What common mistakes are holding back your content marketing career?

Neglecting audience research in content marketing is a common yet critical mistake with significant consequences. Failure to understand the preferences and needs of your target audience can lead to content that lacks resonance and relevance. As a result, your content may not engage your intended viewers, leading to diminished returns on your marketing efforts. To rectify this error, investing in comprehensive audience research, including creating buyer personas and analyzing data, is essential for crafting tailored content that addresses specific interests and concerns. Neglecting audience research can hinder the effectiveness and growth of your content marketing career, making it a pivotal aspect to address for success.

Writing for the internet is a specific skill and I don't think everyone realizes that. I've worked with incredibly talented academic writers, novelists, and journalists who still needed some coaching and optimization to get their work "internet-friendly." And that goes beyond SEO. Think of it this way — you probably wouldn't read a textbook on your phone, but you'd read an article. So even if you are writing something very technical, academic, or complex, you have to write it like an article that people can read on their phones while standing in line at the store, not a textbook you study at a desk in a library.

Content is EVERYTHING now, not just words. Content is video, podcasts, community-building, ads, copywriting, ebook design, etc. It's great to have specialties, but if you want to accelerate your career, you have to explore new things so you can find a specialty that suits your skills and passions. Plus, it helps you collaborate better. For me, learning more about design really helped me understand all the moving parts involved in creating beautiful ebooks and landing pages, helping me become a better copywriter and teammate.

In addition to everything above this blurb, one of the biggest roadblocks to starting and flourishing in your content marketing career is a lack of confidence. You need to be confident that you know what you're doing. Confident in your skills, confident in your knowledge, and confident that you can take your business, employer's website, or your customers' businesses to the next level with your content. If you find yourself lacking in confidence, start posting on LinkedIn. Your followers and community probably know that you're awesome. So get some validation from them :) I know from personal experience that putting yourself out there is daunting. But try it. From there, you'll get your name out and your career will grow :)

As a content marketer, consider to experiment. Experiment with different components of the cotnent strategy, such as content types, topics, visuals, etc. Experimentation will give you a chance to learn and keep your content fresh. Who knows, one of your experiments may become popular or strongly engage your audience.