Content Marketing: The Dos and Don'ts for Beginners

Creating content that resonates with your reader is a challenge, especially if you're a beginner at doing content marketing for your business.

In this article, I'll give you the top dos and don'ts of content creation and marketing so that you can hit all the right notes with your reader.

Before you do anything...

Do understand your reader really well.

Creating content your reader will enjoy can be tricky. So, it's essential to get it right, as this is key to a successful content marketing campaign.

One of the best ways to guarantee you're creating content that your reader will love is to get to know her really well.

Ask yourself three key questions:

• What are her interests?
• What kind of tone does she prefer?
• What kind of information is she looking for?

The better you understand your reader, the easier it is to create content she will love. So get to know her well, and she will come back for more.

Don't make it all about yourself.

If you want to engage your reader and turn her into a loyal customer, don't make your content all about yourself. It's essential to focus on your audience and their needs, not on what you want to say.

Think about what your reader wants to know, her pain points, and what kind of content will help her solve her problem. When you create content with your reader in mind, you're more likely to build trust and credibility with her.

Using your content as a platform to promote yourself or your business can be tempting, but resist the urge. Your reader will quickly get turned off if you make every piece of content about how great you are. So instead, focus on providing valuable and helpful information.

If you keep these things in mind, you'll be well on your way to creating great content that will engage and convert your reader.

Do set measurable and realistic goals.

Setting goals is an integral part of any content marketing strategy.

Without goals, it isn't easy to measure the success of your content and adjust your strategy accordingly.

When setting goals for your content marketing, it is crucial to make sure they are measurable and realistic. Measurable goals allow you to track progress and see if you are meeting them.

Realistic goals ensure you are not setting yourself up for disappointment.

Some things to keep in mind when setting goals for your content marketing include:

• Who is your target reader?
• What kind of content does she want to see?
• What are your business objectives?
• How often do you plan on publishing new content?

By answering these questions, you can set realistic and measurable goals for your content marketing strategy.

Don't forget to repurpose your old content.

The most vital thing to remember when it comes to content marketing is never forget to repurpose your old content. Just because a piece of content is a few months or even a year old doesn't mean it can't be used again. In fact, repurposing old content is a fantastic way to ensure your content marketing strategy is successful.

There are a number of ways to repurpose old content. One way is to create a new blog post using the same information. This is especially effective if you have updated information or new insights to share.

Another way to repurpose old content is to create an infographic or video using the same information. This is a fantastic way to reach a new reader and get her interested in your content.

No matter how you repurpose your old content, always provide value. Doing this builds your reader's trust and turns her into a loyal customer.

Do make your content super useful.

The most important thing to do with any content marketing strategy is make it super helpful. This means you should focus on creating useful and informative content for your reader. The goal is to provide value and not promote yourself or your business.

When you make your content super useful, you build trust with your reader and turn her into a loyal customer. She will keep coming back and is more likely to share your content with her colleagues and followers.

To make your content super useful, start by focusing on her needs.

Ask yourself...

• What kind of information is she looking for?
• What would be most helpful to her?

Once you have figured out the answers to these questions, you can start creating valuable content that meets her needs.

In addition to focusing on your target audience, it's also important to provide value in every piece of content you create. Your content should be informative and helpful, not just a sales pitch for your product or service. Focus on delivering quality information your reader can use, and avoid self-promotion as much as possible.

By following these tips, you can ensure your content marketing strategy is successful and that your reader keeps coming back for more.

Don't push quantity over quality.

A common mistake I see business owners make is thinking they need to produce a large volume of content to succeed. True, you do need a lot of great content to keep your reader engaged, but if you focus on quantity over quality, you're going to end up with a lot of low-quality content that no one will want to read.

It's much better to focus on producing a smaller amount of high-quality content that your readers will love. This means taking the time to understand your reader and what she wants to read and creating content that meets her needs.

If you try to produce too much content, you'll end up sacrificing quality, ultimately hurting your chances of success. So, always remember to focus on quality over quantity, and you'll be on the right track.

In conclusion...

Not all the rules in marketing are hard and fast. But there are some you should never break. Specifically, you should always strive for quality.

Expert content marketers know how to use every bit of content to their advantage and to the greatest effect. They can mobilize their niche, use CTAs, and more to leave a footprint with their brand.

So if you need to save a failing content marketing campaign or are looking to build a quiz, or need strong copy to boost your bottom line, then it might be the perfect time to call in the pros.

But whether you choose to leverage the knowledge of industry experts or strike out on your own, start by educating yourself about what it takes to reach the reader who cares about what you do.