Content marketing can be tricky and coming up with fresh, interesting and attention grabbing ideas can be exhausting and sometimes even seem impossible; however, it is one of the most effecting strategies available. Avoid these 6 mistakes and you’ll be in the money (all puns intended).

1. You aren’t proof reading

It seems obvious enough, but somehow this gets overlooked, especially when pressed for time. If readers have to stumble over your spelling or grammatical errors they won’t take you seriously and it is very unlikely they will buy what you’re selling. Better content will get better results.

2. You aren’t including images

We are visual creatures and some of us simply scroll through text and eyeball the graphics and get the gist of a story. This may seem frustrating to a content writer, but don’t let it discourage you. Good graphics with good content will produce results.

3. Your content isn’t helpful

So you wrote a well-written article, but did it answer a question? If not, why would anyone care to read it or more importantly share it? People turn to the internet for advice, how to’s, and answers. Provide answers without talking down to your audience. Be a peer helping a peer. Be helpful.

4. You aren’t planning

If you don’t know what you want your article to achieve, how will you accomplish it? You need to have a clear and concise plan. Are you selling something? Who is your target audience? How will they you’re your content? How will they buy what you’re selling? This will not only help your content, but also your end result.

5. Your content won’t be relevant tomorrow

Ideally, you’d like your content to stand the test of time. Provide an overview of a topic (aka Evergreen content) that will be just as effective and interesting today as it will be in 5 or 10 years. This will allow you to continue marketing to customers and increase revenue. Work smarter, not harder.

6. You aren’t optimizing your target social channel

Social Media is a wonderful way to gain exposure, but each social networking outlet is different from the next. People share things differently on Twitter, than Facebook or LinkedIn and your audience is different on each. The witty repartee you bring to Twitter may not work for the folks on LinkedIn. Keep your social channel audience in mind.

Avoid these 6 simple mistakes and your next article will be a success!