The Content Marketing Rules You Should Break

Sometimes rules are meant to be broken.

And in the world of content marketing, the rules you break can lead to success. Shift your strategies and rethink your plans — here are a few content marketing rules worth ignoring.

1. “Just simply create content.” Action is important, and taking the first step towards content creation is surely a significant move to make. However, content creation alone is not what will bring home results. Content creation requires audience research, strategy, and more. Don’t just create content for content’s sake. 
2. “If it works somewhere else, it will work for you.” Always repeating what works elsewhere may not be the perfect move for your particular brand or business. Your specific audience may have specific content needs — following the content strategies or template of another company might not lead to success! For instance, a competing company may have a more serious, bland style to their content — instead, you can find appropriate ways to give your audience content with a lighter and fun tone.
3. “People don’t have the longest attention spans.” In today’s digital age, you have heard time and time again that people have short attention spans. However, as Adam Morgan, executive creative director at Adobe says, “If you deliver valuable content, [people] will give you all the attention in the world.”
4. “Don’t be outwardly promotional.” It’s a common content marketing rule: your content shouldn’t be product-focused. Not all the content you create should be promotional, but some incredible work can still come from product-based content.
5. “People don’t really want long-form content.” Now is the time to reject the idea that people don’t like or want long content. Not every content piece has to be bite-sized for your audiences. If your content satisfies customers, they will consume it, no matter the length.
6.  “Consistency is most important.” Consistency is incredibly important — you should be posting frequently, and you should consider using a content calendar to organize your posts. But could consistency possibly be overrated? Don’t sacrifice the benefits of exploring new content formats for consistency. When it feels right — and if you know your audience — try experimenting with the content you create and distribute. You could come across something your client base really enjoys!