Recently I shared 6 common mistakes people make in their content marketing that will often cause them to say, “Forget it. It doesn’t work.”

And I challenged you to think about whether or not you are making any of those mistakes yourself.

Here are another 5 mistakes – a total of at least 11 – and there are probably more too!

7. Not using the right media/platform for the right audience.

This mistake arises when you either don’t know your audience well enough, or you are unwilling to shift from what is more comfortable for you than for them.

What I mean is, if your primary audience consists of women in their 30s and 40s you should definitely be on Pinterest. Even if you are a guy who doesn’t “get” Pinterest.

And if your audience is ages 15 to 25, at least, you had better be on Snapchat. This month. 😉

I’m not saying you have to be on 15 different platforms, or use 7 different types of media.

Just know your audience.

If you need to be creating podcasts for them to listen to while they drive or work out, do it.

If they tend to live in front of YouTube, create videos.

Don’t guess at this! Do your research and be in the right place.

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8. Using social media as a distribution channel instead of a relationship builder.

This is from Gary V. He points out that the purpose of social media is NOT really distribution. It’s to foster a relationship between you and your audience members.

Social media is the best place for them to get to know you as a real person behind a brand.

It’s also where you can reach out to your audience and get great market research (quizzes, challenges, engaging questions, etc.).

And when you engage with your audience – and you really know them – when you ask them to do something for you – such as share a post, or sign friends up for an event – they are very likely to be happy to be part of that community.

And that is what relationships are all about. We all want – no, we all NEED – to belong to something greater than ourselves.

So yes, you can send out your latest blogpost or podcast on social media, and it’s useful to curate other people’s helpful information that way, but the real key is using social media to foster a relationship with the real people in your audience.

9. Asking your audience to commit to you before you commit to them.

Let’s face it; we all have a bit of healthy skepticism when it comes to meeting someone new.

And you ask for something as personal as an email address before you even buy them a drink?

Nope. It doesn’t work anymore, if it ever did.

Now, the key is to give them something first, and THEN – when they not only know you, but they also like you – you can dare to ask for their email address.

***This is really important: When you send someone from an ad directly to an optin, without giving them something to build at least a little familiarity first – never mind trust – it’s going to cost you an arm and a leg.

So don’t do it. Introduce yourself. Commit to serving them first. Once they like you, then you can ask them to trust you with their email address.

10. Not running ads to your content.

This flows right out of #9.

Run ads. But don’t run them to sales pages first, or optins. And DON’T run cold ads to webinars!

Run ads and send prospects – your audience, remember – to valuable, actionable content. First.

You’ll save money in the long run because these content pieces not only create a more informed prospect, but also qualify they before they buy.

11. Not tracking the ROI of your content.

Let’s be clear. Determining useful metrics for content marketing is a bit tricky. Different companies will follow different metrics.

And what you follow depends on what part of the funnel you are looking at – top, middle, or bottom.

Ultimately, it all boils down to what your GOALS and OBJECTIVES are for your content (a topic for another day).

But if you are running ads to content first, then retargeting those who consume your content with more ads, you CAN determine ROI.

Not only can you determine ROI, but you SHOULD. Then you know if your marketing is “working”.

And that’s why we are reading and writing this article, isn’t it?

If you don’t have some way to determine your ROI, then you don’t have a business. Period.

Your action: I would love to hear your biggest “ah-ha” moments from these two posts. (Here is part 1.)Please share below what you have been doing less effectively with your content marketing, and what you think you would like to do better in the future. I will see if I can help in the comments.

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