Creating content can be a daunting task for many companies from worrying about the quality of the content to the amount of time and resources it requires, it's understandable why many businesses are hesitant to fully invest in a content marketing strategy. 

However, the benefits of a strong content presence are too important to ignore. In this blog post, we will explore the top fears that companies have when it comes to creating content and provide practical tips on how to overcome these challenges and achieve success. Whether you are just starting out with content marketing or looking to improve your existing strategy, this post will provide valuable insights and guidance to help you reach your goals.

1/ Limited resources… and the interns are already working overtime

Lack of business resources, including budget, personnel, and time, can significantly impact content marketing and content creation efforts for your company. You may not have the resources to promote your content effectively, reducing its reach and visibility. A lack of resources can limit your ability to test and iterate on different types of content and distribution channels, hindering your ability to optimise and improve your content marketing results. 

Solution: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and micro content can help solve the resource problem by making content creation and distribution more efficient and cost-effective. AI-powered tools (such as chatGPT) can automate the content creation process, freeing up time and resources for more strategic and creative tasks. Additionally, AI can assist in identifying content topics, and help to optimise and improve content marketing results.

Micro content, or bite-sized pieces of content can also be an effective solution to the resource problem as they require fewer resources to produce and distribute. These small pieces of content can still be impactful and generate engagement, while also being easy to create and share on a regular basis.Micro content can be used in conjunction with AI-powered tools to personalise and optimise the delivery of content to specific audiences.

A third option is working with a partner to develop your content. A full rundown of these options and different price points is provided in our article: Content Marketing on a Budget.

2/ Creating Quality Content…. ahhhhh…. we'll get back to you on that

Creating consistent and high-quality content is a crucial aspect of any content marketing strategy, but it can also be a significant challenge. Without a well-defined content plan in place, it can be difficult to maintain a consistent brand message and measure the effectiveness of content marketing efforts. Finding the right balance between promoting the brand and delivering valuable information to the target audience can be a delicate balancing act.

Fear of failure can also hold us back from fully committing to a content marketing strategy. There is always a risk that the content will not resonate with the target audience, leading to a lack of engagement and poor results. This can be especially true when you are just starting out with content marketing strategy and may be uncertain about their approach.

Solution: Generating quality content springs from a deep understanding of your customers, as well as expertise in explaining how these issues impact their specific customer journey. It's easier to create generic content, but it is unlikely to yield any tangible results for your business. 

High-quality content can play an integral role in the sales process and be leveraged by sales teams to drive results. By having a thorough understanding of the issues at hand and the impact they have on your different customers, you can craft pieces that resonate with your target audience and contribute to the overall success of the business. The knowledge and insights gained from creating this type of content can help inform other aspects of the marketing and sales strategies.

3/  Forgotten in the Sea of Sameness: The Difficulty of Being Memorable

Creating unique and memorable content is a challenge because there is a lot of competition in the marketplace. With so many brands vying for attention, it can be difficult to differentiate and stand out with content that is truly unique and memorable. Additionally, the abundance of information and content available online can make it challenging to create content that is both fresh and relevant for your target audience. 

Solution: You should consider your audience's preferences, attention span, and what content they have seen before. It can be difficult to strike the right balance between promoting the brand and delivering value to the target audience. 

The secret to crafting distinctive content lies in comprehending your target audience. Your business likely has multiple buyer personas, each with their own set of unique questions that must be addressed for them to progress through the sales funnel. Utilising these filters before writing the content helps to determine the distinctive perspective that is crucial for creating memorable content for your audience.

4/ Measuring Content Performance? Too much work, we'll just skip it

Measuring the success of content marketing can be a complex task. One of the main challenges is attributing a sale or lead to a specific piece of content. It's not always clear what role the content played in the customer's decision-making process. Additionally, content marketing often has a long sales cycle, so it can take time to see results and measure success. 

The metrics used to measure success can vary greatly depending on the goals of the campaign and the target audience, making it difficult to compare results across different campaigns and channels. Overall, measuring the impact of content marketing requires a well-defined strategy, a clear understanding of the target audience, and a combination of both quantitative and qualitative metrics.

Solution: The issue of measuring content performance has been a long-standing challenge. Limited access to data (held by publishing partners) and the metrics captured in content creation and distribution platforms has made it difficult to gauge success. However, the landscape is changing. 

Firms, including ours, are now providing data solutions that allow real-time understanding & optimisation of content, overcoming previous difficulties through increased transparency. Although not flawless, a clearer understanding of content performance, its effect on other channels, and overall impact in the marketing mix is emerging.

5/ Difficulty in maintaining consistency in content production and distribution

Maintaining consistency in content production and distribution can be difficult because it requires a significant amount of planning, organisation, and effort. Consistency in content production refers to creating and publishing content on a regular schedule, whether that be daily, weekly, or monthly. This can be challenging because it requires a significant amount of planning and organisation to ensure that there is always new content being produced and published.

Solution: the decision to prioritise consistent content generation for your business comes down to its perceived benefits. Other areas in your business may need to be deprioritised as let's face it, we can’t do it all. A content creation schedule needs to be adopted by the company and having a dedicated person to manage this process brings significant benefits. 

If this still sounds like a big ask, consider the impact that just one inbound lead can have on your business each month. Then imagine these leads steadily increasing for the lifetime of your business, creating an undercurrent of robust & reliable revenue.

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Businesses may avoid content marketing for a variety of reasons, including a lack of resources, uncertainty about ROI, and difficulty measuring success. However, by understanding these challenges and taking steps to overcome them, companies can reap the many benefits of a strong content marketing strategy.

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