The popular SEO tools company, Moz, has some of the best available SEO resources online. Every week, they put out an instructional “Whiteboard Friday” video with topics ranging from beginner tips, SEO best practices, and current search engine trends.
These videos teach viewers how to maximize their presence online by achieving higher search engine rankings.
In these three Whiteboard Friday videos, SEO guru Rand Fishkin explains some of the common misconceptions people have about content marketing:
Misconception #1 - My content is good, so I’m going to see instant results
In "Surviving the SEO Slog," Rand explains that creating good content isn’t like sticking a pizza in the microwave - you aren’t going to get instant gratification.
Content marketing is about building relationships, and that takes time and patience.
This video is a reality check for anyone considering or just starting out with content marketing.
Misconception #2 - My content is good, so I’m guaranteed to rank well
First-time content marketers often face this situation: they’ve created good content, but they aren’t seeing results.
The problem is that there’s a lot of “good, unique content” on the web. Why should yours stand out?
In "Why Good Content Needs to Die," Rand’s advice is to focus on “10x content” - content that is 10x better than anything else you can find in the search results.
The key is to pick a less-used topic and write better than anyone else about it.
Misconception #3 - My content is good; therefore people will line up to buy my product
Here again, in "The Greatest Misconception in Content Marketing," Rand emphasizes that content marketing isn’t going to flip a switch in people’s brains. Just because they’ve read your content, it doesn’t mean they’re going to buy your product on the spot.
Instead, content marketing plants a bug in people’s minds. They start to have positive associations with your company. After all, you are the one answering their questions and solving their problems.
Rand explains how content marketing builds a relationship with a potential customer over time and how that eventually impacts their purchasing decisions.