The buzz word in advertising today is content marketing, and for good reason – the online world has quickly become the main media and advertising delivery method of the 21st century. Unfortunately, a lot of myths have sprung up around content marketing and you don’t want these to hold you back. Uncover the truth behind these misconceptions so you can begin taking your business to the next level.

#1: Your readers are too savvy to succumb to content marketing

This myth is both true and false. The era of web 1.0 is long past and readers are a bit more savvy – blaring adds and obvious, in-your-face marketing content is sure to turn away much of your demographic. That doesn’t mean readers are anti-marketing, though. The key is to provide value in your marketing. Thoughtful content that meets a need while tastefully advertising your product or service can still attract even the most savvy of consumers.

#2: Your business isn’t exciting enough

Simply not true – not everyone is looking for an exciting service or product! Online advertising works for almost anyone because almost every current demographic is now receiving most marketing exposure online. This is your unique opportunity to grab attention by providing useful or entertaining content that spreads brand awareness and attracts a new customer base.

#3: The costs outweigh the benefits

Another common misconception is that content marketing is pricey. While it can be if your goal is lots of slick online videos and information products for give-aways, there are other ways. Many first time content marketers start slow by producing some simple blog posts, and then in turn expanding these into full-blown industry articles, videos, or even advertisements. This provides a greater return on the initial creative investment. Then, you can expand as you begin to reap the benefits of your campaign.

#4: No one will ever read the content

Ignore the admonishments that reading is dead. Any visit to a public place disproves this, with hundreds of people buried in smart phones and tablets soaking up online content. The key is to produce content that your audience wants to read, and then spin it into similar video content for the few that won’t read.

#5: Free marketing opportunities are sufficient

Another common trap is thinking that you can subsist only on free or cheap marketing opportunities, such as setting up social media accounts and putting up a few posts. This is rarely the case. You will need to make an investment, although it doesn’t have to be large at first.

#6: It’s impossible to set and achieve marketing goals

In today’s age there is tracking data available for just about every type of online content marketing idea out there. This makes it easy to see how similar campaigns have done so that you can realistically set and achieve goals.

#7: You have to spend a lot of time and resources producing content

For smaller businesses it can be especially stressful to think you need to either learn to produce and market your own content, or bring in an outside team to do it. Fortunately, this isn’t the case. Outsourcing is becoming the industry norm in content marketing, especially for smaller businesses. You can bring on one or two outsourcers to help out, or connect with a content marketing firm that will handle everything for you.

#8: If you don’t have immediate results, it’s not worth it

It’s unclear why this myth is so prevalent, especially since no one considers it a factor in other forms of advertising. Results can take time, especially if you are new. It takes time to build up brand awareness, foster a following, and find your winning style of content. Slow and steady can really win the race.

#9: Content has to be cute to compete

With all the viral videos of cats and kids hawking big brands online, you may think this is the only way to get viewers to find you. While this method works, it isn’t the only nor even the best method for every brand. For everyone looking for cats, there is someone that is looking for a useful,non-cutesy piece of content.

#10: All you need is lots of views

Views are great, but only if they actually convert into new business. If you are in a small niche, you may not get a lot of views but each one of them is valuable if you are able to convert a high percentage into sales. Conversely, it does you no good to go viral if the video or article is popular but your product or service still isn’t selling.

#11: Publish and your work is done

A common mistake is thinking that content marketing is a one and done deal. You need to maintain and feed your content so you can get the most out of it. This may mean republishing it in several places, spinning it into new styles of online content, or linking to it on social media. Life moves fast on the internet, so you need to maintain your content to keep it on top.
There’s no need to enter the world of content marketing alone. Once you shed the baggage of these common myths, connect with experts to make your marketing goals a reality.