Content marketing is an interesting job but is full of challenges just as any other job is. But there are certain challenges that content marketing professionals have to face on a day-to-day basis.
Learn what these challenges are and how to overcome them, as you read on-
Generating quality, unique content-
Majority of content marketers face a common challenge- creating high-quality and relevant content on a persistent basis. A lot of them say that a list of ideas proves beneficial, but it’s not difficult to run out of options within a short period of time and then feel absolutely blank.
So, what is the best fix for this problem? Well, although there are many solutions, a recent trend can be rendered one of the most loved and opted for a solution to this problem- customer stories. So, content marketers these days have begun to use customer experiences as content.
Such content marketers are on a constant lookout for people willing to narrate their stories and experiences before and after engaging with the company and the problems they faced. This unique way of narrating a customer’s journey appeals to readers and is an absolute hit in the content marketing industry.
And it’s not just an amazing way to create fresh, original and interesting content but is also a great way to understand customers better and look at things from a customer’s perspective. But if you are using customer stories for your content, don’t go on about them in a random manner. Make sure they drive search traffic to your site.
Having to generate product-oriented content
Another challenge that content marketers face on a regular basis is that of meeting unrealistic demands of the business and marketing managers, who keep on asking for content that revolve around the company’s products. This is not a problem in itself. This is also not a problem because content marketers don’t like writing about products. This is a problem because product-oriented content drives very little traffic.
A lot of content marketers get over this problem by simply developing a content strategy and then working in accordance with it. This strategy contains details regarding who the target audience is, what content themes to be used for which category of customers, and in what ways success will be measured. Another amazing way to address this issue is education.
Content marketers should try and educate brands about the tricks of the content marketing trade. Once the brand side understands that content builds brand equity, they will be more flexible in their demands and requirements. And content marketers will be able to avoid lifeless content completely based on products.
Confusing technology stack
A lot of content marketers say that their companies procured content marketing and marketing automation solutions. But sadly, they were not fully utilized. The most reasonable solution to this problem is that content marketers should be provided training pertinent to these platforms. And they should learn as much as they can, regarding the functionality of such solutions.
Once they get a hang of what their tech stack is all about and understand its true potential, they will be able to perform better. It’s important that content marketers embrace technology. Trying to steer clear from it will only make them come across as laggards in a technologically driven world. Technology, in fact, has a lot on offer for content marketers!
Missing out on that authentic brand voice
Another glaring problem that content marketers are facing is that they sometimes fail to portray the perfect brand voice through their content. Brands that rely on content firms for their content requirements happen to be the biggest sufferers.
External content marketing agencies fail to feel the pulse of the brand for which they are working, quite obviously because they are not among those brand insiders who live and breathe the brand. And that is the reason why they struggle to produce authentic content on brands.
So, what is the solution?
The solution lies in the hands of the brands. They should consider insourcing content marketing rather than outsourcing it. Hence, for that authentic brand voice to emerge, brands must entrust the job of content marketing with people who are absolutely answerable to the brand.
Yes, customer stories help in this regard. But even the most competent content marketing agency might not have the kind of customer access in-house brand marketers of a company have.