Your Content Is Not Working. Why? Because It’s Dishonest.

One of the observations that I have made is that the content is created with a desire to sell more and get more customers.

It is, of course, natural to have that starting point. However, to create content that works, a completely different strategy must be used.

Get started creating more engaging and inspiring content by taking these four steps into account.

Then, I promise you, more qualified leads will come through on your content strategy.

1: You must create content that piques the curiosity of your customers

What do your customers find interesting to read and learn about?

Your latest and impressive annual accounts? Unity in your company?

Unless they are directly seeking this information from you, it is probably not what a new potential customer would be caught by and then click on.

I see it as a tendency for companies to let their content be very much about themselves. Shots completely missed the target, and the content becomes awful.

Instead, the content should be about your customers’ thoughts and problems.

You need to create content that your dream customer would find interesting reading. If you can’t, then your content isn’t worth enough for them to spend their time on.

This leads me to the next and most important step in this article.

2: You Must Have a Real Desire to Share Knowledge

Your content needs to be more real. Quite simply.

You must have a desire to make people smarter. You must want to teach and share your knowledge, because otherwise a content strategy makes no sense at all.

If you write content just to sell, then the purpose is simply not honest enough. If your content is created on the basis of making money, then it will fall through quickly.

Keep in mind that people are exposed to an extreme amount of content and advertising all the time. They can easily see through dishonest content and quickly scroll on when things smell like a sales pitch.

You must share all the knowledge that you have inside your corporation. That’s it.

I once read that money must be in circulation for it to have any value. Exactly the same applies to knowledge. If you are too secretive about your knowledge, you miss the chance to be perceived as the expert you are in your field.

I realize that it can be difficult to find this sincerity in the content you have to share. I myself can be blinded by a desire to run a successful business.

But remember that your content must match what you want as a company. Otherwise, you will fall into the trap of making it too salesy and thus inauthentic.

So, remember who you are and what your skills are, and then SHARE some of all your expert knowledge.

3. Write so that the reader understands you

Another aspect is that those you want to speak to must understand what you are saying.

It is very trendy to appear very professional and corporate.

That, in and of itself, is okay.

It’s just no use being so “professional” that your potential customers don’t understand you.

Here, it is extremely important to distinguish between oversimplifying something and simplifying something.

The knowledge that you pull out of the drawer must be something that most people will be able to follow. I actually hate the expression myself:  writing at eye level with the reader. But the idea behind it is still good. I would probably use “respect” instead; it’s about being able to deliver your knowledge with respect for the recipient. Throughout the entire writing process, you must respect the starting point that your recipient has.

That way, you get your messages across easily without simplifying it.

4: If you don’t want to share, drop the content strategy

Last but not least, a content strategy is not the right solution for everyone.

Of course, all companies have individual trade secrets that should not be shared. But if we take that out of the equation, you really have to be ready to share most of the good knowledge that you have inside.

If you want to keep the cards close to your body, then a content strategy is not the right solution for you. Here, it makes more sense to go for old-school cold canvassing. Many people hate cold canvassing. The fact is, if you hire skilled people to do it, it can easily work for you.

If you want your content strategy to work, where you ultimately have to make some sales, then you have to be generous with all your knowledge.

Knowledge only has value the second it is shared.

The more knowledge you share, the more you emerge as a thought leader in your industry. So, get to the keys and start typing. We’ll all get a lot smarter.

How do you get started on creating good quality content? – Read this blog post on creating an efficient quality content strategy.