3 Dangers of Being Content with Your Content (or Lack Thereof)

Two things matter in developing marketing collateral: design and content.

Most businesses recognize the need for a great design, but content is often given the backseat. Here is a look at the dangers of neglecting the importance of content.

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Danger #1: Your really great imagery can’t do all the work.

The need for good graphic design is often understood. If the marketing piece does not stimulate the eye, it has little value to the business and to its target audience.

While people are visually-oriented, a great design can only carry the weight of your marketing message so far. To have an effective message, you also need, well, a message. Tell consumers what you offer, what they can expect of you, and what you want them to do about it.

If the quality of the copy is not on par with a beautiful design, it renders the piece ineffective.

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Danger #2: No one is interested in what you’re saying.

People are sorting through outstanding quantities of information every day. You need to make sure what you are saying is worthwhile to them. Understanding your audience is critical in creating valuable content.

Think through your audience’s perspective. Answer their questions about your product or service. Tell them how you can solve their problem. This will pique their interest in what you are saying.

You also want to consider how your customers process information. Are they more likely to react to statistics or to emotional appeal? Additionally, content can take many other forms: infographics, videos, blogs, checklists, etc.

Leverage your audience’s personality to generate the content they will be eager to absorb.

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Danger #3: Google and your audience think you’re stale.

Outdated material does not benefit your target customer, nor does it help your business in search engine rankings. Search engine results are content driven. This is two-fold: content needs to contain quality and relevancy, and content needs to be fresh. Your target audience, too, wants current and engaging information that is also applicable to what they are seeking.

When it comes to your website, you want to incorporate SEO keywords that make sense. Pages that were generated just to house keywords can become unreadable, nonsensical, or disengaging to your visitors.

Creating or keeping a social media profile that rarely sees use is also ineffective. Customers are often turned off when they visit a profile whose last post was months or years ago. Sometimes it is better to not have a profile than to have a neglected one.

Ads should stay fresh so that your audience does not become immune because they think they have seen it dozens of times already. Determining the right amount and the best quality of content for your audience is not only possible, it is necessary.