3 Content Marketing Mistakes to Avoid – Brought to You by Liz Lemon

If you’ve ever seen an episode of “30 Rock,” you’re probably familiar with the show’s protagonist Elizabeth Miervaldis “Liz” Lemon. According to her boss, Jack Donaghy, Liz is a college-educated, third-wave feminist New Yorker, who buys any magazine that says “healthy body image” on the cover and is consistently single-and-pretending-to-be-happy-about-it.

Sure, Liz Lemon is by no means an ideal role model – or the most socially attuned person – but as a skilled writer and strong character, she has content marketing insight worth taking a closer look at.

Content Marketing Marketing Mistake 1: Playing it Safe

Liz Lemon is bold, daring, and brave, when it comes to going after what she wants. Remember the time she dressed up as Princess Leia in order to be disqualified from jury duty? Or how about the time she bought $150 worth of hot dogs from the hot dog vendor, when a fellow commuter jumped the queue. Yes, Liz Lemon is bold, and she sure doesn’t let the small things hold her down.

One of the most common content marketing mistakes and biggest missed opportunities happens when companies play it too safe. Don’t be afraid to go big and bold with your content. Readers want to know what makes you stand out – not what makes you just like every other company out there. Dig deep, and find out your inner strengths, unique qualities, and talents, then make sure your content marketing reflects that!

Content Marketing Mistake 2: Taking Shortcuts

Liz Lemon is a hard worker – oftentimes neglecting her own sanity and wellbeing to babysit Jenna and Tracy just to keep her show running smoothly. She doesn’t take shortcuts or the easy route, whether it’s at work, in her personal life, or with her relationships.

Your content should lead by Liz’s example. You shouldn’t engage in practices like SEO keyword stuffing, letting user-generated content tell your marketing story, or ignoring content marketing analytics. In fact Google penalizes sites for keyword stuffing. It’s actually counterproductive. SEO keywords should be used sparingly and only when it helps interested readers find the content they are looking for.

Content Marketing Mistake 3: Neglecting Video

As the head writer of the fictional show “TGS with Tracy Jordan,” Liz knows a thing or two about the importance of video. Before we get into the topic, sit on this: would you personally prefer to read an 800-word essay or watch a short, 1-minute video about the same topic?

Video has become an extremely powerful platform for storytelling. According to Recode, more than 100 million hours of video is viewed every 24 hours. Instead of relying solely on text and design to share your story, use video to keep consumers interested and engaged. The more you incorporate video on your company website and social media platforms, the better!

We hope you learned something new about content marketing through the experiences of Liz Lemon, and that you’re able to improve your own content marketing strategy with these tips!