Here at PGS, we have worked with over 500 clients, audited over 150 accounts, and consulted a variety of different niches and industries in their content marketing. Across the board, we saw some common, yet potentially fatal mistakes.
No cross-pollination of content OR trying to grow too many platforms at once
A slight paradox but we found many clients were not optimizing cross-pollination tactics across various social media platforms thus diminishing their capacity to be seen by multiple social audiences or through search engines. On the other hand, we also found clients recycling exactly the same content across all social platforms, with no adaptation saw decreased engagement and growth. It's a fine balance!
Trying to sell to an under-nurtured audience
The nurture phase is CRUCIAL in your social strategy. As many consumers are more likely to buy from businesses they trust, the nurture phase is important in strengthening existing audience relationships and building the foundation for new ones. Building a rapport with potential customers results in your business being at the forefront of prospects' minds when they're ready to buy. Clients that skipped this step saw a drop in engagement and a disconnect between followership growth and conversion.
Creating content that is off-pillar
Your content pillars should clearly support your product suite and be held together by a clear through-thread to ensure content is cohesive and targeted. Clients that posted off-pillar were susceptible to attracting an audience outside of their target market, thus an influx in engagement followed by a drop. Posting on pillar is crucial to ensure cohesion and consistency.
Inconsistency in voice and messaging
This was potentially the most fatal mistake we saw. Much like your pillars, your messaging needs to be consistent to ensure trustworthiness with your audience. For example, if you claim to be eco-friendly, yet use single-use plastic packaging, this can destroy relationships with the audience you worked so hard to grow and nurture. Consistency is key!
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