5 Content Marketing Mistakes Small Businesses Make and How to Avoid Them

Small businesses often struggle with content marketing. It’s another hat you didn’t bargain for that feels vast, complicated and labour-intensive. So it's no surprise that mistakes are made along the way. The thing is, these mistakes can prove costly and detrimental to the success of your marketing efforts, leaving you feeling deflated and wondering why you bothered in the first place.

As frustration sets in, advice comes from all angles… conflicting advice, half the time. Not tailored, with you and your quirky gloriousness in mind…. No, just tidbits from peers or transformational programmes from gurus, ultimately all leaving you more confused and frustrated than before. 

However, there are some basics to this that anyone worth their weight will agree with. So let’s take a quick tour of the 7 top mistakes made by small businesses so you can at least ensure you don’t fall into any obvious traps. I’ll even throw in some advice you can go away and implement easily to avoid them, so by the end, you should feel a little clearer on how to optimise your content marketing efforts and avoid the common pitfalls that many small businesses fall into. So, let's dive in and learn how to take your content marketing up a notch!

What is content marketing?

First off, I guess we ought to just cover what exactly it is. So here goes, content marketing is the stealthy benevolent ninja in your arsenal. This ninja takes a strategic marketing approach and focuses on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.

The goal of the content marketing ninja is to provide useful information to your target audience, build brand awareness, and establish trust with your potential customers. Not to directly sell or promote, which is why I call it stealth marketing. It isn’t obvious, annoying or in your face. It's just working hard on the sidelines building up that trust and authority. Magic. 

The importance of content marketing for small businesses

Can’t I just cold message people with my offer and stick a load of promotion posts on my socials??

No way, Jose! Besides, I know you’re not really thinking that. None of us nice, genuine folk relish that idea, do we?

As a small business, you are likely operating with a limited budget and resources, which makes it challenging to compete with larger companies. However, content marketing can level the playing field by providing an affordable way to reach a wider audience. By creating valuable content that resonates with your target audience (this bit is important!), you can build brand awareness, establish your expertise, and attract more customers that fit your tribe.

Content marketing is also essential for building long-term relationships with your customers. When you provide consistent value through your content, you’ll naturally establish trust and credibility with your audience. This can translate into increased sales, customer loyalty, and word-of-mouth referrals. Bingo!

Common content marketing mistakes small businesses make

Ok… enough chit-chat. Let’s get to the juicy stuff. Yes, content marketing can be a highly effective strategy for small businesses, but there are common mistakes that many businesses make. Here are seven mistakes to avoid:

Mistake #1: Not having a clear strategy

Have you got a plan? Do you have any idea what you want to achieve and how you might go about it? I hate to break it to you, but “Oh, I post when inspiration hits” is nothing more than throw-it-and-hope-it sticks. It is NOT a plan or strategy of any sort!

Not having a clear content marketing strategy is one of the most significant and costly mistakes small businesses make. Without a strategy, your content will simply be a stab in the dark, lacking in focus or direction, and you'll struggle to achieve your desired results. A clear strategy, on the other hand, will help you define your goals, target audience, messaging, and distribution channels.

To create this elusive content marketing strategy, start by defining your goals. What do you want to achieve with your efforts? Do you want to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or drive sales? Have you got different services you’ll offer at different times? Are you launching a new product or service? How much do you want to earn?

Once you've got some actual goals written down, the next step is to identify your target audience and develop a messaging strategy that resonates with them. I know you can help everyone, but trying to talk to everyone in a way that resonates with anyone is really hard and not very effective. So, humour me here. Pick an audience with a specific problem that you can solve. You don’t have to keep them forever, you can change them, but for now, you need to get specific.

Finally, now you know who you help, you can work out where they are most likely to hang out. Good news! You don’t have to show up everywhere! That would be time-consuming, hard work and result in even more overwhelm and frustration. So, no thanks… not what we’re after. Are they reading blogs? Hanging out on a particular social channel? Listening to Podcasts?

Mistake #2: Focusing too much on sales pitches

Or not enough! This one isn't about balance; it’s about having the scales firmly tipped 80% toward non-sales content and 20% toward promotion. Some small businesses focus too much on sales pitches in their content. Sending DMs, cold emails, or pitching at events or as soon as someone accepts a connection request. Of course, it’s essential to promote your products or services, but too much self-promotion can turn off your audience. Instead, focus on providing value through educational and informative content. Teach, inspire, and give actionable advice to solve your audience's problems and answer their questions. This way, you'll establish trust and credibility, which can eventually lead to increased sales.

Mistake #3: Not understanding your target audience

Ok, so you defined your target audience, but did you deep dive into them? Another common mistake small businesses make is not understanding their target audience. To create content that resonates, you need to understand their needs, frustrations, desires and the language they use. Without this understanding, your content may miss the mark and fail to attract and engage your audience.

To understand your target audience, think about and document attributes shared by your ideal customers that make them a good fit. This may include demographic information, interests, frustrations, where to find them, what they are saying, what language they are using, what they are struggling with, and what they desire. Having all this information and ensuring it’s accurate, not simply plucked from thin air, allows you to develop a greater understanding of your target audience and create content that speaks directly to their needs and interests.

Mistake #4: Not measuring results

Urgh… the data gathering and analytical bit. If you’re anything like me, this bit won’t excite you, but it’s REALLY important… so stick with me.

If you don’t track your results, it's pretty difficult, if not impossible, to accurately determine what's working and what's not. You may get a hunch, an inkling or a gut feeling… but that doesn’t mean it’s actually the case… sorry.

Measuring your results (with the right ruler 😉) allows you to identify areas for improvement and optimise your content marketing strategy so you get better results and you can streamline your efforts as you know what works and what can be binned.

There is plenty of analytical software to choose from, but again. Keep it simple at this stage. Meta has its own built-in analytics for their social accounts. Google Analytics and Google Search Console are also great for your website. My personal favourite is a relatively new one called Elementary Analytics, which pulls data from all of these and more into one easy-to-view and understand dashboard.

Once you start tracking and building up valuable data, you can look for trends or notice what pulls in traffic or engagement, where it comes from etc. Then use this to shape or tweak your content strategy going forward.

Mistake #5 Failing to Engage with the Audience

Ok, you’ve created great content. You’ve posted, published and uploaded…… nothing. No engagement… not even the tumbleweed showed up.

Have you been engaging with them? On your audience’s content? On anyone’s content? Or did you throw a great party and then go to bed just as the guests arrived?

Content marketing is not just about creating and distributing content—it's also about engaging with the audience. Engagement helps build relationships and trust, and it cultivates a community around your brand. However, some small businesses neglect this aspect and just push out content without interacting with their audience. This can make the relationship feel one-sided, and people may feel unappreciated or ignored. Plus, it's a huuuuge missed opportunity to deepen your customer relationships and loyalty.

Try engaging with some other posts 30 minutes before you post or a scheduled one is due out, and see what effect it has on your engagement and reach.

Soooo…to wrap all that up…

Content marketing can be a powerful tool for small businesses, but if the pitfalls get you, you’ll end up frustrated, fed up and with no real return on your time and effort investment. I know it feels like a chore, but honestly, spend some time on the foundations, and the building will be strong and fit for purpose.

So create that clear content marketing strategy, take the time to truly understand your audience and then focus on providing value to them. Start measuring your results and building up a bank of data you can use to direct and inform your direction and decisions. These actions will take your content marketing to the next level and allow you to get real results. Remember, content marketing is a long-term strategy that requires patience and consistency, but the rewards can be significant.

If you need help with any of this, you can book a free content clarity call with me and walk away with some quick wins… and more clarity 😉