18 Jul 7 Deadly Content Marketing Mistakes That Will Kill Your Sales

How to win the marketing message war with your competitors

Written by Daniela Cavalletti

7 min read

A lot of our daily communication happens in writing these days: from text messages, via social media posts and comments, to personal and work emails. We all type away more than ever.

But while jotting down a few notes or chatting away informally is one thing, composing a solid content marketing message is quite another beast. From emails that get read and answered, via creating blog posts that stimulate engagement, to putting together a sales pitch that lands you the new client: this kind of writing takes a focused approach and a honed set of skills.

Know Thy Enemy

Have you ever read a wonderful book, interesting article or insightful blog posts – only to find an annoying typo or missing conclusion spoil the whole experience? Yes, … me too. I can feel deflated, cheated, and even that my time was wasted – despite the many captivating bits in the piece.

It’s not fair. But more often than not, it’s not all the good stuff you’ve produced that people notice and remember. It’s that one seemingly small mistake that glaringly stands out for them. This error might just become what turns your reader and potential client off. And then it’s “adios!” to your chance to shine, capture and engage.

Once you know the most common and harmful mistakes people make every day in their content marketing and copywriting, you’ll be well-armed to create powerful messages that stand out.

You’re ready to win the battle for the perfect customer or client.

How to Kill Your Content

Good writing builds on a bunch of solid foundations, that, when ignored, can bring even your best story down like a rickety house of cards. Stick to the proven basics, and you’re well on your way to engage, convince, and connect with your reader. And leave your competitors eating your dust.

Enemy #1 – Disorganised Content Marketing Writing

Before you even set out to hit the keyboard tapping away, stop, think and plan:

• Why are you writing this piece; what’s its purpose?
• Who will read it, or listen to you present it?
• What do you want your reader to do, to feel, to learn?
• What context is your piece written in (stand-alone or part of a series; SEO strategy; reputation enhancer; etc.)?
• Where will it appear (your website, a magazine, a tender, a slide-deck, etc.) – and what style does that require?

Take the good old pen and paper to sketch the outline for more complex pieces, or use a mind map app if you’re technically inclined. But be warned. Many an hour has been wasted perfecting the look of a mind map – when it’s really only meant to be a tool to organise your thoughts.

Next, structure your content marketing piece well. You’ll need to include:

• A Catchy Headline or Title – that entices and summarises what problem you’ll solve or what topic you’re discussing. Be adventurous, fun and creative, but careful not to overdue the drama and sensationalism. And stay true to your brand voice.
• An Introduction – to set the scene. Tell a story, ask a question, or state a problem.
• The Body – to discuss the topic. Make it easily digestible and attractive to the skimming reader by breaking up your text with informative subheads. Create some visual diversity and loosen up the structure by using bullet points and lists where your content lends itself to it.
• The Conclusion – rounds off your marketing content piece.
• Your Call To Action – You can have one or many and it / they can be placed at the end or within your written piece, depending on the medium.
• A Striking Image – to support your writing style, topic and brand.

Enemy #2 – Ignoring Your Target Market

Back to the ‘whom am I writing for?’ question. Don’t rush past that one too quickly. “My customers, of course!” you may think.

Right … but who are they exactly?

• What do they believe, lack, fear, abhor, want, like and need?
• Are they mainly male, female, other, or either? How young or old are they? What are their financial habits – frugal or big spenders? What are their interests? Are they employed or employers? How urgently do they usually need your services or product? Pick and examine categories that are relevant to your business, market and audience.
• What are your clients’ values and beliefs?
• Do you know (and can address) their pain points?

You get the idea: what would that person look, behave and be like? Who is the ideal client you’re trying to reach?

Once you know who they are and what makes them tick, you’re able to create marketing content that will directly speak to them and their wants and needs.

Think about that, too, when you ask them to take action at the end of your piece: what do you want them to do next – and what’s in it for them?

Enemy #3 – Flaunting Your Functions

You’re ready to write your little heart out now. But beware: don’t mess up a potential content marketing masterpiece by boring or confusing your reader.

Don’t just tell them only about you, you, you: your expertise, your service options or products’ functions. All they really want to hear is the answers to “how can you help me, me, me?”

