By bbr

by Sarah Warlick, writer and copy editor

Content marketing is hot stuff, and for good reason, but it’s also subject to a number of misconceptions. Read on to clear them up once and for all.

Everybody loves content marketing. And why not? It can do so many wonderful things for your firm and has no downside – it’s cheap, easy, quick, suitable for automation and can be turned over to an intern to handle, right? Ahem. NO! While it can do wonderful things, none of the claims that follow are correct. This kind of thinking is what leads firm owners to say, “Content marketing didn’t work for me,” when what they mean is “I didn’t do the work to create good content marketing.”

It happens though, and the blame can often be put on a set of myths that tend to surround content marketing. Salma Jafri writing in Search Engine Watch takes on five common myths about content marketing and explains why they don’t hold up in reality. Let’s examine them one by one, shall we?

It’s easier than advertising. This is flat-out false. While advertising requires a clever idea and a short-term effort, content marketing is based on building trust. Think about your entire life history. When has trust been earned or kept easily? That’s right. Never. It takes time, effort, commitment and consistency to build the kind of trust that leads to a strong relationship, whether you’re dealing with your teenager, a friend or a client.

It’s quick. Content marketing isn’t a shortcut that saves you from having to put in the time to promote your firm. There are several critical components of a content marketing strategy, as there are in other forms of marketing, and each one takes time.

•  Developing your strategy
•  Creating your content
•  Sharing and promoting your content
•  Measuring results

The truth is, each step is important. Content creation and promotion are ongoing efforts that require a significant time commitment. You can make big things happen through content marketing and I believe you should find the time, but don’t delude yourself into thinking it won’t take any.

Automatic, baby. More like, “Pipe dream, baby.” You’re trying to build relationships, right? That requires two parties. It works best if both of them are present. As Scott Stratten so brilliantly puts it: “Automating your social media is like sending a mannequin to a networking event.” There are aspects of gathering information and sending out certain canned responses that you can certainly automate, but mostly, you’ve got to be tuned in and thinking.

It’s cheap. It’s not. While the social media channels that can help you connect are often free, the time, technology, staff and events you use in your various content marketing efforts definitely come with a price. That doesn’t mean it’s not worth it, it just means you shouldn’t think you’ll be getting something for nothing. Investing in content marketing makes sense, but it’s a real investment.

Let the intern do it. I don’t know where you’re finding your interns, but here in the reality-based community we know that it takes experience, judgment and talent in good measure to create and manage content marketing campaigns. Those low-paid kids may be young enough to know how all the social media platforms work but they still lack the business savvy and client relations background to really get it. Besides that, they’re new to the industry. If they were topical experts they’d be leading the firm, not interning. You’ll need to devote high-level staff (or the efforts of professional marketers who understand your industry) to creating strategy, content and tactical plans for your content marketing. A history of sharing naked selfies does not a content marketer make.

This may be disappointing news, but it shouldn’t be. The strategy is effective and your firm has a lot to gain through careful, well thought out content marketing. Besides the benefits you might expect, completing the process takes you through exercises that will help you better understand you clients and their needs, which is an added bonus.

Content marketing delivers more than it costs. Just be aware that it does have costs.