13 Mistakes - What went wrong with my content marketing last year

I had a real roller coaster ride last year for all the content marketing campaigns sent in market. Then as usual I started thinking what might have gone wrong, I should thank numerous internet articles which actually helped me to switch on my wisdom light.

Now my analysis might misfire or back fire my next year but at least I am happy that, I have something in my mind to work on than try to get a bull’s-eye in dark. Here are some pointers which I have already identified.

1. My Content tried to sell than wanted to increase the awareness, create new demand. So I missed the main reason why am doing this.
2. My content spoke about my company more kind of bragging, as we are this and we are that. Biggest mistake here I made is I forgot that my clients have the most powerful informative tool in this earth i.e. internet. And they have more, faster, accurate information about my company than I do.
3. My content spoke about what my company can do than what clients are looking for. In the process of doing it I tried to sort out issues which might happen and this is a solution. Wherein I should have work around on finding out what roadblocks my clients are facing and then help them by overlaying our products as per the need.
4. I worked in silos. I thought whatever I am doing is unique in my company. Wherein others are doing same or better job on the same field. I kept on putting my foot on others toes and vice versa which resulted into sabotaging each other’s campaigns without even knowing that we are trying to accomplish the same thing for same company.
5. I am speaking too niche. I forgot one simple point that marketing alone can’t bring business (on a regular basis) without sales. I went on speaking niche, more niche and more niche where in while I went dipper I kept on targeting lesser number of target area than my previous target market. Marketing works for creating the ground which is easier for sales to play on.
6. One content multiple channels. I didn’t take in a count that different contents sell themselves differently on different channels. So I should have kept on eye on the combination on, for an example the content made for social media, display ad, 30 sec commercial, or an email can’t be interchangeable. Content should be channel specific.
7. Overdo of marketing. I crowded the target market with contents in such a way that I would have felt suffocated by the same. If we have a cheap and effective way to sending out contents that doesn’t mean we have to juice it as hard as possible.
8. Success pressure. I thought I have to be successful with all my campaigns and by doing it sometimes below standard campaigns slipped out of my desk which eventually failed miserably taking down yearly success ratio.
9. Quantity over quality. I thought it’s better to get in market on time even if the content is not up to the mark and vague. Which kept clients thinking that even though the information/content is useful but what exactly I want to convey.
10. Minimum action points kept clients looking for what to do with this and how to contact the company.
11. Too much of importance to the analysis data. Because by the time I acted on the analysis it was no more real time analysis made on real time data. So it’s all historical data I am working on thinking that I am ahead of time. Instead I could have changed the analysis by doing something new.
12. Reactive than being proactive. I tried to think about countering my competitor’s campaigns than trying to make something for which my competitors should plan counter. By doing so I can save my time and get some new campaigns in market meanwhile to keep my competitors so busy that they couldn’t spread out the right kind of content into the market.
13. Finally I forgot that Innovation is all that matters. I kept on doing the same campaigns which were successful last year or previous quarter and in the process of same I forgot to try and test new ideas. Where in new ideas are like short lived king life and you can do whatever you want to during your kingship.

2014 Resolution against my 13 mistakes

• Reuse of existing content.
• More client centric and client issue centric content
• Will reduce the number of campaigns
• No vague messaging and clear action points for clients to want to take some action
• Will keep in mind that marketing is for awareness and information sharing to create demand
• Analysis will be an important part of decision making, campaign selection but will try out new thing on 80-20 ratio (Where ratio of innovation and trying out new things will be 20)
• Will plan more on my clients demand than what competitors are doing
• Will not be running behind 100% success ratio

One new scenario I want to try to create this year. Create demand of marketing content, where customers will wait for my content. Will not flood with information and will bring measure in madness. I understand that it’s not a year’s job but at least I can start putting the foundation stone. This scenario can place my company to a thought leadership role where we don’t have to think about competition and we can become niche not only in offering but as a company.

I have to accept that client knows their problem better than me, they have enough information about their problems. What they want to listen is how easily, securely, cheaply, and quickly they can sort it with what I am proposing.

This is a personal scribble ground. The opinions expressed here are all personal they do not express any direct or indirect linkage to the organization I am attached to. But I love changes so they might be changing time to time. :o)

Website Marketing?? Hmmmm a tough one…

When I start thinking about website or website marketing, there are couple of inevitable questions comes along with that. What is a website? Is it a couple of related web pages served from single domain? As described in Wikipedia or is it something more? Is it something which can be seen online? Is it something which starts with a www? Or is it some technical words junkyard? I think when the concept of website came into the market (if I am not wrong during 1990) and what it is now are two different arena all together, it’s like was a seed before but now became a race.

I can’t understand tough things, so let me make it simple for me (I am in 2013 and into digital marketing profession). Website is your online face. It’s because why people come to know you even though they do or don’t share the same language / nationality / interest / requirement / line of thought etc.

