When I speak to a business owner who says they’re not converting or generating leads from their content marketing, and I look at their page, I typically notice the same content mistake almost immediately.
Nearly all of their content falls into two categories: educational and sales.
While those content categories aren’t exactly “bad,” your audience needs much more to a) get interested in your services, b) understand that your services are the solution to their problems, and c) actually invest.
When you’re just educating and just selling, there are many gaps in the process. Your audience needs to get to know, like, and trust you; to really crave and desire your offers; and finally to invest.
So what’s so “wrong” with these approaches?
→ Simply educating your audience on generic tips, tricks, or hacks teaches them how to do something without you, which is the opposite of what you want to do. When you’re trying to get someone to work with you and invest in your services, why would you post content that they can save and use to complete the task on their own?
I know you think this makes you look like more of an expert, but your audience is looking for solutions to their problems, so if you’re going to just give them free solutions to their problems, they *likely* won’t be buying from you.
→ In the same sense, by sharing a majority of “sales” content (e.g., “5 reasons why you need a bookkeeper,” “How a bookkeeper benefits your business,” “Ways to work with us”), you’re failing to show your audience why they need you; you’re simply telling them they need you. They’re probably thinking, “Maybe, but I’ve made it this far without them.”
There is no urgency, desire to work with you and you’re doing way too much telling and not enough showing.
I’m not saying to never post these types of content—they absolutely should be a part of your content strategy—but they shouldn’t be your entire content strategy.
These FOUR types of content consistently get the most leads for myself and my clients:
- Problem Awareness
Problem awareness is a way to point out the mistakes your audience is making and position yourself as a solution to those problems. The goal here is to show your audience that you have a better way of doing something, or that the way they’re doing something isn’t the best or most efficient way. This type of content, when done correctly, will get your audience’s attention because they can identify with the symptoms of the problems you’re describing and start to qualify themselves.
For example, if you’re a copywriter, you might say: “you’re attracting unaligned clients because of the language on your website.” Then you’d go on to explain how using jargon or vague language that doesn’t highlight your audiences specific problems, is drawing in the wrong crowd.
- Case Studies
Case studies or social proof are essential in a content strategy. Your audience needs to know that you’ve helped people with the problem you’re solving before. This builds high levels of trust, and your audience can envision the results that could be possible for them if they invest with you. It’s one thing for the people who work for the business to speak about their products or services and say, “Buy from me”; it’s an entirely different thing for strangers with nothing to gain to say the same thing.
For example, if you’re a wedding planner, you might say: “How we helped Bre and Ty plan their perfect wedding” (then go on to tell the story of what you did, your process, what the happy couple said, any problems you solved, etc.).
- Inside the Mind
This is my favorite (and the most converting) type of content that is about to take over social media—mark my words (I’m writing this in June 2024). This is also an amazing type of content to create if you don’t have access to a ton of social proof, client testimonials, or case studies. It helps build trust and showcases your expertise all in one. Essentially, this is where you’re showing your audience how you problem-solve, how you present solutions to clients, and how you think. Think of it like mock client experiences. As a consumer, this type of content will always get me paying attention to a brand and I instantly trust them.
For example, if you’re a realtor, you could say: “If a client came to us looking for a house that they could raise a family of young kids in, here are 4 recommended house features we’d look for.” This positions you as an expert and shows your clients that you are skilled in adapting to different client needs.
- Desire Content
This is where you tap into the desires of your audience and show them what’s possible when they invest with you. You really want to get deep here and pull from your market research to tap into what your audience truly desires. The biggest mistake I see is that people are way too vague with this kind of content (e.g., “How I’ll help you hit your highest income month yet… yawn“). You need to first know what your audience truly wants and then be able to show them how you help them get there.
For example, if you’re a meditation coach, you might say: “POV: You started meditating for 7 minutes a day and now you no longer hit the 3 PM crash, your brain is quieter, and you haven’t yelled at your children in weeks.
Incorporate these types of content into your content strategy, and watch your inquiries, leads, and conversions increase. If you want access to 7 highly converting caption templates to make creating these content pieces an absolute breeze, CLICK HERE. (Oh, and they’re 100% free!)
