3 Reasons Your Content Marketing Strategy Sucks

If your blog is an empty wasteland and your email subscriber list has fewer entries than the guest list for your preschooler's birthday party, it's time to make a change.

Poor content marketing equals missed opportunities, so check out these three reasons your content marketing strategy might just...well, suck.

1. You Sound Like an Echo

If you want your content marketing to succeed, you need
a unique voice that will make you stand out. 

 If you want your content marketing to succeed, you need 

Writing for HuffPost Business, Computan vice president of operations, Sajeel Qureshi, names a lack of originality as the number one reason a business's content marketing strategy might fail.

Specifically, Qureshi advises businesses and marketers to develop a voice that's unique to the industry. If the content that ABC Widgets develops is remarkably similar to XYZ Widgets's content, consumers will stick with XYZ because they have no reason to seek out ABC's redundant information.

To make your content fresh and unique, look for a fresh take on the subject. For instance, if everyone else has already written about why widgets are essential, write about situations in which widgets might not be essential.

Develop your own voice so that every piece of content you create has the same sound and tone. If your competition is buttoned-up and formal, take a more informal or wacky approach so consumers get something different from your business.

2. You're Trying Too Many Things at Once

Great content marketing takes time, refinement, and attention. 

If you're creating content for every platform on the Internet and you're failing to produce results, maybe you've spread yourself a little too thin.

Great content marketing takes time, refinement, and attention, none of which you can spare if you're trying to do everything.

To fix this content marketing faux pas, start trimming down the to-do list. Focus on the channels and platforms that generate the healthiest returns.

For instance, if you've built a sizable following around your blog, concentrate on crafting riveting blog posts for your audience. Shove Twitter and Facebook to the back burner or use those platforms as a way to amplify the content you publish on your blog.

3. You Don't Understand Your Audience

Whether you've already found your audience or are still in search of it, you have to understand the people you want to reach.

Are they old or young? Wealthy or struggling? Tech-savvy or still trying to figure out the TV remote? Early adopters or late bloomers?

As Neil Patel points out in an article for the Content Marketing Institute, you can't reach your audience if you don't speak their language.

Consider, for instance, that you're writing a blog post for a group of college kids, then imagine how that content would change if you were writing for senior citizens. Once you understand your audience, you can hit a home run with every piece of content you publish. It will become second nature to write directly for your audience and to maintain their respect and admiration.

Writing quality content and devising a content marketing strategy aren't easy endeavors. However, if you think your content strategy sucks, start making small changes as you discover more about what works (and what doesn't). Sometimes it's difficult to complete this process on your own. Download our ebook: The Ultimate Guide to Hiring an Inbound Marketing Agency. You'll learn how to hire a capable marketing partner for your content strategy needs.