Earlier this year, we talked some shit about things that irk us in the content world. And over the last six months, we’ve found more things that irk us. Which… yikes. These bad practices are a nuisance and they’re hurting your brand. 

Forget what that self-proclaimed sales guru said in that one TikTok you watched (did you even check to see if he knew WTF he was talking about? No? Well don’t do that again.) These things ARE NOT good for your biz, so like, stop doing them.  

Pushing quantity over quality

Possibly the worst offender on today’s list. Quality always comes first, no questions asked.

Not only does pushing out half-throughout content make your brand look kinda sloppy and half-thoughtout too, Google might just pick up all your goods as spam, even if it’s HQ. 

But most importantly, you need quality content so your audience can build a connection with you. You can have a blog for every day of the week, but if the stuff inside it isn’t what your audience actually wants, they’re not going to read it. 

And can you make something good when you’re trying to pump out an insane amount of content? Probably not. 

Creating content just for the sake of it

This one is pretty bad too. See above. 

Truly, every customer, every client, and every single person in your audience wants to know, “what’s in it for me?”

No one wants to read your content if it’s put out there just for the sake of hearing your own (written) voice. Nobody cares that much. Bring something valuable to the table — even if it’s just one social post a week — or, maybe, stay home until you have something good to bring. 🙂

Being too salesy

While we firmly believe if you’re wanting to make a sale, you need to talk about what you’re selling, please don’t go overboard with it. 

80% of your content should be relational and the other 20% should be straight-up promotional.

Yes, each piece of content plays into the building up to a sale, but people want to buy from someone they can trust or have a connection with. Don’t ignore your audience’s needs. When you’re creating content, think about them first, then your sales. 

Showing up too often in inboxes 

The inbox is a sacred space. If someone has invited you into theirs, don’t take advantage of that. Be respectful!

Sending too many emails too close together can frustrate your audience and land you a one-way ticket into the spam folder. Big oof. 

Tap into your analytics and start segmenting your lists so you can still send out all the emails you want — only this time, they’re reaching people who will want to read them.

It’s especially useful if you have an audience with split interests, like a graphic designer who does full-service branding and web design. Or an accountant who helps with taxes and creating budgets. 

Inconsistent brand voice

If your audience can’t get a read on your brand (which primarily happens through brand voice) why would they want to buy from you? Or work with you?

Listen, outsourcing help is an investment, but when your voice is chipper one day, witty and sarcastic the next, and professional the other, you’re going to end up confusing people. And confused people don’t buy. 

Make things as clear as possible — starting with your brand voice. 

Let your strategy do the talking and the rest will fall into place

No piece of content will ever be perfect, but if you want to make sure it’s doing its job, we suggest focusing on strategy. The rest will fall in line behind it. 

You can have a kick-ass piece of content but if there isn’t any structure to it, it’s not going to go anywhere. You can’t just throw spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks (if you want it to be successful, that is). Save that for your Tuesday night dinners.

If you’re not sure where to start with all this — hiring a pro is always a good call. Check out our services or schedule a call with Latasha here!