Dear Content Doctor: I think there’s a bug going around my organization’s marketing department. After developing a content strategy and hitting the ground running, we’re now generating leads at a sluggish pace. We try our best to come up with fresh content but at this point it seems like we’re regurgitating the same old things. Our user engagement on social media, site traffic and SEO rankings are reaching all-time lows.
It’s not like our entire staff is on bed rest, but trying to find the time to figure out what ails our content between all our other priorities has me feeling sick!
I know there’s something off because our conversion rates used to be on fire—but my team now seems to be burnt out thinking of ways to change course. What are we doing wrong, and how can we get back on the right track?
Sincerely,
Squeamish Marketing Director
Dear Squeamish Marketer:
It does indeed sound like your staff has a contracted some sort of contagion. There is good news, though. I’m diagnosing the malady as a case of mismanaged content production, for which there is a tremendously simple cure: a large dose of vitamin C—that is, content.
You see, in order to be truly effective, your content marketing strategy needs to be developed so that material comes out on a regular basis. Whether you’re using content for newsletters, email, a blog or your social media channels, think about what your customers are thinking when they realize the time stamp on your latest content is out of date!
It’s no wonder your content strategy is ailing—it cannot be a strategy that you employ only when you have the time.
I’m prescribing a dose of vitamin C because the true source of your problems seems to be an inability to generate enough of it to satiate your eager client base. If at one time your marketers were generating leads as you claim, it stands to reason that there is a link between your fizzling content and fizzling conversions.
An organization that creates content on a regular basis will be able to provide insights about the latest trends in its given industry, presenting itself as a cutting edge, trustworthy and reputable source for relevant information. Regular content creation can also help boost your SEO, engagement on social media and brand visibility.
From the sounds of it, your marketing department is not producing enough content for your strategy to become fully effective, either because they cannot think of original ideas or because they simply have too many other things on their plates.
My recommendation would be to outsource your content to an experienced content marketing vendor. Content vendors can provide the support your team needs to ensure your marketing gets back to good health in no time in a number of ways: create your editorial calendars, write your content in any given style or tone, diversify the type of content and create an overarching strategy that will best suit your organization’s needs.
Thanks for writing,
The Content Doctor
Keith Batter, known as “The Machine” due to his ability to provide quality content on a tight deadline, earned his degree in Creative Writing from Colorado University. Keith’s interest in a multitude of topics imbues his writing with valuable insights that resonate with readers in many fields. His work experience spans industries as diverse as hospitality (Thistledown Inn Bed and Breakfast), insurance (American Income Life Insurance), sales, journalism, publishing and even a brief foray into politics as a community organizer during the 2008 presidential election. In his spare time, Keith is difficult to find. Equipped only with a guitar, notebook and a liter of water, he frequently disappears deep into the forest with his wife and dog to evade civilization and wax poetic about the nature of existence.
