Top Six Content Marketing Myths DEBUNKED!

Top Six Content Marketing Myths DEBUNKED!

by | Mar 10, 2023 | Content Marketing

Top Six Content Marketing Myths DEBUNKED!
+ Q&A Session

By Michael Shatravka | March 9th, 2023

In today’s digital age, content marketing has become an essential aspect of any business strategy. It involves creating valuable and relevant content to attract and engage a target audience and ultimately drive customer action. However, there are many misconceptions about content marketing that can prevent businesses from reaping its benefits.

Misconception #1: It’s Just About Creating Content

Content marketing is more than just creating content. It involves a comprehensive strategy that includes content creation, promotion, and analysis. To start, understand the target audience and tailor the content to their interests and pain points. Optimize content for search engines to ensure it reaches the intended audience. Promote content effectively through social media, email marketing, paid advertising, and other tactics. Regularly analyze content performance to refine the content marketing strategy and ensure it reaches the target audience.

Misconception #2: It’s Only for Large Businesses

Another common misconception about content marketing is that it’s only for large businesses with a large marketing budget. However, this is far from the truth. Content marketing can be effective for businesses of all sizes, including small businesses.

In fact, small businesses can often benefit more from content marketing than large businesses. By creating valuable and engaging content, small businesses can attract and retain customers, build brand awareness, and establish themselves as experts in their field. This can help them compete with larger businesses and grow their customer base.

Misconception #3: It’s a Quick Fix for Sales

Content marketing is not a quick fix for sales. It’s a long-term strategy that requires consistency and patience. While it can ultimately drive sales and customer action, it’s not a magic solution.

A content marketing strategy should focus on providing value to the target audience and building trust and relationships. By doing this, businesses can establish themselves as a credible and trustworthy source of information, which can ultimately lead to increased sales and customer loyalty.

Misconception #4: It’s All About Quantity Over Quality

While creating a lot of content can be beneficial, quality is more important than quantity. Content that provides value, engages the audience, and aligns with the brand’s values and messaging is more effective than a large volume of low-quality content.

Businesses should focus on creating high-quality content that meets the needs of their target audience. This can include blog posts, videos, infographics, social media posts, and other types of content. By focusing on quality over quantity, businesses can ensure that their content is effective and valuable to their target audience.

Misconception #5: It’s Easy

Content marketing is not easy. It requires a lot of effort, resources, and expertise to be effective. It involves creating high-quality content, promoting it effectively, and analyzing its performance to continually improve the strategy.

Businesses need to invest time and resources into their content marketing strategy to ensure that it’s effective. This can involve hiring a dedicated content marketing team, outsourcing content creation to a professional agency, or investing in training and resources to build internal expertise.

Misconception #6: It’s Only for Online Businesses

While content marketing is often associated with online businesses, it can be effective for

brick-and-mortar businesses as well. Content can be used to showcase products and services, provide valuable information, and attract and retain customers both online and offline.

For example, a brick-and-mortar clothing store can create content that showcases the latest fashion trends, provides styling tips, and highlights new arrivals. This content can be shared on social media, email newsletters, and the store’s website to attract and retain customers both online and offline.

By creating high-quality and engaging content, businesses can attract and retain a loyal following, build their brand, and ultimately drive customer action. However, it’s important to approach content marketing with a clear understanding of what it entails and how it can benefit the business.

In conclusion, content marketing is a valuable and effective strategy for businesses of all sizes and types. By understanding and dispelling common misconceptions, businesses can approach content marketing with a clear and realistic understanding of what it entails and how it can benefit their brand. By investing time, resources, and expertise into a comprehensive content marketing strategy, businesses can attract and retain a loyal following, build their brand, and ultimately drive customer action.

Q&A Session
w/ Michael Shatravka

What is Content Marketing?

“Content marketing is simply a cog in the machine. It’s one of the many pieces working together in the sales process. In most cases, content marketing alone will not close the deal, but it is vital for creating awareness, building trust, and establishing credibility, all of this makes it easier for you to close the deal.

For example, let’s say you went to the dentist, and everything on Google looks good. The website phone number checks out, but then you get to the office and see a secretary, but there’s no chairs. You just see a bunch of people sitting on the floor, and it doesn’t make any sense. This single moment causes you to lose all faith in this business, and you simply walk out the door.

So even though they were a real dental practice with good doctors, a nice website, and nice equipment, this one simple thing of just not having a waiting room, made you lose all trust in the business. The same thing applies to content marketing; it’s just one of the many factors in the sales process that you need to have in order to make an airtight case to your potential customers.”

What are some realistic expectations for Content Marketing?

“I meet with so many people who think content marketing is the solution to all their problems. They believe that one piece of content will blow up their business and make them a million dollars, and that a single piece of media will go viral. However, this almost never happens. Of course, in rare circumstances, it does happen, but in most cases, it doesn’t. You should not expect a single piece of content to transform your life. What will transform your life is a long, consistent series of valuable content posted over a long period of time. Like 6-12 months. Content marketing is just a cog in the machine; it’s one of the many gears working together to make the sale an airtight case.

