Grow your business with content: Stop selling, Start solving

Photo by Souvik Banerjee on Unsplash

Let me guess, you’ve seen people you know go viral and make a lot of money online, so you decided to join the party & take your own business digital. Because, “Why should Esther be the only one flexing a new Lexus with social media money??”.

So you figured out what business you want to start. Made your account. Typed in your bio. Spent weeks planning, editing and posting all about your new wonderful, ‘affordable’ product, and then FINALLY….nothing.

Absolutely nothing. No likes. No shares. And definitely no purchases. I mean you have one follower, but does your mom really count? You’ve lost a lot of time and money, & now you feel like you have nothing to show for it. What happened? Where did you go wrong? What should you have done differently?

I’ve spent years in content marketing. Growing businesses & products for myself & my clients online through web & social media. And with all the ups & downs that have come my way in that time, i’ve learned that more likely than not, there’s a high chance you kinda forgot one thing…

“Social media, is SOCIAL media.”

Stay with me.

Yes, that does seem stupendously obvious. But most of the time, it is that obvious & simple idea that trips up most business owners online.

You can’t enter social with the mindset that it is a marketplace where all you have to do is list out your product benefits and expect entire nations will be crossing the border just to buy from you. Instagram, Twitter, TikTok- that’s not how it works here. Social media is about relationships, interaction, and more than anything, trust.

So today i’m going to tell you what you REALLY need to know, and what most blogs and YouTube posts will not tell you. Beyond content calendars and fancy analytics, i’m going to tell you the heart of what good social media content really is, and why it can grow your business beyond what you currently think possible. That being said…

What mindset do you really need to have regarding content?

Think about it this way:

The content that goes viral isn’t the content that sells a product. It is the content that sees a problem, and creates a solution.

Sometimes that solution will be information, sometimes it will be entertainment, sometimes it will be inspiration, and sometimes…sometimes it will be your product.

Your goal for good social media content should not be to actively sell your product. It should be to actively solve a problem, while passively positioning your product as an aid to the solution.

There’s an important distinction there that you need to understand. And just so i’m sure you get it, here are a few examples:

1. If you own or run a fin-tech savings business — Sure you could run a few ads telling people to download and save money on your app. But did you know you could also create a free course on Udemy, teaching people how to be financially free, while passively showing how your products can help them in the pursuit of this?
2. If you sell fruits — Sure you could open a stall, or post pictures of your produce online. But did you know that you could also create & share unique smoothie recipes via videos to post online? And then go even further to offer a book of these recipes to customers who buy produce from you? (I gave an example like this in my last article)

The goal of content, in both cases, is not to directly sell. It is to focus on the core problems of your potential clients & offer solutions around them. Good marketers & good sellers are those who are able to seamlessly & naturally infuse their products/services into that running conversation.

Are you starting to get where i’m going? Do you see just how broad & flexible content marketing really is? Because we’re about to go into a bit more detail & there’s no turning back now. So sit back, pay attention, and let’s go down the rabbit hole.

What steps do you take to improve your content in 2023?

Now that you have a vague idea of the philosophy you need to uphold, what practices can you put in place to make sure your content stays on the right track?

Well consider the following:

1. See Social Media as a town hall, not a market place:

The goal behind SM is to spark conversation, connection, and maybe even controversy. People are online to interact, not to read through a list of features and benefits.

2. Give yourself a personality:

Nobody wants to have a conversation with a robot. Well, not everyone anyway. (Most) People like to follow PEOPLE. And it doesn’t help when many business owners & new creators approach content with a rigid & formal speaking tone. All that does is create a barrier between you and the audience, making them less likely to connect with or care about your brand. I’m not saying you should be all about the gossip. But when you discuss real human-centred topics, in a real human-centred tone, you have a higher chance of getting the attention of real human people. Go figure.

3. Map out and imagine:

Imagine your best friend is your ideal customer, and they’ve come to you for help. Create a table with two columns. On one side, I want you to list out all their problems- problems you & your business can solve. On the other side, list all their goals- goals you & your product can help them reach. Now imagine you’re sitting with them at a restaurant in a conversation to discuss each problem and goal. Imagine all you would say. Imagine how informal you would be (because it’s your best friend), but how intentional you would remain (because they have a problem). Can you picture the back & forth of that conversation? Now transcribe all of that from your head, and turn it into content.

4. Diversify:

Not every piece of content has to directly tie in to your product. As i said before, good marketers & good sellers are those who are able to seamlessly & naturally infuse their products/services into a running conversation. Spend time building a relationship with your audience around your niche. Around the general problem you have chosen to solve. Allow yourself to be seen as someone who truly understands their problem and is passionate about their goals. Not just someone who wants to sell them something. Because they will know if that is all you care about. Doing so ensures that when you DO tie in your product, you have a lot of trust already developed to increase the chances of a sale.

Did you get all that?

Implementing all of this may take some getting used to over time. Remember, it’s a mindset change we’re talking about. If you have a good product that the market actually needs but your content isn’t doing well, then this is the best way to focus your approach. But even if you’re already doing okay, adopting such an approach also allows you to have a more liberal and creative view on how you can market your business through content. Which opens up a lot more doors.

if you stick with it consistently, along with all the proper technical planning, then you will improve the chances that customers you’re after will see you, like you, and maybe finally…buy from you.

Hi! 👋 I’m Dimeji. I make content to help you communicate in a way people want to listen to. Did you enjoy the read? Follow me on LinkedIn for daily posts on attracting and growing through content — right here!