10 myths about content marketing

updated October 14, 2021
Reading time6 minutes
Clayton Quist
Clayton Quist
Customer Service Genie

Content marketing is a relatively new phenomenon. According to Forbes magazine , the term can be defined as ‘a marketing technique that consists of creating and distributing attractive, relevant and valuable content with the aim of attracting a specific audience, leading to this audience taking actions which generate profit’. Just like with other techniques, there are a few myths about content marketing which need to be cleared up, so that you don’t stumble into traps or make the wrong decisions. Check them out below so that you can either adopt content marketing for your business, or restructure your existing content marketing.

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1. Content marketing is just about writing blog posts

The first myth on this list couldn’t be more untrue. It might look easy to start a blog, just a matter of logging onto the platform and starting to write, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Even the apparently simple process of creating a blog post involves various steps before the text is ready to be published, like following guidelines, looking for references, writing, proof-reading and fact-checking.

Blog

Looking at content marketing as a whole, there’s also strategy definition, SEO configuration and content distribution to consider, amongst other things. It isn’t that blog posts aren’t important, they are, but believing that content marketing is only about blog writing could be a big waste of time and effort. This leads nicely on to the next point…

2. Content marketing is only possible on text-focused blogs

Considering the boom in videos and live transmissions, this myth should have been busted ages ago. Links to texts on blogs are actually one of the things that least appear on feeds like Facebook, for example, only beating publications which are purely text. Images, gifs, videos and lives all have better reach. If you consider infographics and live classes, for example, it makes you realise that the options available for executing your content marketing strategies are much more diverse than you would have ever imagined.

3. You only have to flood a blog with posts for it to be successful

Quantity may seem important when we’re talking about blog posts for content marketing. But the most important thing isn’t quantity, but consistency. Posting 100 texts all at once won’t work wonders for your campaigns, but publishing three or four a day could.

It’s worth remembering that there’s no point stuffing your blog full with posts if they don’t include interesting, eye-catching or relevant content, if they aren’t search engine optimised, and if they don’t compliment your social media profiles. If they don’t it could have the inverse effect, as Google may penalise your site and you could lose your search engine ranking.

4. Content marketing is only to rank better on Google

This is another preconception, and it reduces the point of content marketing to just one thing. Just like the other points mentioned above, it’s not true. Ranking better on Google is one of its objectives, and is important, but it isn’t the only one. Your content could be aimed at closing sales, especially if we consider that, for ecommerce businesses, it could generate email marketing leads or increase your reach on social media sites.

Social Media

You should also bear in mind that the concept of content marketing involves attracting consumers to then engage in activities that are lucrative for your business. Google robots don’t buy, but they do help people to find your website. This is another myth that also fools lots of people who are exploring the possibilities of content marketing.

5. Reach and engagement are everything when it comes to content marketing

Content marketing isn’t just to help with search engine ranking, but this also doesn’t mean that it’s all about reach and engagement on social media either. Although these numbers need to be kept an eye on, they are only one way of measuring the success of your campaigns and they shouldn’t be your sole focus, but rather looked at as a means to an end, which is conversions. If 100 people like your page but none of them lead to a conversion, this means that you’re probably not doing that well, depending on your area.

6. Content marketing won’t work for my business

It’s true that some topics are more likely to go viral and have the potential to attract more consumer attention. However, you don’t need to go around publishing memes in an attempt to reach the general public for your page to be successful.

In fact, doing the opposite of this could be what makes your campaign successful. Case studies, infographics, industry analysis and tutorials are all types of content that are more likely to attract followers that will generate conversions for your business.

7. No one reads anything on the internet anymore

Although it’s true that videos get many more views than texts, anyone who thinks that texts have died a death is very wrong. What’s happened in recent years is that it has become more difficult to get someone to read something if it’s not of excellent quality. Yet again, quality of content is more important than quantity.

Leitura

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8. Quick results

Out of the 10 myths about content marketing, this might be the furthest one from the truth. Your content may go viral, and be really successful, but this brings two problems with it. These are that people quickly get bored of it and that it is difficult to consistently post this kind of publication. That’s why you shouldn’t believe that, right from the word go, your blog and social media profiles will start gaining huge amounts of followers. Reaching your goals could take years, especially considering there will be times when you make mistakes with your strategy and times when you hit the nail on the head. Patience and consistency are vital here.

9. Content marketing should be separated from my other campaigns

The complete opposite is actually true. The whole marketing process should be thought out as one, including your content strategy. Your content needs to compliment your brand’s objectives, and gel with the other marketing actions your company is taking. Separating content marketing from the rest won’t only stand in the way of getting good results, but also makes things harder for you than if you integrated them.

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10. Social media makes emails obsolete

Considering how long emails have been around, being the first form of online communication, we understand that it’s easy to believe this when you compare emails with social media. However, this claim is groundless. In fact, email marketing might even be more important than social media. A survey done by the site Convince & Convert revealed that consumers that normally spend 138% more if contacted through email than through other channels of communication. Despite all the dynamic developments in the online world, the email has never gone out of fashion. Check out this text for a few tips for your email marketing campaigns.

Email

How can you manage the increased traffic caused by your content marketing?

Although it won’t have a dramatic or instantaneous impact, over time you’ll notice your visitor numbers and conversions growing. With this increase, investing in customer service becomes viable, and having an online chat is the best way of attending to your clients. You can chat to your visitors in real time, you can even include a chat on your blog through Jivochat’s WordPress plugin. Don’t go anywhere without checking out the other features and payment plans (/pricing/) that Jivochat has to offer your business!

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