experiences. You have a unique blend of life experiences. You take a stand for something. Your approach or your methodology is different. You have an interesting story. What is it that makes you different? And why should somebody choose you over the others in your industry?

 

Mistake #4: Putting content out there and hoping that it just lands in front of the right people. 

Hoping that the algorithms are just going to magically show it to your dream clients. Now, there is one exception to this and this is content that can be found through search, such as YouTube and blog posts where somebody might be searching for what you've created and you've optimized the keywords and you've done the SEO on it, the search engine optimisation, but anywhere that you are creating content, anywhere else you're creating content, you still need to be getting that content in front of the right people.

For example, podcasting. I have this podcast. People don't magically just find this show, right? I put a lot of time and effort into intentionally growing this show. I get it in front of other podcast listeners by being a guest on other people's shows, I speak on stage at events, I teach people's courses and programs, and I'm always telling them about this show, sending them back to the show. That's how I've got this content in front of people. 

Now, the easiest way to get in front of the right people is to build out a visibility plan, map out what are you doing to get in front of the right people. When are you doing it? Break it down into small actions and be consistent with it over time.

 

Mistake #5: Holding back on sharing your unique opinions and perspectives. 

It can be scary to take a stand online. You know, what if people say mean things? What if they judge me? What if I get trolled? But if you try to keep everybody happy, you just end up creating wishy-washy content that doesn't really connect or resonate with anyone in particular.

And if you share a unique take on something, then this really sets you apart from others in your industry and what everyone else is saying and the people who believe in what you're saying can rally behind your message and the people who don't resonate with that. Cool. They're not your right people. 

And this isn't about being polarising for the sake of it, but it's more about being the right choice for the right people and repelling the wrong people from your brand.

 

Mistake #6: Giving your audience loads of value in your free content and hoping it's enough to convert them into buyers.

Now this one is a very sales-specific one. So a mistake that I've noticed so many people making with their content that hurts those conversions. And that mistake is not considering what does somebody need to know to decide whether my offer is the right one. 

That doesn't usually sell. In reality, your audience needs more than this before they'll buy from you. They're going to have questions. Will this work for me? How is this different to the things I've already tried? Can I achieve the transformation if… Insert whatever they believe about themselves here, right? Why should I prioritise spending money on this right now and more? 

They're going to have a whole bunch of questions and you need to address these questions either in your free content or at some point in your sales process. Otherwise, they're not going to buy no matter how much value you share, no matter how much of an expert you are. They need to have these questions answered. Otherwise, they're still going to be on the fence. 

 

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