What are the most common pitfalls when setting content goals?

1 Pitfall 1: Vague or unrealistic goals

One of the most common pitfalls when setting content goals is to be vague or unrealistic about what you want to achieve. For example, you might say that your goal is to "increase traffic" or "grow awareness" without specifying how much, by when, and from which sources. This makes it hard to measure your progress and adjust your strategy accordingly. Alternatively, you might set goals that are too ambitious or unrealistic, such as "double your revenue in a month" or "rank first for every keyword". This can lead to frustration, burnout, and disappointment. To avoid this pitfall, you need to set SMART goals: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. SMART goals help you define your desired outcomes, track your performance, and celebrate your wins.

2 Pitfall 2: Not aligning goals with strategy

Another common pitfall when setting content goals is to not align them with your overall content strategy. Your content strategy is the blueprint that guides your content creation, distribution, and optimization. It should reflect your business goals, audience personas, value proposition, and competitive advantage. Your content goals should be derived from your content strategy and support it. For example, if your content strategy is to position yourself as a thought leader in your niche, your content goals might be to create high-quality, original, and authoritative content that showcases your expertise and insights. If your content strategy is to generate leads for your product or service, your content goals might be to create engaging, educational, and persuasive content that addresses your audience's pain points and offers solutions. To avoid this pitfall, you need to align your content goals with your content strategy and ensure that they are consistent and complementary.

4 Pitfall 4: Not reviewing and revising goals

A fourth common pitfall when setting content goals is to not review and revise them periodically. Content creation is not a one-time activity, but a continuous process that requires adaptation and improvement. Your content goals should not be static, but dynamic and flexible. You should review your content goals regularly, at least quarterly, and evaluate your performance against your metrics and KPIs. You should also consider the changes in your business environment, audience behavior, and content trends. Based on your analysis, you should revise your content goals as needed, either by modifying, adding, or removing them. To avoid this pitfall, you need to review and revise your content goals periodically and keep them updated and relevant.

5 Pitfall 5: Not communicating and collaborating on goals

A fifth common pitfall when setting content goals is to not communicate and collaborate on them with your team and stakeholders. Content creation is not a solo endeavor, but a team effort that involves different roles, skills, and perspectives. Your content goals should not be isolated, but integrated and aligned with your team and stakeholders' goals. You should communicate and collaborate on your content goals with your team and stakeholders, such as your content manager, content writers, content editors, content marketers, content designers, and content analysts. You should also involve your audience, customers, and partners in your content goal setting, by soliciting their feedback, preferences, and expectations. To avoid this pitfall, you need to communicate and collaborate on your content goals with your team and stakeholders and ensure that they are shared and supported.

Setting content goals is a vital part of content creation, but it can also be challenging and complex. By avoiding these common pitfalls, you can set effective and realistic content goals that will help you create valuable and impactful content for your audience and business.

6 Here’s what else to consider

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