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Mike FarrellMar 11, 2022 10:00:00 AM2 min read

5 Content Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

Everyone is into content marketing. The challenge is not only how to do it, but how to do it well. One of the best things a marketer can do is learn from the mistakes of others. Here are 5 mistakes to avoid while creating a content marketing strategy:

1. Content creation is too narrowly focused on a single buyer.

B2B appointment settingNarrowly focused content tends to be out of step and misaligned with the reality of buying in most companies today.  The biggest drawback is that content then becomes non-shareable since it lacks relevancy to others. The solution: When considering the buyer personas for whom you want to develop content, content producers must consider more than just the single buyer or buyer persona.  This is true when conducting buyer insight research - it is a mistake to interview only those whom you assume are direct buyers.  Buying in organizations today is fluid, dynamic, flatter, and involves more participants. 

2. Companies create content for themselves not their buyer.

You are not your buyer – get over it bro! Before you create anything – dig in deep with your current client base and your sales staff, they will give you the insight you need to create really compelling content.  This is probably the biggest mistake in content, albeit the most forewarned.  So listen up! 

3. Their content voice sounds like a corporate twit.

From our early school days we were taught that formal writing = good writing.  Somewhere along the way marketers found out that this is absolute crap, however the old days of getting slapped on the hand with a ruler for "writing as you talk" are hard lessons to break.  Honestly, it’s the only reason I enjoy content creation in modern sales/marketing, all of the sudden its cool to speak to people like people again. And they're buying it!  I just wanted to start a sentence with "and" there to see if a huge cosmic ruler would hit me. 

4. Content is created without any personality. 

Content that is written as an instruction manual will come across as just that, instructions. There’s so much crap content out there and there is a need for good writers with personality and opinions based on their own experience. That’s what I want to read.

5. Companies are jumping in the raging river of social media and content marketing without a plan or measurable goals.

Social and content marketing are not just hobbies or activities. They are business processes that should be approached with a strategic plan and metrics to measure success. 

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Mike Farrell

Mike has an incredible track record of building companies and growing pipeline and ultimately revenue. Mike has extensive experience selling into B2B and public sector markets, building sales development organizations as well as developing channel partnerships. Mike has 30+ years of sales, marketing and business leadership experience. He led the growth of By Appointment Only (BAO) for 15 years as Chief Operating Officer. His style of positive leadership helped BAO establish the pay-for-performance appointment setting category, helping to scale technology and SaaS businesses across North America. Prior to BAO, Mike was SVP of Sales at PC Connection (NASDAQ: CNXN), where he led the transformation to a B2B sales model, doubling revenue to $1.4B in his tenure. At CompuCom Systems (now a wholly owned subsidiary of Office Depot) Mike was VP of Sales of Public Sector after its acquisition of CIC System where he was VP of Sales, Marketing & Professional Services for the national IT solutions provider. Earlier in his career he held numerous sales leadership positions at CIC and Copley Systems where he was the integration specialist folding in the acquisitions of two firms to create the national footprint.He holds a BS in Business Administration from Merrimack College. He is a member of AA-ISP, past President of the Hopkinton HS Athletic Booster Association, and is on the Board of Bright Spirits Children’s Foundation. He and his wife of 30+ years, Kathleen, live in Massachusetts and have four adult children.

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