7 Content Mistakes Every Business Makes (with examples)

Content is becoming a seemingly ever-increasing topic of conversation especially around social media and the various digital platforms. Why should we care about content? Do we need more? Is what we have sufficient? What are our competitors doing?

When you consider that every interaction you have with your audience either increases OR decreases their perception of you and/or your brand, it's vital that you, at minimum, consider what you put out there.

It's a pretty big topic, but if you're finding your content doesn't get the engagement you desire or the results you expect, then maybe this blog post can give you some insight and direction to help you identify where you're going wrong with your content strategy, and how you can get back on the right track.

So, let's ask ourselves, what mistakes do businesses make with their content?

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1. They're No Strategy or Schedule - if you find yourself being inconsistent with posting and you don't really know what you're doing to post or when you're going to post it, then you'll likely just put it off and not post at all, and that becomes a habit. But this means you're going to be seen by less people and your competitors who are posting consistently could be taking your business.

Example: Tom & Jerry are looking for a bite to eat this week and are in the office deciding where to grab lunch. The usual "Where do you fancy?" comes into conversation. Now, this is where ideas are thrown onto the table - what's more likely: they mention places at the forefront of their mind that they see all the time on social media OR the place that they may have seen a few weeks ago? I'm going to let you answer that one yourself. You get the point here and the importance of it.

How to become more consistent is easy. Don't over complicate it at the start or you'll give up. Slowly build it up. For each day of the week, assign a piece of content that needs to be posted. Monday could be 1 Instagram post. Tuesday could be 1 Facebook Story, Wednesday could be one vlog-style Instagram story, and so on. Set one out, and make the promise to yourself that you'll be more consistent and your business will thank you for it.
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2. They Over-Produce Content - A lot of businesses believe that anything they put online has to be top of the range, professionally produced with all the bells and whistles. This is not the case. Not only is it expensive to do this on a consistent basis, but it also hinders your ability to connect with your audience. YES, your business should invest in top quality content for things like your website, content walls such as Instagram, and for general posting, but it shouldn't be the only content you make.

Example: Let's say a car dealership ONLY posts the brand-created content. You know, those ads that make the driver look like James Bond, makes their neighbours jealous etc. Who are the team? What does the dealership look like? Where is my opportunity to build some relationship with the dealership brand rather than the car brand?

If you're looking to increase your engagement and build a more loyal relationship with your following, break down that professional content barrier and post more stories on your phone, whether it's you or a member of staff talking through a new product or service. It doesn't have to be perfect and you don't have to know exactly what you're doing - the more you do it, the more you'll find your feet and your style.

3. They Repost Content Over and Over Again - A lot of the time, a business will have a content shoot and use that content for years and years, but content becomes stale, irrelevant to your current offering, and outdated. Not only does this hinder your freshness on your digital platforms, but also your relevancy with your audience.

Example: Imagine you walk by a new billboard, you might take a look at it once and take notice, but as you pass it every day, it becomes part of the background and you no longer begin to notice. The same thing happens with content. Don't be a year-old billboard.

I want you to ask yourself, why should you care about what a business does or give them your attention when they aren't putting effort into getting your attention? This isn't a question your audience consciously asks themselves, but it's certainly what's going on. If you want to keep at the forefront of your audiences mind, you need to update your content on a regular basis.

4. They Speak to Everyone - When you speak to everyone, rather than a condensed audience, you're not capturing anyone's attention, because it doesn't relate to them. Why should someone care about what any brand or business says when it doesn't show understanding of their situation, personality, or feelings?

Example: Let's say you're a dentist informing your audience of a teeth whitening offer. "Our teeth whitening offer is now available to for just €59 per session". Now I don't know how much teeth whitening is, but regardless of how good the offer is, I've no interest in whatever that dentist is saying.

But notice the difference here..."Not happy with your smile? Terrified of photos? Regain your confidence and smile brighter for just €59 with our brand new teeth whitening offer." If I'm in any way not happy with my smile, that is going to resonate with me a lot more than the first message because it addresses my frustrations and poses an obvious solution. It speaks directly to me and I'm far more likely to engage.

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5. They Post Pixelated and Unfriendly Content - nothing screams "I don't want you to engage with me" that old, pixelated content. But I see this all the time, and surprisingly a lot of the time, the businesses aren't even aware that their content is low quality. What this does is decrease your audiences perception of you and your business.

Example: Restaurant A posts beautiful, quality images of their food regularly where you can see everything in detail. Restaurant B posts pixelated images of their food, where it's pretty tough to really know what's on the plate. Where are you more attracted to? Obviously it's 'A', because we can make a more informed decision. Not only that, but we know that their food will look great on our social media, too! Quality content = perceived quality experience.

Ask yourself this, if you post low-quality content, why should your audience expect a high-quality product/service? You can create quality content on most modern phones so there's no excuses.

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6. They Don't Repurpose Their Content - if you've created a piece of content, whether it be professionally or on your own, have you repurposed it? If you haven't you could be missing out on a huge opportunity to expand the reach of that piece and the effect it can have on your brand.

Example: Let's say you're a real estate agent and you've made a 5-10 minute Youtube video doing a walkthrough of your business, what you do, and some common tips to help your audience make more informed buying decisions. Why just leave it on YouTube? Instead...

1. Post it on Facebook.
2. Edit it to a 1 minute video for Instagram.
3. Edit it to a 5 minute video for LinkedIn.
4. Upload the audio to a podcast.
5. Put the video on your Website.
6. Transcribe the video and turn it into a blog post.
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...and so on and so on. You can see where I'm going with this, and there's at least 9 different ways you can repurpose content, so get creative!
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So that's it. If you feel like you're in a good place and that this article has helped get you back on track with what you're doing, I'm delighted! I'm always glad to help. But if you're still stuck and would like further assistance, feel free to reach out. I'll be happy to answer any questions.
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