5 Common Mistakes that can Ruin Your Content Campaign
By: Carolina Esbaile
Tags: Video Marketing, Branded Content, Content Marketing, Marketing, Advertising

I’ve dedicated the past few years of my professional life exclusively to content marketing. And over that time, I’ve watched brands and ad agencies make the same mistake over and over again: they treat content marketing like advertising.

It’s a common mistake, and almost always results in a waste of money and a frustrated CMO who may start to believe content just doesn’t work for their brand.

The fact is content works. And it can work brilliantly. But it needs a different strategy than advertising and brands have to stop treating them equally. Here are five common misconceptions from the advertising world that you should avoid at all costs when developing a content strategy for your brand

1. Content marketing is a form of advertising

It’s not. Advertising is a strategy brands use to increase sales. Content marketing is a different strategy brands can (and should) use to increase sales and awareness. They are two different strategies and should be developed and executed in different ways.

Let’s say advertising and content marketing are both contenders in a boxing match. Basically, advertising would be whoever is fighting Rocky. And content marketing would be, well, you guessed it, Rocky. Advertising has always been about aspiration. It’s about the unachievable. Advertising is the guy who’s already on top: he’s got the money, the style, the clever lines, the girl and he makes you want to be just like him. It is aspirational.

Rocky is loved by his audience because, in life, most of us aren’t big shots who have it all figured out.

Content marketing, on the other hand, is all about what’s real. You see, the reason Rocky became such a popular character is because he’s not some bigger-than-life hero who can accomplish it all. In fact, he doesn’t even win the big fight until his second movie, and his opponent isn’t a villain. Rocky is loved by his audience because, in life, most of us aren’t big shots who have it all figured out. Sure, Rocky is still a little aspirational, but he’s still human and relatable. He’s what could have happened to us if we’d pursued our childhood dreams. He’s inspirational. And that’s the type of content people love, so much so that “Rocky” became one of the most profitable film franchises ever.

2. It should be all about your product or your brand

It’s not. That’s advertising. Content is all about your audience. While advertising is a tool to make sure people know your product exists and where to buy it, content is what will make them remember your brand forever. Take Dove, for instance, a brand that hasn’t talked about how their body wash is better than the competition in a long time. It’s still the leader in its category across the United States. While other brands spend millions of dollars on celebrity endorsements, Dove invests heavily in content. No celebrities. No models. No mention of their products’ benefits. Just inspiring stories of normal women. And it works for them.

3. Okay, then it’s a little bit about my audience, but maybe like 65% about my brand

Stop it! Sure, people need to know your brand is behind your initiative, and that whatever content you’re putting out there is only available because your brand produced it and cares about your consumers’ interests. But when you read an article about the best cars of 2019 and then realize all the cars listed are Fords because it’s sponsored content produced by a local Ford dealership, you aren’t going to feel enlightened. Instead, you’ll immediately think “I’ve been fooled. This is an ad.”

Content cannot be a Frankenstein hybrid made out of advertising and journalism parts. Remember the Rocky analogy: we love him because he is real. Once that trust between brand and audience is broken, the campaign is more likely to backfire. Your audience will feel fooled or even angry. And that’s a long way from the whole purpose of your content campaign, which was to create a positive emotional connection with your audience so that, over time, your brand will become top of mind.