How do you recover from the five most common, most painful failures that content marketers experience?
When it comes to content marketing success, failure feels like a necessary precursor: It takes some spaghetti-at-the-wall throwing to identify what clicks. But few marketers have budget and bandwidth to make real mistakes, many of which are unpredictable and can set budgets back months.
So how do you recover from a failure?
Simple: Embrace your warrior alter-ego and bounce back. Here’s how to recover from the five most common, most painful failures that content marketers experience:
#1: The content flops
After spending thousands of dollars developing an ebook or guide and it doesn’t hit home with the intended audience. Instead of scrapping it, dig deep into why.
Maybe it was aimed at the wrong marketing channel, or maybe it was written for the wrong audience. In almost any scenario, the content is still salvageable. A failed project doesn’t mean the budget will go to waste.
#2: Nobody’s reading your content
The content is awesome but it’s not attracting the expected readership. What’s a content marketer to do? Keep calm and carry on. It could be the case that of changing the distribution strategy or need pursuing a different set of topics altogether.
#3: Offended the readers
Storytelling success is in the eye of the beholder, which means there’s a risk of opening doors for disagreement. If a customer is offended, the best approach is to own the mistakes. Apologize over social media or add an editor’s note. Everyone’s a human being on the other side of the computer screen.
#4: The content isn’t good
Regret hiring an intern to write that 40-page marketing automation ebook? This is one of the toughest mistakes from which to recover—but there is still hope. Find sections of pieces that are salvageable, and consider reworking them into new assets. Consider bringing on a freelancer to help.
#5: The marketing direction changed
This scenario is inevitable and far-too-common because marketing is a process that’s built on learning and iteration. Content is no different. The best way to prepare for change is to take steps in advance: Create a content program that is flexible and supports content being produced in small batches so it’s easy to make changes. Embrace change as the new normal.
With content marketing, it’s important to focus on the silver lining. Keep learning and be ready for change.
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