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Today’s marketers are savvy. They know the buzzwords, look out for the trends, know which tactics they should be adding to their strategy, and are fully aware that they should be generating content. But as much as they know, there are still some key needs not being met.

Here at Insomnicat, we talk to each and every marketer we work with to discover their unique challenges and then handcraft solutions to meet their needs. Over the course of our intimate discussions, we’ve encountered five recurring “things” marketers are still missing.

 1. Understanding which content to write

You’d be surprised to learn how many companies are creating content (either in-house or spending hefty marketing dollars outsourcing content generation) without actually knowing which content is going to benefit them. As we always say, you could create the greatest piece of content in the world, but if nobody reads it, it’s pointless. Companies lean on SEO teams or take direction from in-house editors with a love for trending and noteworthy pieces instead of filling the needs of their target audience. Even if you’re fortunate enough to work for a company with deep pockets and support of content creation, budgets are still limited. Marketers must be efficient with their spends to maximize the effect. Creating a piece of content because you think it’s interesting or because the SEO team says you should may not always be the right course of action. Meaning Making is a practice that involves a little bit of SEO and a lot of analysis. Looking at where you stand in the online universe, what your audience is really drawn to, what your competitors are doing, which keywords give you the biggest opportunity, which content is best for social media, and which content is best for your other organizational goals, as well as where the industry is heading and current trending topics is the best formula for creating a content strategy that works.

2. Knowing who they want to reach vs. who they’re actually reaching

Every marketer has a target audience in mind. These are the people they want to engage and, hopefully, entice to buy their product or service. But as you examine the user journey, you may find that you’re appealing to a different audience with the content you’re creating. It’s best to explore the journey of your users. What were they searching for that led them to this specific article? Is that really what they were looking for? What are people really looking for before they end up on your website or a specific content piece? Does it align? If not, you may be creating a poor user experience and it may be time to re-direct the content you’re creating to fill the need of the user.

3.  Generating their own leads

A 2016 eMarketer survey revealed that only 25% of marketers were concerned with converting their own website visitors into leads. This number should be much higher. Many marketers rely on traditional tactics such as other media companies to gain their leads. Is there value in still working with media companies? Definitely. Especially given that 76% of B2B buyers leverage three or more information channels when researching a purchase, according to Blue Nile Research, but marketers are missing a huge opportunity to gain new and even more valuable leads by creating lead-generating events on their own websites. Downloadable assets, webinars, newsletters, toolkits, and samples (on a company’s website) are just a few ways marketers can begin harvesting their own leads and stop relying so heavily on outside entities to do this for them.  Remember to be strategic with the lead-generating content being created: leads generated using SEO tactics and driving users directly to your site have a 14.6% close rate, while outbound leads (such as direct mail or print advertising) have a 1.7% close rate, according to Search Engine Journal.

4. Gaining their own audience

In the same vein, marketers rely on outside media properties’ audiences to spread their message, instead of building their own community of engaged users. Gone are the days where company websites should be all about the products, services, and the company itself. Instead, there’s a heavy emphasis being placed on transforming the company website into an arsenal of value for readers, prospects, and customers. The company should be using its website as an online media property, so in the same way a user will visit [insert industry publication] for the latest news, trends, insight, and valuable information, they can also visit [insert company name] because there’s plenty of up-to-date and beneficial information there. But this must be done correctly and strategically. This means straying from solely producing products or services-based content. Your news releases are relevant and necessary, yes, but the way to draw in your audience and keep them loyal is to give them information, even when it doesn’t directly benefit you. How-tos, tips, industry news, content on topics related to your audience and some keyword analysis is the best strategy. Social media is also crucial in gaining your own audience. Leveraging industry influencers and generating unique and engaging social-only content will keep you relevant in this sphere and help you to build a loyal following.

5. Being open-minded

Socrates once said: “I know that I am intelligent because I know that I know nothing.”

Marketers need to create solutions that are specific to their company. Just because you’re approached with a standard advertising solution that works “so well” for other companies like yours, it doesn’t mean it’s going to work for you. Be open to exploring solutions that are perfect for your company. This means taking risks and finding a partner who will help guide you along the way. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to a solution that fits like a glove.

If you’re wondering if you’re still missing the mark and want to kick things up a notch, we’d love to have a personalized discussion about your company goals and how to achieve success in any of these areas. Contact us today: solutions@insomnicat.com or fill out the form below to get started.

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