Marketing isn’t marketing without a message. However, we are inundated with hollow, flashy visuals and flash sales. While those have their place, at the crux of it, messaging matters more than any other aspect of your content. These five content creation mistakes are made all the time—shoot, we even make them ourselves! But, while video may be taking the world by storm, that doesn’t mean your audience buys more only if you’re TikTok-ing. So, if not silly dancing videos or office shenanigans, what does get people from stale to sale?
That is precisely what we are talking about today. Let’s dig in.
Content Creation Mistakes
- Focusing too much on visuals
- Ignoring baseline metrics
- Writing the content yourself
- Showboating
- Thinking short-term
#1: Focusing Too Much on Visuals
“I just don’t see a ‘WOW-Factor,’ do you?”
“Human attention spans are so bad, they’re shorter than a goldfish!“
“Make it shorter, splashier, more in-your-face!”
These types of interactions are the bane of most content creators’ existence, but they have also pushed us to excel (Or so we thought…). Contrary to popular belief, our attention span isn’t eight seconds like a goldfish. Instead, we have so many opportunities for a dopamine hit that content has to be in-cre-di-ble to keep us for longer.
If you saw the beginning of a soldier homecoming video, you may be more likely to stick around than for a clip of paint drying. I know that’s an extreme example, but think of it this way: every decision has an opportunity cost. If you say yes to one thing, you’re saying no to everything else that could take up the same time and space.
I agree with Annisa from Better Marketing—Rather than spending time making things look perfect and fit into eight seconds or less, why don’t we make our content “worth paying attention to.”
Pizzazz isn’t everything. Neither are research articles. Each type of content has its place, but when you are in the battle of catching attention and keeping it, address your audience’s problem. Chances are they will stick around if you show you can help them achieve their ideal result.
Mistake #2: Ignoring Baseline Metrics
If you were going to rebuild a bridge that had been up for decades, would you simply tear it down or first identify its weak points? The latter approach works for more than seismic adjustments. In marketing, the figurative bridge might be a welcome video, email sequence, or website. Baseline metrics for these could be watch time, click through rate, bounce rate, and any conversions related to audience engagement.
The welcome video may have been performing better on Facebook as a native upload than on the website. So, rather than toss it and start over, consider where the video is placed on the website. Does it auto-play? Does a delayed pop-up cover it partway through viewing? Or, maybe people would rather read the content of the video when browsing the site. Find the message, apply it to the page, and then compare conversions.
What about the email sequence or website? Determine which email people drop off after, and fix that one rather than scrapping everything. Which pages load slowest, generate the least visits, or lack conversions? Start sprucing those up.
Maybe you don’t have metrics at all. Before doing a major content overhaul, we highly recommend connecting Google Analytics as a bare minimum to get a baseline. After a few weeks or month, you will have a better idea what to focus on in your revamp. When over your head, consider reaching out to someone who understands or works with metrics on a daily basis and ask their advice on what to address.
Mistake #3: Writing Content Yourself
Have you ever heard about the designer who put up a sign regarding DIY pricing? It said something along the lines of: We do it $500, We collaborate on it $1,000, You do it until you need us to come fix it $3,000.
Service companies like ours tend to get a chuckle out of this because it hints at a common problem: wanting an excellent result quickly and cheaply. Choosing between cost, time, and quality, you really can only pick two. So, if you want to save yourself time and money, doing it yourself probably won’t get you where you ultimately want to go.
This trap of always looking for the “budget-friendly” option will likely end up costing you more in the long run when an experienced agency takes a look at your content and has to start from scratch. Plus, you are now out the time you spent waiting for your campaign to get results only to come up empty-handed.
Writing content for oneself is extremely challenging. Honestly, it’s easier to make content creation mistakes, so we recommend first asking some of your loyal customers these questions:
- What was your biggest problem before finding us?
- How did we help simplify the process for you?
- What success are you enjoying now?
These keys, in the hands of a skilled content creator, will help you avoid the DIY mistake.
Mistake #4: Showboating
Rarely do successful marketing campaigns start with the words “We are the best…” because people have plenty of other options that intentionally relate to them and their needs.
Which of these Pilates studios would you choose?
Screenshot from www.clubpilates.com
Screenshot from www.nepheshpilates.com
Mistake #5: Thinking Short-Term
I can’t count how many times a web redesign client who explicitly told us they didn’t want any SEO will ask months after their new site has been launched, “How come I’m not on the first page for these keywords?” On the other hand, we might suggest writing blog posts or emails to nurture your list consistently only to be met with blank stares or a “Ha, no way.” Are you catching my drift?
If you intentionally focus in on the short-term or select services based on a small budget, you will get the quick results you wanted. This, one of the classic content creation mistakes, could get you a pretty new website or logo. But, are you on the right track for the results your business needs?
Writing for search engine optimization is a bit different and often requires a number of technical settings. Putting out content on a consistent basis requires thinking ahead and setting aside the time. Needless to say, short-term work leads to short-term results.
Wrap-Up
Messaging might take a lot more work than posting a pretty picture, but it also yields big results. We found that, to be content creators that don’t always make these five mistakes, we need community and accountability. So, we dig into topics like these all the time on our group coaching calls.
If you want to join us, reach out! We’d love to bring you into our mastermind meetings because we know working together is better than striving on our own.