After working with lots of different brands across fashion, beauty and lifestyle there are some common mistakes that I see time and time again. They’re easy to fix and can seriously boost your content for your audience and search engines too.
Beauty content mistakes to skip
Here are nine of the most common mistakes I see beauty brands making when it comes to their content:
Trying to say too much
It can be tempting to try and fit every single benefit of your products into every line of copy. This can lead to long sentences, confusing copy and a lot of repetition. Think about the main point you’re trying to get across and who the audience is – what do they care about?
Focusing on features instead of benefits
Just listing out features (the “what”), without the benefits (the “why”) can lead to boring content. You want to engage your audience, not leave them thinking “well, so what?”, make the benefits clear too. It can be as simple as something like “waterproof formula for all-day wear”.
Not being clear
It can be tempting to use complex language, jargon or longwinded descriptions. You don’t need to do it. Clear writing doesn’t have to be dull, you can still be informative and interesting while you write clear, concise content that everyone can understand.
Writing lots of content without optimising it
I see this a lot: brands writing lots of content on their website (including some amazing, relevant and informative stuff) that isn’t structured in an SEO-friendly way. This means that the content isn’t being categorised or served by search engines, which is a massive shame for the effort that you’re putting in as a brand.
Not cross-linking to other pages of your website
This is so simple and improves your user journey and SEO categorisation. Whether it’s signposting to products, other pages on your site or a super-relevant blog post…do it. Add links into your content that will help the reader find other content and products that they need.
Spelling and grammar mistakes
This happens, but there are definitely ways to avoid it. In fact, I’ve made some recommendations on some free and paid-for tools that you can use to improve your content, including spelling and grammar checking tools. It’s always worth re-reading or getting a second pair of eyes on your content if you have any concerns.
Writing without your audience in mind
I regularly see copy written by people with no experience of the beauty industry that’s way off the mark, especially in today’s beauty landscape. Today’s beauty consumer is more informed and aware than ever before. They also have more choice than ever before. Make sure they choose you by writing with them in mind.
Keyword stuffing
If you’re thinking about keywords, then that’s amazing. However keyword stuffing (i.e. putting lots of keywords in in a nonsensical way that doesn’t reflect normal writing patterns) can be just as bad as not including any at all. Search engines will flag this as fishy and it’s unlikely that they’ll serve your content in the way that you want it to.
Not including a call to action
This is so simple, but so effective. Don’t just abruptly end your content – signpost the reader to purchase, read more content or take some sort of action. They’re there, they’re engaged and they’re ready to make a decision. Make it easy and clear for them to do so.
Want some more tips on content marketing for beauty brands?
If you’re trying to nail your content marketing, then you might want to read Content Marketing for Beauty Brands. Or, you can get in touch with me for a chat about your beauty brand.