By Jordan Way, Marketing Specialist

Before you publish another blog post or write another article, make sure you understand how these three factors can leave your content marketing campaign dead in the water.

• Factor #1: Creating content that doesn’t solve a problem for the reader. Quality content doesn’t read like ad copy, it addresses a real problem for the reader. And since people are busy, you need a headline that promises a solution to a specific problem, followed by content that makes good on the headline’s promise. That builds your credibility and boosts engagement.

• Factor #2: Treating your target audience like prospects instead of people. Business professionals are real people, and they don’t appreciate being treated like prospects. Content should make a connection between the reader’s personal and professional challenges. If you fail to connect with your audience on an emotional level, you can forget about developing trust or forming any kind of relationship with your readers.

• Factor #3: Failing to give readers the next steps. Your content has to walk a fine line: People don’t want to be sold a product or service when reading content, but they do want advice on what to do next. So after you connect with your readers and relate to their personal and professional challenges, you’ve probably established enough credibility and trust to offer recommendations and solutions. Make it easy for them to connect with you further, or they won’t bother doing so!

How a third party can help
It’s perfectly understandable that you’re excited about your product or service and how it can help your customers. But to really connect with prospects and even existing clients, you need a fresh perspective. An objective third party can help you create content that balances your interests with your audience’s needs.

Getting a unique “outsider” perspective ensures that your content stays solidly focused on solving problems for the reader, builds your credibility as an expert and resource, and drives further interaction between you and your readers.

What constitutes a conversion?
Content that helps people enrich their lives and solve their problems is all well and good, but ultimately, content marketing is still all about conversion. So you need a measure of success to help you determine whether your content is doing its job.

B2C conversions are usually measured in the form of a sale to the consumer. But in B2B — which usually has a longer sales cycle and meets prospects at different stages in that cycle — the conversion occurs when a reader interacts with your content. That can take place when the reader visits your website, downloads a white paper, registers for a seminar, or requests to be contacted directly.

Because B2B conversions require a different effort than B2C, it’s usually best to focus on achieving success in one area at a time. A dedicated, objective, third party with an outside perspective will have the skillset necessary to help you prioritize your objectives. If you find a content marketing specialist to help with this, you can ensure more conversions will take place.

At Proven Systems, we help marketers create content that people interact with and respond to.