Are you feeling overwhelmed and rushed when it comes to content marketing? Is your strategy feeling too erratic and unplanned? If so, you might be a victim of ‘panic marketing’.
When it comes to marketing, ‘panic’ is not a word you want associated with it. In fact, panic is probably the last word you want to describe your marketing strategy.
Read on to find out what this is, why it’s not good for your business, and how to create intentional content marketing strategies that will bring success.
What is Panic Marketing?
There is no one-size-fits-all solution for content marketing. However, there is one approach that you want to avoid at all costs: panic marketing.
Panic marketing is when you create content in a state of panic or overwhelm. This can be due to a variety of reasons, such as:
-You don’t have a content strategy and are just winging it
-You have a strategy but it’s not working and you’re feeling desperate
-You’re behind on your content goals and need to catch up
-You’re feeling creative and want to take advantage of the inspiration while it lasts
The solution to panic marketing is to be intentional and slow in your content marketing, ignoring the fast-paced trends and algorithm changes. That means having a plan for what you want to achieve with your content and knowing how you’re going to measure success.
How Does Panic Marketing Hurt Your Content Strategies?
If you’re like most business owners, your content marketing strategy is probably a work in progress. You might have a general idea of what kinds of content you want to create and share, but when it comes to the nitty-gritty details, you’re still figuring things out as you go.
And that’s okay! Content marketing is an ever-evolving process, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. However, there is one common pitfall that can trip up even the most well-intentioned content marketers: panic marketing.
Panic marketing is what happens when you get so caught up in the day-to-day grind of creating and promoting content that you lose sight of your overall strategy. As a result, your content becomes scattered, unfocused, and sometimes even contradictory.
Not only does panic marketing make it difficult to achieve your content marketing goals, but it can also damage your brand in the long run.
Ways to Overcome Panic Marketing
When you’re feeling overwhelmed with ALL the things that need to be done to keep your business running, it’s easy to fall into this trap. Content marketing often takes the backseat to other forms of connection, and only comes out to play during a launch.
However, this approach is rarely effective and can often do more harm than good. If you want to overcome panic marketing and create an intentional strategy that works, here are a few things you can do:
- Define your goals.
Before you start creating any content, it’s important to have a clear understanding of what you’re trying to achieve. What are your business goals? Who is your target audience? What kind of content will resonates with them? Once you have answers to these questions, you can start planning your content accordingly.
- Choose one focus for an entire quarter.
One of the best ways to stay organized and on track with your content marketing is to choose ONE focus for an entire quarter. This means all of your content marketing efforts will point toward this one focus – sale, product, or event. Write down all the topics you want to cover, and then fit them into your quarter plan. This will help ensure that your content is well-rounded and covers all the bases.
- Focus on quality over quantity.
It’s better to publish one high-quality piece of content than it is to churn out a bunch of low-quality articles or videos just for the sake of publishing something new. Your audience will appreciate the effort that you put into providing them with quality content, and this will help build trust and loyalty. Plus, this one quality piece of content will be repurposed and stretch out into all of your content platforms.
- Take your time to be consistent.
It’s important to remember that your content marketing efforts don’t have to happen overnight. Take your time, plan out the topics you want to cover, and then create the content in a deliberate way that is delivered consistently. This will help ensure that your content is well-thought-out and relevant, rather than rushed and sloppy. Consistency is better over stopping and going, especially when you’re dealing with algorithms and SEO.
Creating Intentional Content Marketing Strategies Doesn’t Have to Take All Your Time
When it comes to content marketing, one of the biggest challenges is creating a strategy that is both intentional and effective. All too often, businesses find themselves in a state of panic, churning out content without any real direction or purpose. This can lead to overwhelm, frustration, and ultimately, a lack of results.
Like I said, the key to overcoming these challenges is to develop an intentional content marketing strategy. While you need to take the time to sit down and map out your content, you don’t have to spend hours upon hours. In fact, with my Roadmap to Unicorn Content you can take an hour of time to map out an entire quarter of content. Budget an hour or two each month to create longform content and pull out your shortform content from there. You can use a virtual assistant to implement your content. (Check out this blog post if you want more info on how this can be helpful.)
How a Content Roadmap Can Stop Your Panic Marketing
If you’re like most business owners, you’ve probably experienced the panic that comes with feeling like you’re not doing enough to market your business. Maybe you feel like you’re constantly playing catch-up, or that your competitors are always one step ahead. Whatever the case may be, it’s important to remember that effective marketing doesn’t have to be a never-ending race. In fact, one of the best ways to overcome the overwhelm and create intentional content marketing strategies is to develop a content roadmap.
A content roadmap is essentially a plan that outlines what kind of content you want to create, when you want to create it, and how you want to distribute it. This process can help take the guesswork out of your content marketing and give you a clear direction to follow. Not only will this make your life easier, but it will also help ensure that your content is more aligned with your objectives and goals.
When it comes to creating a content roadmap, you’ll need to consider several factors such as your target audience, topics of interest, and the platforms where you plan to share your content. You should also think about the types of content that you want to create (such as blog posts, videos, infographics, etc.) and how often you want to post new content. Once you have all of this information in place, it’s time to put together an actual roadmap. (Use the free worksheet I’ve created for you!)
Tips for Staying Organized and Productive
The first step to staying organized and productive is to create a content marketing strategy. This will help you to focus your efforts and ensure that your content is working towards your business goals.
Once you have a strategy in place, it’s important to set up a system for creating and managing your content. This could include using project management software, scheduling posts in advance, and creating editorial calendars.
It’s also crucial to make time for content promotion. Don’t just publish and forget about your articles – make sure you’re sharing them on social media, emailing them to subscribers, and reaching out to influencers in your industry.
By following these tips, you can overcome the overwhelm of content marketing and create an intentional, effective strategy that helps you achieve your business goals.
Panic marketing is a common issue for content marketers, but it doesn’t have to be. By taking the time to create intentional content marketing strategies and being mindful about how you approach your work, you can easily avoid the overwhelm that often accompanies panic marketing. With some careful planning and thoughtfulness, you can use your resources in an effective way that will ultimately benefit both your own sanity as well as the success of your business. If you need help with content mapping, schedule a free 30-minute session here!
