Content Marketing strategies are one of the pillars of your brand’s digital presence. This work allows you to improve your visibility in search engines, like Google, and makes your educational institution found by more people.
However, there are some good content production practices that are not always followed. When these errors happen, the acquisition of students and the identity of your brand in the virtual environment are harmed.
And what are these errors? That's what we'll see now. Follow along!
Good reading!
1. Production of generic content
A good strategy Content Marketing It needs to be very well directed to speak in the right tone and touch on topics relevant to your audience. However, this rule is not always followed.
That's why we find so much generic content on the internet. Content that could be aimed at both a high school student and someone seeking a second degree.
In this content production error there is a pattern:
- the language does not engage (correct Portuguese is used, but it has no relationship with the reader);
- all content is very impersonal;
- there is no “conversation” between the text and the reader;
- there is a lack of references to the reader's universe (activities he does, leisure activities, desires, etc.).
If you know who your persona is (a fictional character who represents your ideal student), this production becomes more direct and generates identification with the reader.
An effective strategy requires content personalization. Relying solely on generic content reduces engagement, as today's audience expects targeted experiences relevant to their interests. In the current scenario, the intelligent use of first-party data and the adoption of empathetic language are recommended, which increases conversion rates. It's also worth noting the growing importance of mobile optimization, considering that most searches are conducted via smartphones, directly impacting SEO performance.
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2. Content that doesn’t bring anything new
Before we talk about this error, we propose an exercise: open a new tab, go to Google and type in any topic that interests you. Then, open the first five or six pages.
When you look around, you can quickly see that they talk about exactly the same things, with very similar topics, right? Typically, the first page has more content and is better written, and the others follow its “model”.
This is one of the most frequent mistakes in content production: materials that do not bring anything new and simply repeat information that can be found elsewhere.
However, repeating the information is not the big problem. The real mistake is not adding anything new to what already exists. It could be more targeted language, some additional information, a better organization of topics and so on.
Always think about what your educational institution can offer more than the content already published.
In addition to blog posts, formats such as short videos, podcasts, carousels, and live streams have boosted reach and engagement, especially on social media where algorithms favor dynamic content. Companies that diversify their output have a better chance of reaching different audiences, as well as increasing their potential for organic virality and conversion, if they use data analysis to adjust their deliveries in real time.
3. Content only in the format of blog posts
Content production consists of publishing texts on your educational institution's blog, correct? Wrong!
Content production involves everything you can offer to users who come into contact with your brand. Blog posts are just one of these products, but there are others such as:
- infographics;
- ebooks;
- webinars;
- videos;
- audiobooks;
- podcasts;
- charges;
- academic exercises;
- quizzes;
- etc.
If we continued listing the content options that can be produced, we would spend a few days writing this text. That's precisely the point: if there are so many alternatives, why stick to just blog posts?
Publications on your educational institution's blog help your page's ranking. This is a fact. However, they alone do not generate engagement. And is there any point in being ranked first in search engine results, but not converting your audience into registrations?
All these other features will help to captivate your readers, making them share content on their social networks and even take friends to take a quiz they found fun or an interesting exercise.
In addition to blog posts, formats such as short videos, podcasts, carousels, and live streams have boosted reach and engagement, especially on social media where algorithms favor dynamic content. Companies that diversify their output have a better chance of reaching different audiences, as well as increasing their potential for organic virality and conversion, if they use data analysis to adjust their deliveries in real time.
Image: Errors in content marketing strategies can compromise the reach and engagement of digital campaigns.
4. Content production without an Inbound Marketing strategy
The production of content for your educational institution needs to have some parameters. These parameters, which decide your approach, themes worked on and various other aspects, come from a larger strategy within the Inbound Marketing.
In other words, Content Marketing delimits the production of content according to the objectives of the Inbound Marketing plan that your educational institution is following.
And it is exactly at this point that we find a critical error: some websites use Content Marketing as if it were the entire strategy and were detached from the sales and after-sales efforts.
Following this logic, content production has few parameters and means that the investment takes all the team's effort from nothing to nowhere.
Keep an eye on intelligent automation trends in inbound marketing, using artificial intelligence to predict behaviors, personalize interactions, and automatically nurture leads. Companies that use integrated automation see tangible increases in lead generation and conversion, solidifying content strategy as a core component of sales and post-sale relationships.
A common mistake is to keep outdated blog articles, which harms your domain authority and user experience. Conduct regular content audits: eliminate irrelevant pages and update or consolidate potential texts, boosting site performance and optimizing for SEO.
Summary: Common content marketing mistakes — such as generic content, limited formats, and lack of Inbound integration — weaken student acquisition and digital presence. Personalization, diverse formats, automation, and relevant content enhance brand positioning and boost the conversion of qualified leads.
These four errors that we point out throughout this text are the most common in Content Marketing strategies in Educational Marketing. They are also the points that most harm users' perception of your educational institution. So be careful with them.
What are the most common content marketing mistakes for educational institutions?
What makes a piece of content generic and why is it a problem?
Generic content doesn’t connect with the audience. It lacks specific language, relevant references or empathy. That weakens engagement and lowers conversion. Personalizing content using first-party data and emotional tone is essential for effectiveness.
Why is repeating common topics without innovation harmful?
Repetitive content adds no value and becomes irrelevant. Institutions should offer fresh perspectives, unique insights or enhanced formatting. This encourages longer site visits, increases shareability and boosts SEO rankings.
Why is relying solely on blog posts a strategic error?
Limiting content to blog posts narrows reach and engagement. Audiences seek diverse formats — videos, podcasts, infographics and quizzes. Expanding content types helps attract different profiles and increases brand impact across channels.
How does producing content without an Inbound Marketing strategy impact results?
Without a strategic framework, content becomes isolated. It fails to guide leads through the sales funnel or support post-enrollment communication. Content must align with defined stages of the inbound strategy to drive consistent results.
How can outdated or irrelevant content be managed?
Regular content audits identify what to update, merge or delete. Keeping content current enhances SEO and user experience. This boosts domain authority and ensures the institution stays competitive in digital presence.
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