5 Content Marketing Myths You Should Ignore in 2018

In order to successfully guide your business into the future, you must keep up with the latest trends and developments. Digital marketing is increasingly important for many businesses, and it is a rapidly changing area.

Unfortunately, there are many myths associated with digital marketing that could steer you off course. As you create your marketing plan for the coming year, be aware of these unhelpful myths.

1. The More Content, The Better

Content Quality SEOWhile there is some truth to the fact that throwing more content out there means that your target audience may be more likely to see it, it is more cost-effective to produce quality content that has a better chance of producing desired results.

With quality content that has meaning or significance to your target audience, you may actually reach more of your customers.

This myth may have stemmed from the time many years ago when Google rewarded those who published more content. These days are long gone, and search engines generally look for relevance in the content that you produce.

More than that, shared content may also yield better rankings on search engine results. Your focus going forward should be on producing quality content over quantity.

2. Content Is Only Successful When It Has Big Reach or ROI

There is something to be said for reaching your target audience with your marketing materials. It does not matter if you reach 5,000 more users if those users are not interested in what you have to say or to offer.

You should measure content against key performance indicators or KPIs. Content needs to be engaging for the consumers who you want to reach.

Keep in mind that a direct impact on ROI is not the only goal to focus on with marketing. Marketing can also be used effectively to develop and promote your brand to establish loyalty and to accomplish many other beneficial results.

3. Content Marketing Is Expensive

You may think that hiring a content writer to join your team would be expensive. However, you could hire a remote employee to produce content for you and this could dramatically reduce related overhead. The average content writer today may charge you between $25 and $50 per hour.

When you compare the cost of content marketing against the cost of other types of marketing, you will find that this is a relatively affordable way to reach your consumers.

You may also be able to reposition the same content so that it makes a different point, and this could increase the cost-effectiveness of your content marketing strategy.

Again, remember to focus on quality. Paying experienced writers and marketing professionals is preferred over paying less money for inexperienced professionals.

There are numerous strategies to save money on your content without resorting to hiring less experienced professionals.

4. Great Text-Based Content Is Enough

It is not enough to simply write content for your marketing material. According to a study by Simply Measured, video is shared online up to 1,200 percent more than links and text content combined.

More than that, in another study 73 percent of business-to-business marketers surveyed said that video had improved their return on investment.

You can see the importance of creating effective visuals to accompany your text. Video content is an excellent way to make a more profound impact on your target audience.

It can say things that words cannot, and it makes your content more intriguing and memorable.

5. Content Marketing Is a Short-Term Strategy

Some people unfortunately think that content marketing is a short-term solution that should provide immediate results, but this is not the case. It takes time for your consumers and the search engines to locate your content online.

It also takes time to promote content on social media and for your content to, hopefully, be shared by others.

In addition, you may find that you need to explore different content marketing options before you find the right direction to follow with your efforts.

You may find that content marketing requires considerable time. Nonetheless, it can make a profound impact on your company’s success if you keep with it over the long haul.

In addition, some companies believe that if a tactic worked for another company it should also work for theirs. It is important to test each new content marketing effort that you make.

Spend time analyzing and refining your efforts until you find what works best for your personal blog or company.