This enemy is easily taken on: instead of telling your clients about the features of your service or product (‘this is what we do’), tell them about all the impressive benefits they get instead (‘these are the problems we solve for you, things we protect you and your family from, the time we’ll give you back for doing things for you’).

Enemy #4 – Lack of Credibility in Your Marketing Content

It’s not just what you say, but whether it will convince the reader to believe you, that is important. Third-party endorsements (testimonials and glowing product reviews), examples and proof of what you’ve described or claimed (happy customer stories, awards won, case studies, statistics, references) and offering workable solutions to problems you’ve described go a long way to make you more convincing.

Credibility is a mighty weapon in the fight for customers.

Enemy #5 – Badly Chosen Words

Your writing tone, style and turn of phrase will have a big effect on how your content marketing messages are received and acted upon.

Some sure-fire ways of messing up an otherwise wonderfully thought-through and informative piece of writing are:

• Cookie-cutter phrases that lack authenticity
• Inappropriate tone or language for your specific audience
• Inattention to proper grammar
• Jargon that’s unnecessary and only used to ‘impress’
• Overly salesy language
• Sloppy use of English (e.g. textese ‘speak like you text’ syndrome)
• Trying to be someone you are not to fit your reader’s (imagined) expectations

Instead, to win over your readers, be yourself. Keep it simple, authentic and clear.

And always edit and proofread your work after stepping away from it for a while. Imagine your target audience reading your work: will they feel understood and spoken to? Or is there a risk they might feel patronised, bored, or not taken seriously? If in doubt, make your text clearer and simpler.

Do check in with yourself whether, when reading it out aloud to yourself, your piece of content marketing writing sounds like you. Is this how you speak to your clients in a meeting or on the phone?

Enemy #6 – Not Delivering The Goods

Depending on the type of content you create for your marketing strategy, you will have to follow some slightly different approaches (e.g. a video script is written via a very different process than a blog post). But no matter what kind of marketing content you create, your piece will have to deliver what it promises and be well-rounded to achieve its purpose. What does that mean?

A good piece of marketing writing needs to be valuable, relevant and clear.

Otherwise it will only create annoying ‘information noise’ for your reader – and a black mark against your name. That means no click-bait headlines, no false promises, and always telling a story from beginning to end.

Enemy #7 – Going Out with a Fizzle, Not a Bang 

Any memorable piece of writing ties up any lose ends in an interesting, satisfying ending. Think about it: it’s the last part your reader engages with, and therefore it often leaves the strongest impression. And it’s the springboard that should propel them to consider the action you want them to take. So don’t let your reader hanging by simply stopping to write.

Here’s how not to end a content marketing piece (and these are actual endings I’ve come across):

• “As I already said in my introduction and sections 1 and 5, it cannot be stressed enough that …”
• “So, to finish, let me summarise …
• “The End.”

Boring.

To be effective, the ending of your content marketing piece has to develop naturally from the rest of the piece. If you want your reader to feel that they got ample bang for their (attention) buck, end your marketing piece strongly by trying one or more of these strategies:

1. Circling back to the opening question and answering it.
2. Posing a question (especially effective on blogs or social media) that invites the reader to think, get involved and/or share their expertise or opinion.
3. Summarising the piece by using a short anecdote or story – repetition of your message will enhance recall.
4. Giving your reader something further to consider that expands on the topic you just discussed; in other words: make them think about what they’ve read and let it stay with them.
5. Asking your reader directly to take some action.

How to Win The Content Marketing War

With information hitting all of us 24/7 these days, it’s quality writing and useful content that will ultimately gain traction in marketing. Sensationalist writing may get short term attention, yes, but it’s the thoughtfully created content marketing pieces that will get you noticed in a crowded and tough market. Use your time, words and resources wisely.

You’re now armed with seven strategies to get more people to read the content you write.

You’re ready to enter the content marketing battle for your perfect clients.

And what’s more: you’re ready to win not just a battle with your competitors but – with a bit of luck – the entire content marketing contest.

Are you feeling a bit battle-weary and would like someone else to take charge of your marketing content for a bit? Contact us to find out how we can support you in leading your business to success.