WARNING Small Business Owners and Content Creators: Make Sure This Key Thing Isn’t Missing From Your Content Marketing

Picture this: You've meticulously crafted your blog posts, poured your heart and soul into your social media content, spent an hour making a six second video, and perhaps spent another hour writing the (almost) perfect email to your growing list.

Yet, despite your best efforts, the results are... well, lackluster. What gives? Where did you go wrong?

So glad you asked my friend. The answer might surprise you. It may not be your writing, your video skills or when you’re posting on social media. Nope, the missing piece of the puzzle could be something often overlooked yet absolutely critical to your success: marketing itself!

Yes you heard me right. In the wonderful (albeit sometimes challenging) world of content marketing, it's all too easy to get caught up in the creation process and forget about the equally important task of actually marketing your content. Because you do realize that content is not synonymous with marketing right? Right (just look straight ahead if you didn’t realize this).

Let's get into this further shall we? According to recent studies, a whopping 60% of marketers struggle with producing engaging content. But here's the kicker: Only 23% of them prioritize content distribution. That's like baking a cake and forgetting to serve it to your guests!

The other thing is, I often see content without a call to action. Or weak calls to action. If there is no call to action, or an irrelevant call to action, more than likely, there is no marketing happening.

But help has arrived my fellow content connoisseurs. By shifting your focus from mere creation to strategic promotion and actual marketing, you can unlock a world of untapped potential for your content and brand. Here's how:

Know Thy Audience: Before hitting that "publish" button, take a moment to ponder: Who are you creating this content for? What are their pain points, desires, and aspirations? For the love of God, please go beyond just demographics. You need to know more than just your ideal buyer’s age, location, income, ethnicity or marital status. That info can be helpful, but is akin to just the outer layer/skin of an onion. There are more layers to peel back. Really knowing and understanding your audience is the first step toward crafting content that truly resonates.

Spread the Word: Don't be shy about sharing your content far and wide. Leverage the power of social media, email newsletters, podcasts, collaborations and dare I say it - AI to get your message out there. After all, if you don't toot your own horn, who will? And that message should include what you offer, for whom, and why it’s a game changer. It is a game changer right? Right.

Collaborate, Don't Compete: Speaking of collaborations, reach out to fellow creators, business owners, influencers, business groups, local chambers of commerce, select associations and industry experts just to name a few for collaboration. While there are a number of different types of collaborations, keep in mind we’re talking content. Examples of content collaborations that can incorporate marketing are podcast guest swaps, virtual summits, and sponsorships.

Data-Driven Decisions: Embrace the power of analytics to track the performance of your content. Which posts are resonating with your audience? Which channels are driving the most traffic? Who is your content attracting? What’s driving lead generation? Data can give you an unfair advantage, one of which is more effective marketing.

So fellow small business owner, expert, service provider or reluctant content creator, you no longer have an excuse to have ineffective content marketing that’s missing the marketing. Unless you need some additional support. Unless your content marketing is also missing strategy. Because you know there is strategy involved in successful content marketing right? If not, we should connect. Find outthe next best step here. You can also connect with me on LinkedIn, Tiktok.orInstagram.

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