Here’s an example: imagine you had a website where you had a hundred video testimonials from top business executives, industry leaders, and celebrities, all vouching for you and the types of results you generated for them. On top of that, you have project case studies with photos and video clips of you going through the process, explaining the obstacles, the solutions, and how you brought your clients to an outcome. It’s total transparency; people can see exactly how you work and how you create these incredible things. You’ve got a hundred of them on your site. If you had such a powerful online presence, would it make any significant difference in your business? Would it make it easier to get new clients? Do you think you would even have to look for clients at this point?

That’s exactly what content marketing is. You are taking the most valuable moments of your career and packaging them into bite-sized chunks of information helping people go from point A to Point B. You position yourself as a trusted advisor in your industry, and if you do this consistently over a long period of time, it’ll start to compound and snowball, and pretty soon you’ll have an avalanche of success. That is pretty much a dumbed down explanation of content marketing.”

What mistakes do I see people making?

“I would say the number one mistake is not planning and thinking it through. I like to call it “doing your homework.” Ultimately, this means doing some research and being knowledgeable about the subject you are talking about. So many people go on Instagram and just read text they ripped off Google or some site like Zilbert, and they just repeat it word for word straight into the camera.

I like to use an iceberg as an example. Everybody sees the tip, which is the final content that goes viral. You see a post and think, “Wow, that’s so easy. I can’t believe this post is getting so many views.” Then, you try to go and recreate something similar, and it gets nothing. Simply put, it’s because you have not done your homework. No research, no preparation, no strategy behind the post, no call to action. Your post is just a post that doesn’t lead to anything. That’s the biggest problem I see. Everybody is just making content to make content. Nothing is thought through, nothing leads anywhere. If you want to have a successful campaign with your content, it needs to lead to something. That’s what a call to action is (CTA).

You have to offer something good to your viewers and not just some copy-pasted text off Google. You need to provide some real insight, some real practical knowledge they can apply to get closer to their dream outcome. I’m sure you’ve heard of Russell Brunson and his funnels. That’s exactly what this is. That’s how you effectively create content.

Another thing I see that drives me crazy is people slapping together some professional-looking graphic templates from websites like Envato. They stick some stock photos into it and tag a bunch of local fancy restaurants, making it seem like a top-five restaurants in your city type of guide. This is what I call lazy content. These people don’t even have the decency to just go to the restaurants themselves and take a photo. Even if they don’t buy anything, they could just snap a quick photo in front of the restaurant and say something authenic, but they aren’t even willing to do that. LAZY!”

Why is content marketing important?

In 2023, your online presence is your social credit, whether you like it or not. It’s people’s first impression of you, and the best part is that it’s all in your control, and it’s free. You are the captain of your story, and by adding to it every day, you can turn it into an avalanche of success. That’s what content marketing is all about.

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Business Hours:
Monday - Friday 10AM to 6PM
Based in MIAMI BEACH, FL

©2023 Copyright Shatravka Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

10 Mistakes You’re Making with Your Content (And How to Fix Them)

10 Mistakes You’re Making with Your Content (And How to Fix Them)

by | Mar 10, 2023 | Content Marketing

10 Mistakes You’re Making with Your Content (And How to Fix Them)

By Michael Shatravka | March 9th, 2023

Creating content is an essential part of any digital marketing strategy. However, many people encounter challenges that can hinder the content creation process. From writer’s block to technical difficulties, there are many hurdles to overcome when creating quality content. In this blog post, we’ll explore ten common problems people face when creating content and offer some solutions to help you overcome them.

#1 LACK OF TIME

In today’s fast-paced world, finding time to create content can be a significant challenge. Here are some practical steps you can take to overcome this challenge:

Set realistic goals: Start by setting achievable goals for your content creation. Trying to produce a blog post every day can be overwhelming, so start with a more manageable goal, like writing one post a week, and increase your output gradually.

Create a content calendar: Use a content calendar to plan your content in advance. This will help you stay organized and ensure that you’re creating content that’s relevant to your audience.

Repurpose your content: Another way to save time when creating content is to repurpose your existing content. For example, you could turn a blog post into a video or a podcast episode, or you could update an old post and republish it.

Set aside dedicated time: To create content consistently, it’s crucial to set aside dedicated time for content creation. Whether it’s an hour a day or a few hours a week, scheduling time specifically for content creation can help you stay on track and avoid distractions.

Outsource: If you’re really struggling to find the time to create content, consider outsourcing some of the work. For example, you could hire a freelance writer to help you with your blog posts or a video editor to help you produce videos.

#2 WRITER’S BLOCK

Writer’s block is a common issue that many writers and content creators face. Here are some actionable tips to help you overcome writer’s block:

Take a break: Sometimes, the best thing you can do when you’re stuck is to take a break. Step away from your work, go for a walk, or do something else that you enjoy. Taking a break can help clear your mind and provide you with a fresh perspective.

Brainstorm: Set aside some time to brainstorm ideas. Write down anything that comes to mind, even if it seems silly or unrelated to your current project.