Now why do we need a website at the first place? During my work stint with different companies I found out it can’t be one single reason behind any business need and every business need should end with profit and loss balance sheet. Now let’s see what the advantages of a website are

• Reachability – we can be available for our client round the clock
• Clear representation of company, deliverables, people, credibility
• No confusion about what you are trying to convey, no loose talk no extra promise
• It’s less costly than any other promotional activity
• Works as a PR agent, sales professional, HR professional for you
• Less maintenance cost…So on and so forth
• Flexibility to the changes happening in your organization is faster
• You can check the performances faster than other medium

Ohhok.. I understand that website can’t be called and ground zero necessity for all business, but if you have to grow it’s a must have. It’s cheaper and works like many.
I am good till here but if it’s a must have while growing then why should I think so much about it. Now this is where I got real easy answer, let’s take couple of example which happens,

There is normal tendency in human being in today’s heavily connected wired environment is whenever someone come to  know about a company, reason might be anything from becoming a prospective customer / employee / news agency they tend to open internet and try to search for that company and then the most important thing happens. The website comes in front and in couple of minutes that person becomes judgmental about the goodness and authenticity of that company. For an example If we see a good website kind of jazzy looking full of color some people will feel good and thinks that it’s a good company wherein a simple white background might bore some people will say nothing good about it lets check out something else, now if this is happening with your website then you might be losing out your precious business opportunity or some cream of talents which can help you to take up the clients challenge. If we see a somewhat complicated website hard to find what we are looking for then it’s a waste most of us will say forget it not my cup of tea. Now being complicated might be helpful for you to pull younger generation but this generation will not come for business but for jobs.

And moreover if I am investing a single penny into it I should make sure it gives me back more than that. So let see what it takes to make it successful,

4 most important parts a website –

1. Design – Why design? Because if you have a chance to create your own face it’s obvious you want to have one of most beautiful one. Now I know beauty lies in the eyes of beholder and here it’s your eyes which is taking the call.  A combination of vibrant color is good idea until it’s not overdone or matching the concept of the business. For an example a marriage properties website will not suit black or white as it will with red.
2. Usability – Wow what an aspect, we all love gorgeous man / woman in our life who is less complex in mind :o). If your website looks awesome but I don’t know how to go to your contact page it’s a waste. So we should think as if we are school students / novice and design it. The usability factor actually doesn’t work hand on hand with design all the time. Designing an attractive website is easy but an attractive and ease usable website is not a piece of cake.
3. Content – Finally my favorite point and the most important point. Who likes a good looking person without brain? No one right. I think content plays the role of life in flesh. I have seen website which are too technically sound that layman people like me don’t find it interesting to read. Please prepare the website as generic as possible and more of a business centric. You have to keep another thing in mind that usage of right keywords are another most important part as it makes life of SEO professionals easy. And make it client centric, while writing your content please keep your client in mind and try to think why he / she should come and read your content. He is not increasing their knowledge as there are forums to help them with. They are coming to your website to learn and solve their existing / future problems or getting information if you worth their penny. Experiment with your content because that’s the only way out to become leader of your field.
4. Update – If your website is an instant hit don’t take a back seat, keep changing the content to provide better data, new information before they become obsolete, so that people who have visited website will come back again and again. Change the design as per visitors’ feedback because change is inevitable and it’s the only way you can be in business for a longer time.

Now as I said content is one of the most important part of a campaign lets discuss some more on that part like what might go wrong, don’t ask me why I am not discussing what will go right because if you are not going wrong then you have good chance of going right. But becoming 100% accurate with content is like mirage. So here are some points where we should not do,

• Don’t try to teach your clients, they know more than what is required because of online media
• Don’t write a history paper, follow the KISS theory with a D and respect your viewer’s time – Keep is Simple and Sweet and Dumb
• Don’t make impossible claims and don’t furnish incorrect data
• Don’t be selfish and speak only about you – remember people are coming to your site to find out if there is something useful for him / her.
• Don’t miss the story – everyone likes story telling. So if your content doesn’t have a story and continuation then there is no good reason to read
• Don’t miss the page content layout. Because once a customer lands into your page it might take anywhere between 10-30 page surfing for becoming a lead, but to get that you have to make sure they are surfing that many.

There are few more things I think I should mention here only to complete the story, They are the measurement matrix 

• Bounce rate – it’s the rate how many people closed your site on the first touch
• Average viewing time – it’s the time spent by viewers in your website
• Page view
• Organic traffic
• Inorganic traffic
• Search traffic
• And so on and so forth.. (There are many things in this world unseen)

I think till here we are all good in getting a website, measure them. So investment decision is done but how to find out ROI, the very one reason a business runs.

We can measure the ROI of a website, try to look into the traffic report which you can get from many way. Take a count how many people actually called your contact me number or mailed you in mail me option or chatted with one of your executive or dropped their details for you to get in touch with them. And you can see how it’s helping you in your business. These are very direct ROI of website but there are indirect ROI also.

Finally as there is say in sales that “every sales starts with a no” we can pull a similar one about website marketing i.e. “Every visitor can be your customer or influencer”

This is a personal scribble ground. The opinions expressed here are all personal they do not express any direct or indirect linkage to the organization I am attached to. But I love changes so they might be changing time to time. :o)