The big mistake most companies make in content marketing

Is your company doing content marketing today?

Unfortunately, many make a big mistake when engaged in Content Marketing and it does not produce the results they desire. The leads don’t come.

Why not?

Content Marketing without a process is not content marketing

They have a Resources (or something like that) section on their website and it contains white papers, eBooks, webinars and the like. They then can say to the CEO “Hey, we’re doing content marketing.” But they’re not driving sales.

Here’s an example of content marketing done wrong, look at  Falconstor Software. Look at all the content in their Library. Lots of content, right? But they are struggling financially.

Here’s the take-way:

Content Creation is NOT Content Marketing.

You’re merely doing batch and blast content. What’s wrong with that approach?

We need to go back to the goal of Content Marketing.

To move a prospective buyer though a buying process in order to become a buyer.

The problem with what most company call Content Marketing is that it does not deliver on this goal. Their content’s not mapped to buyer personas or buying process stage – which renders it virtually useless. It does not lead the prospect through the buying process.

Get with the program and create a content map like you will find in the Campaign Message Matrix in our Free Tools. Or check out A Quick and Dirty Way to Segment Your B2B Content Marketing at the Content Marketing Institute.

What do you think? Have we hit on a common problem?

Jeff Ogden, the Fearless Competitor, is President of Find New Customers “Lead Generation Made Simple.” He’s also the author of highly acclaimed white papers like How to Find New Customers and Definitive Guide to Making Quota, as well the ebook, Prospect Driven Marketing (and he’s about to start on his third white paper) and holds a BBA in Marketing from the University of Notre Dame.

Find New Customers helps business develop and implement business to business lead generation programs to improve the way they find and acquire new customers using best practices in marketing lead generation.