Change your environment: Changing your environment can help you get unstuck. If you usually write at a desk, try writing in a coffee shop or a park.

Talk it out: If you’re stuck on a particular topic, try talking it out loud, see if the words roll of your tongue.

Set a timer: Set a timer for a short period, like 10 or 15 minutes, and write without stopping, don’t worry about grammer.

#3 Inconsistent quality

Creating high-quality content is essential for engaging your audience and building your online presence. Here are some actionable steps to help you maintain consistent quality for your content:

Develop a content style guide: A content style guide outlines your brand’s voice, tone, and style. It can include things like grammar rules, formatting guidelines, and preferred language. Having a style guide can help you maintain consistency across all your content.

Use an editing checklist: An editing checklist can help ensure that your content meets your brand’s standards before publishing.

Get feedback: Getting feedback from your audience and peers can help you improve the quality of your content.

Set realistic content creation goals: Setting realistic content creation goals can help you maintain consistency in quality.

#4 Limited resources

Creating great content can be challenging, especially when you’re working with limited resources. Here are some actionable tips to help you create great content with limited resources:

Be creative: Find creative ways to produce content that doesn’t require a lot of resources.

Focus on quality over quantity: Instead of producing a large volume of content, focus on creating high-quality content that resonates with your audience.

Repurpose your content: Repurpose your existing content to distribute it in different formats and channels.

Collaborate with others: Collaborating with others can help you create great content even with limited resources.

#5 NOT KNOWING YOUR AUDIENCE

Creating content that resonates with your target audience is essential for engaging them and building your online presence. Here are some actionable steps to help you create content that targets your audience effectively:

Define your audience: Define your target audience by considering their demographics, interests, and pain points.

Conduct research: Conduct research to learn more about your audience’s needs and interests.

Ask for feedback: Ask for feedback from your audience to get a better understanding of what they want from your content.

Create personas: Creating personas can help you visualize your audience and tailor your content to their needs.

Use language that resonates: Use language that resonates with your audience. Use their vocabulary, tone, and style to make your content more relatable.

#6 LACK OF DISTRIBUTION

Creating great content is essential for engaging your audience and building your online presence. Here are some actionable steps to help you distribute your content effectively:

Use different content formats: Use different content formats to distribute your content.

Use different channels: Use different channels to distribute your content.

Guest posting: Guest post on other blogs and websites to distribute your content to a new audience.

Repurpose your content: Repurpose your existing content to distribute it in different formats and channels.

Cross-promotion: Cross-promote your content with other creators in your industry.

#7 NOT MEASURING SUCCESS

Measuring the success of your content marketing efforts is essential for understanding what’s working and what’s not. Here are some actionable steps to help you measure the success of your content marketing efforts effectively:

Define your goals: Define your content marketing goals before you start measuring success.

Track the right metrics: Track the metrics that align with your goals.

Use analytics tools: Use analytics tools to track your metrics.

Conduct A/B testing: Conduct A/B testing to test different content formats, headlines, and calls to action.

Review and adjust: Review your metrics regularly and adjust your content strategy accordingly.

#8 NOT ADAPTING

The world of content marketing is constantly evolving, and keeping up with the latest trends is crucial for creating engaging and effective content. Here are some actionable steps to help you adapt to changing trends and keep your content strategy up-to-date:

Stay up-to-date with industry news: Keep up-to-date with industry news and follow thought leaders and experts to stay informed about the latest trends and best practices.

Monitor your competitors: Monitor your competitors to see what they’re doing and how they’re adapting to changing trends.

Analyze your metrics: Analyze your metrics regularly to see what’s working and what’s not.

Experiment with new formats and channels: Experiment with new content formats and distribution channels to reach your audience in new ways.

Stay flexible: Stay flexible and adaptable in your content strategy.

#9 LACKING ORIGINALITY

Creating original and engaging content is crucial for standing out in the crowded online space. However, with so much content available online, it can be tough to come up with truly unique ideas. Here are some steps to help you create original content:

Brainstorm ideas: Use tools like Google Trends and Buzzsumo to identify popular topics and themes. Brainstorm with your team or colleagues to generate new and unique ideas.

Add your unique perspective: Share your personal experiences, insights, and opinions to make your content stand out.

Research your audience: Gather insights about your audience’s behavior and preferences through surveys, social media monitoring, and analytics tools.

Experiment with different formats: Video, podcasts, and infographics can help create unique and engaging content that stands out.

Collaborate with others: Work with other creators, influencers, or brands to offer a new perspective or insight.

#10 LACKING TECHNICALS

Technical difficulties can be frustrating when creating content. Here are some actionable steps to help you overcome technical difficulties and create high-quality content:

Invest in quality equipment.

Plan and prepare: Plan and prepare for your shoot in advance.

Edit and enhance: Edit and enhance your footage in post-production.

Learn from mistakes: Learn from mistakes and identify areas for improvement.

Practice and experiment: Practice and experiment with different techniques to improve your technical skills.

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Business Hours:
Monday - Friday 10AM to 6PM
Based in MIAMI BEACH, FL

©2023 Copyright Shatravka Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.