It doesn’t take a genius to realize the importance of a sound content writing strategy. But, developing and implementing one is simpler in theory than it is in practice. Even if you do have a strategy is place, it can be hard to identify whether it’s working, and if not, why.
You have to give it time to get tangible, measurable data to study. And when you don’t see results after that time, you know that your content writing strategy is to blame.
A good strategy can yield tangible results within 4 to 6 months. However, if you aren’t getting results straightaway, don’t pull the trigger and ditch your strategy altogether.
You need to find out why and what went wrong. Once you have all the facts, you can make a concerted effort on fixing and improving your strategy.
The following are 10 of the most common reasons why you are not getting tangible results from your content writing strategy:
1. Not Using Web Copywriting Services
A content strategy will fall flat on its face if it doesn’t have good content to support it. You need to make sure that you’re crafting content which meets the standards imposed by Google, your industry, and allows you to interact with others. You might have a pretty good writer on your team but if you want great results, use professional services, especially for website copywriting.
2. Vagueness about the Goal
A good content strategy is a road map. It helps you get from Point 1 to Point 2. However, what happens when you’re not really sure where Point 2 is? If you’re going with the flow with your content, your strategy will reflect it as well. This will also mean that the results you get are going to be hit and miss. You need to refine your content marketing strategy in order to meet your goals.
3. Poor Organization and Order
As you progress, you can see that your strategy can and will have a mind of its own. That’s because as you understand it, you can also see areas it doesn’t cover. However, if you have a habit of just winging it, this can end up being disastrous. Don’t mind map your strategy. Start to identify key areas, such as the happiness of your readers or the relevance of your content.
4. There’s No Variety in the Content
Every writer has a distinct style, and readers can become accustomed to it and bored with it. When that happens, the content can lose variety. Most readers aren’t interested in reading blogs which have the same style and similar conclusions. Don’t have a lot of writers on your team? Get professional web copywriting services. You get instant access to a diverse team of writers who are focused on giving you the best content.
5. Not Making SEO Your Best Friend
Are you skipping over SEO sometimes because you need to post something quickly? That’s a huge mistake and one which can be doing more damage than you might know. SEO is needed to improve the ranking of your content on the search engine results. It’s vital for your SERP as well. Plus, SEO practices are constantly updated, so if you’re following outdated SEO practices, Google could end up penalizing you.
6. It’s Not Visually Enticing
Diversity in content doesn’t just relate to the text. You need to add some visual elements into your content. No one can read a whole block of text with ease. Add in some infographics, a diagram or an explainer video. Even bullet points can make a marked difference here. Remember that visual images add a focal point and break the monotony of the text. Additionally, content with images receives 94% more traffic than content that has no images.
7. You Left Out the Call-To-Action
At the end of the day, your content and content marketing strategy has one major goal; to promote your products, services, or to entice readers to buy. So, is your content really doing that? A call-to-action is a simple and effective way to do this, but are you adding it to your content? Have a closer look at your content and make sure that you’re including a relevant call-to-action. Otherwise, it can be very confusing when your readers don’t know how to avail the services or buy the product you’re promoting in the content.
8. Keep an Eye on Relevant Personas
Always shape your content according to your readers. Additionally, understand the buying journey or user actions taken when you’re posting your content. Based on each step, you can craft different content for it. In this case, you can make content that is perfect for all your readers. If you’re trying to educate your audience about your products, your content will be more educational. Similarly, there will be others who want to buy but aren’t convinced; your content can then be more promotional.
9. You Don’t Know Your USP
This is similar to having vagueness in your goal. It differs though because you don’t know what the unique selling point of your products and services is. In this case, you want to make content just because your competitors are doing it. This robs your content of uniqueness and makes it look similar to other content being churned out by your competitors, or other people in your field. It doesn’t entice the reader or offer them anything of value. A content marketing strategy which is properly thought out and highlights your USP will yield more results for you.
10. Keeping it Completely Organic
Yes, it is possible to create a content marketing strategy which is based on completely organic results, but it’s a good idea to spend some good money here and there. On average, marketers spend a total of $44 billion per year. Their results are also tangible. Most small businesses often start out as organic and then opt to invest in it. The ROI they get to enjoy more than justifies the expenditure. Plus, if you’re making use of professional services for website copywriting, the results will more than cover the cost.
So, take a closer look and see if you are doing any of these 10 things. By fixing these areas, you can streamline your content marketing strategy and also enjoy tangible results with it.
