Why My Content Wasn't Connecting (And What I Did About It)
This is where content engagement, burnout, and clarity collide.
I’ve been a content strategist for decades. I’ve been decent at it for a few years. I’ve grown several businesses from small businesses to medium businesses. I’ve even helped one business grow from a small business to a large business, but that was… less fun than you might think. I’ve developed and deployed several strategies, techniques, and documented approaches that weren’t marketing focused, but operations focused, which is the reason I don’t tell people I help them solely with marketing. Most of my business growth experience isn’t with ads or social media. It’s with your website, your project management procedures, your automations, and your nurture sequences.
When I decided to take my indie-author service business (where I helped small indie authors become big USA Today and Amazon best selling authors with $100K months by helping them write better, faster, and without burning themselves out) and convert it to a small business service model (where I help small business owners build stronger, more sustainable businesses that don’t burn them out), I thought this was going to be easy. In the author business, marketing is about entertainment and you’re literally competing with some pretty major entertainment sources. I mean, just look at our President. He’s providing the most entertainment of all time. We don’t need to watch TV or Reels. We’ve got his wild antics.
Hey. He’s reshaping the world and heroes need villains. I’m an author. I can see how manure is helpful… when applied appropriately.
Small business offers real services. They provide real solutions to real pain, not just cheap thrills and exciting headlines. I thought, “This is a no brainer. I can do this in my sleep.”
I was wrong.
I spent months creating content for myself that did absolutely nothing. It went no where. My SEO was fine… ish. But my social media? Crickets.
When I networked with real-live people in the real-live world and they asked me what I did, I stumbled.
And then I did some click testing - which is something I do for you when you want to work with me - and I realized, you’re having the same issues!
So, I said, “Let’s fix that! Let’s create a system for Lindsey - my idea client avatar - that she can use to do this better.”
And then I used it on myself.
🌱 My Core Message
My content wasn’t connecting because my core message was an absolute mess.
“I help small business owners build stronger, more sustainable businesses that don’t burn them out.”
Every single time I said that, people would get this blank look on their face and ask, “How?”
Well, there are lots of ways! Frankly. It depends on what’s going on in your business. I mean, here’s a small list of things I’ve done:
Developed and implemented a project coordinator education program to take electricians from the field and introduce them to project management
Then, I further developed that into a project manager training program.
Then, I developed and implemented a productivity program that helped the field do better, stay on task easier, and get the job done with a smaller punchlist
You’re like, “That’s not content.”
Wrong! That’s education content that doesn’t necessarily go into the public. But then I took that education program/content and put it into the public:
Listing it on their website and in their proposals as a “rigorous training program” that “helps projects finish on schedule and under budget” with a “systematic approach.”
Let me just say that this was the company I helped build from a small business to a large, nearly billion dollar electrical contracting business, and the tools I used was… content. I pulled the information out of people’s heads, looked at the problem from all sides, created a system that would answer as many problems as I could without creating new ones, and then wrote it down.
That’s operational content. That’s what you do in your business.
And that’s the backbone to good marketing content because those “programs” I developed were what gave them the defining edge over their competition so they could win the big contracts.
However, that’s a long freakin’ conversation to have every single time! So, after going through the workbook I created for you, I realized that I don’t just write stuff. I don’t just create content. I enjoy creating strategies. I love creating solutions. My gift is seeing the problem and then creating solutions that don’t create a bunch of others.
So, my core message went from I help small business owners build stronger, more sustainable businesses that don’t burn them out to….
I create content system strategies because I believe your business deserves more than ducktape solutions and guesswork. I help you create a sustainable business that will grow with you that doesn’t burn you out.
And since then, the content I’ve created on Instagram has seen a 21% increase in engagement. My Facebook page has seen a 153% increase in engagement. And my LinkedIn page… well, it’s received 2 likes, which… I mean. I had 0 likes before. So, that’s a 200% increase, but let’s be real. It’s 2 likes.
It’s been four days. So, it’s working.
💵 My Core Offer
One of the first things I did when I started this business was go through and develop the Core Offer Workbook, and then use it. That’s how I came up with the audits.
Most small business owners don’t understand what’s wrong with their business because it’s usually one systemic thing and then lots of other smaller things. So, the audits work great at allowing me in, letting my gift work as I look at your operations and then determine what the real issues are, then I come up with three solutions that will help you overcome what you’re experiencing and build better, stronger, and more energy efficiently.
However, how I communicate that is still a wok in progress between client work because it’s not super well-received. People don’t like the term audit.
But the Aligned Core Offer workbook let me see what offers were the most necessary.
Yes. I want to provide content strategies.
Yes. I want to provide business strategies.
But the aligned core introductory offer turned out to be workbooks that you could do you on your own and audits.
And now that my message is clear, and the core offer is easy to define, I’ve had:
6 people download my workbook, so my newsletter has increased from 0 to 6.
I’ve had four people download and start working through the Aligned Core Offering Workbook.
And I’ve had 1 person book an audit with me.
🔍 Creating A System That Won’t Wear You Out
The next big part of this step is creating the system you can repeat.
Now, understand that this takes a little time and tweaking.
And sometimes, it takes software.
But if you need to create an documented process for yourself or your employees, write it down and then tweak it. “It’s working until here and then it doesn’t work because…” and then make it work.
If your issue is created potential client content, go back to your ideal client profile, and figure out where your ideal client is. Then, only go there. Now, you’re probably not going to land in a situation like me where your ideal client is on YouTube and Instagram and LinkedIn and Facebook because she’s trying to learn what she doesn’t know to build her sustainable business. You’ll probably be able to be in one place and just do one form of content that connects.
I’m still creating workbooks on both of these. I do have a workbook to help you develop social media content ideas, but it’s not a full strategy. A strategy keeps you from feeling overwhelmed and burnt out. Ideas are just throwing spaghetti to see what sticks, and that is part of how you create your strategy.
✨ What Content That Connects Actually Looks Like
It speaks directly to your client’s real problems
It builds trust without needing you to show up constantly
It leads somewhere (to your offer!)
It works even when you’re offline
It feels like you
You don’t need to write better content.
You need a better foundation behind your content.
💡 Final Thought:
Content engagement isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing it smarter.
And it starts with:
🌱 Clear messaging
🌿 An aligned offer
🌻 A repeatable content system
If you’re missing any of these, your content will always feel hard.
But you can fix this.
Start with the What Do You Do? Decoder.
Then build your offer with the Aligned Offer Workbook.
And if you want help pulling it all together into a system that works, book a strategy session with me.
Because your business deserves more than duct tape and guesswork.
Let’s build content systems that connect.
