{"id":69962,"date":"2024-09-11T11:58:19","date_gmt":"2024-09-11T10:58:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/insight\/whats-holding-your-content-back\/"},"modified":"2025-03-07T16:53:18","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T16:53:18","slug":"whats-holding-your-content-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/insight\/whats-holding-your-content-back\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s holding your content back?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Content marketing used to turn heads, but it\u2019s no longer the new kid on the block. Most large companies now have a content programme in place, producing content with some kind of regularity. They may even have a content calendar in place to guide their output. But take a step back for a second. Is this \u2018strategic\u2019 planning helping you keep up with the content leaders – or is it holding you back?<\/p>\n

In an increasingly crowded field, the best content marketing has become increasingly mature and sophisticated to ensure it stands out. Importantly, it also takes a genuinely strategic approach to target the right people in the right regions at the right time. It\u2019s this sort of content that supports an organisation\u2019s overarching goals.<\/p>\n

There are five common mistakes organisations make with content strategy, which can be the difference between a wasted investment and strategically aligned, results-focused content marketing.<\/p>\n

1. Misaligned<\/h2>\n

Content strategy<\/a> works best when it\u2019s aligned with your broader corporate strategy. Let\u2019s say you\u2019re trying to position yourself as an industry leader, or one that\u2019s making bold strides at your sector\u2019s bleeding edge. Posting sporadic news updates or bland, repetitive content doesn\u2019t align with the identity you\u2019re trying to build or bolster. And if you only ever speak to North American customers but are trying to build your client base in APAC, your content is probably missing the mark.<\/p>\n

Instead, a synchronised content strategy will use tailored, considered content to bolster your brand, considering:
\n\u2022 Which areas of your business you want to highlight and grow
\n\u2022 Which regions you\u2019re focused on entering or expanding across
\n\u2022 How you want to position yourself in your sector \u2013 the spunky challenger and the sector stalwart shouldn\u2019t say the same things<\/p>\n

There are lots of ways to create a complementary content strategy that demonstrates your business\u2019s value. To bolster your credentials as a trusted leader, you could leverage internal research to create confident thought leadership<\/a> pieces. Offer your take on annual or quarterly trends, predict the impact of nascent tech or legislation, or comment on topical issues. You could also highlight specific areas of expertise, ghost authored for \u2013 and using insights from \u2013 your most experienced or inspiring people.<\/p>\n

2. Unbalanced<\/h2>\n

Creating content without a coherent strategy leaves you vulnerable to neglecting key areas of your business. It can often be an issue for large, multinational businesses that have many service or product lines and regions of operation. Content can become skewed towards a certain area due to an eager, creative subject matter expert or teams with more capacity, even if it\u2019s not one you\u2019re looking to highlight.<\/p>\n

A carefully considered content strategy helps you maintain balance. Seeking an external perspective can reveal just how uneven your content is and may help you identify how the focus needs to shift. It can also show you where external support will be needed, as teams may not have the capacity or skills to execute your strategy.<\/p>\n

3. Unfocused<\/h2>\n

Even interesting content can be strategically useless.<\/p>\n

Ok, perhaps that\u2019s a little harsh. A lot of content is well written and informative, but that\u2019s only part of its job. It needs to encourage the reader to take action, with SEO keywords, a clear narrative structure and channel optimisation to boot.<\/p>\n

If your \u2018so what\u2019 is buried in busy blogs, beyond the attention span of your audience, or fails to reach the right people, your content won\u2019t convert. Your strategy should set out each piece\u2019s purpose, and what readers should do after finishing it.<\/p>\n

Remember to be intentional with your briefs, too. Like most people, content is most effective when it\u2019s focused on a clear task, rather than trying to do everything at once.<\/p>\n

4. Inefficient<\/h2>\n

One of the most common reasons content marketing stalls is a lack of resource. Marketing teams often have little time to manage the end-to-end content production process. They highlight a stakeholder for a content piece but have no time to interview them, or to write the content up \u2013 or gather feedback, or ultimately get it published\u2026<\/p>\n

Other teams, like those delivering client services, contain a wealth of insights. But without an external perspective, and the dedicated time to analyse where content opportunities lie, their perspectives are never brought to life.<\/p>\n

A key part of content strategy is knowing who is going to create your content, and securing long-term content resources is key. That could mean retaining a dedicated content partner<\/a>, or connecting with one who can handle seasonal or sporadic overflow.<\/p>\n

5. Ineffective<\/h2>\n

Your content strategy has come to life and you\u2019ve got into a regular publishing groove. The content\u2019s being received well, too, with positive feedback and action from your peers. There\u2019s just one problem: to secure next year\u2019s budget, your senior leaders are asking for metrics that show the content\u2019s impact on the corporate strategy. And all you\u2019ve got to show are your social media likes.<\/p>\n

Before you implement any kind of content programme, or shift course, you need to understand what success looks like, and which metrics will best show your programme\u2019s strategic worth. If your organisation\u2019s goal is to win new clients, you could focus on the click-through rate from content to your contact page. Or, if you\u2019re trying to become a trusted leader, analyse if content is leading to newsletter or event signups.<\/p>\n

Once you know what you want to measure, establish a performance baseline. It\u2019s difficult to know if your strategy is effective if you\u2019ve no idea how your content was performing before. Measuring the right metrics also allows you to adapt and evolve your content strategy so it\u2019s always in step with your broader ambitions.<\/p>\n

As experts in language and communications, we can help you navigate the pitfalls of content planning and develop powerful strategies to capture attention, win business and drive growth. Let\u2019s talk strategy today<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Content marketing used to turn heads, but it\u2019s no longer the new kid on the block. Most large companies now have a content programme in place, producing content with some kind of regularity. They may even have a content calendar in place to guide their output. But take a step back for a second. Is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":69299,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[305,257],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-content-strategy-us","category-uncategorized-us"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat\u2019s holding your content back? - Stratton Craig - Global Copywriting & Content Strategy Agency<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Here are five common mistakes made with content strategy, which can be the difference between a wasted investment and winning content.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/insight\/whats-holding-your-content-back\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What\u2019s holding your content back? 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