Halloween is upon us at last! It’s a time for candy, apple cider, costumes of questionable propriety, and scary stories. Though marketing may not be the spookiest field in the world, we have our fair share of horror stories. Here’s how to avoid some of the most common content marketing errors that will come back out of nowhere like a poltergeist and shake up your reputation:

Factual Inaccuracy:

The entire internet is at your fingertips. Use it to thoroughly research your topic. Then once you’ve crafted your content, go back and check again. It increases your legitimacy when you knock it out of the park every time. As a consumer, there’s nothing quite as infuriating as being told the wrong information by an industry authority, so avoid losing the trust of your audience by reading up on your chosen topic.

Off-Color Commentary:

It applies to social media and it applies to marketing content: if the thought “should I really put that out there?” crosses your mind, the answer is typically no. Of course, no one knows your brand voice like you do, but if you’re unsure, it never hurts to run it past a colleague for an objective opinion.

Lack of Substance:

Yes, it’s important to regularly put out content. However, if your posts are a bunch of empty words just taking up space, what’s the point? You won’t become a reliable source using fluff pieces, so make sure your contributions have plenty of helpful information that your readers can count on.

Being Unresponsive:

You’ve done the research. You’ve written your content. You’ve triple-checked the grammar and the facts. Why stop engaging after you post it? When people have something to say in response, don’t be afraid to answer them! It always helps to see that you’re active in the community. If someone sees that you’re not answering questions on your blog post, they may believe that you have a tendency to ghost on your audience.

Plagiarism:

We’re taught from a very young age that this is not acceptable for a good reason: it’s not. As you know, writers work hard to come up with ideas and material. Having them stolen and put up somewhere else is disheartening at best. If you’re lacking ideas, there are tons of tips on how to break writer’s block all over the web. Start with this list from Neil Patel.

As always, be sure you check for grammatical errors and typos. There’s something about these errors that make readers cringe and question your reliability. In the age of spell check and Google, it’s easier than ever to ensure the quality of what you’re putting forward.

So what are you being for Halloween? We hope you don’t dress as the irresponsible content writer! Happy Halloween from all of us at PCG!