So many of my clients come to me and say ‘I’m posting on social media consistently and spending lots of time creating content, but my content marketing strategy just isn’t getting results’.

They feel frustrated and like they are wasting their time. They know that social media and having a content marketing strategy is a vital part of their business, but the pieces of the puzzle aren’t fitting together – something is missing.

My answer – Intention.

Content is a powerful tool within your business, but only when used strategically.

Posting consistently is excellent for your visibility, however, if you do not know what your end objectives, business goals and ambitions are, you can’t create content or a content marketing strategy that is intentionally going to support you in achieving them!

Content Marketing Strategy with Intention

So, why does your content need to be intentional?

  • Intentional content creates results; it’s as simple as that.
  • When you are creating intentional content, you will feel happier and more aligned with your business.
  • When your content is intentional and strategic, it will naturally do a lot of the heavy lifting for you because you will be meeting the needs of your ideal clients.
  • Intentional content can help build trust.
  • It can showcase your expertise through teaching and providing value.
  • Intentional content will naturally help lead your audience to the right products and services for them.
  • Intentional content will nurture and develop relationships so that prospects become leads and leads become clients.

Each piece of content you create in your business should have an intention, and you should know exactly WHY you are posting it. Let’s take a look at some examples below:

content marketing strategyValue-based Posts

Value-based posts are ideal for supporting your audience in learning something new. It might be to teach them a new skill, for example, share some tips and advice or to recommend a new strategy or system.

Your intention behind a value-based post may be to showcase your knowledge and skills. You may want to be sharing this kind of content at this time because you know you have a launch coming up. Therefore, you would intentionally share content around this topic to warm up your audience and bring the topic to the forefront of their mind.

By sharing value in this way you are building trust in your ability as an expert in this field and showcasing that you are someone who has the answers to your ideal clients main challenges and problems.

Storytelling or Personal Posts lead magnet topic blog

Posts, where you share stories about yourself, your business and your life, can be compelling. They help your client to learn more about you, and this can build trust.

Your intention behind sharing these kinds of posts may be that you want to show your audience you understand how they are feeling. Perhaps your story shows that you have been where they are and that by sharing your journey and transformation you are building trust that you can support them to do the same.

Your intention may be to inspire them by your success, motivate them to take action or to evoke an emotion. Stories allow a connection to happen, and for people to learn more about you, your personality, the way you work and your values. This builds trust and will help you naturally attract your ideal clients.

You may strategically be sharing this kind of content because you have coaching slots available, for example, or you are talking about stories linked to a new resource you are launching.

Intentional Content is Key for your Content Marketing Strategy

So, if you are finding that your content isn’t getting the engagement or helping you get the sales/leads you’d like, I invite you to take a look at your current content marketing strategy (that’s providing you have one!)

Think about what your goals are for that quarter and then brainstorm content that will help you achieve them. What do you need to do and how can you break that down? Take your audience step by step through a content journey that will lead them to your final call to action.

Think about what you are launching or selling during that time and then create content focussed on that topic. Aim to share a variety of content on that topic in a range of formats and with a range of intentions – the aim isn’t always to sell! The aim is to build trust in you and your brand.

Think about what challenges or pain points that your resources, product or offer answers and then create content that brings those challenges to the top of the mind of your audience. You can them demonstrate HOW your offers will support them in overcoming these challenges. Use language that speaks to your ideal audience and that will resonate with how they are feeling. If you aren’t sure how they are feeling, ask them! Asking questions is a fantastic way to engage with your audience and there are a range of ways you can do this, for example taking advantage of the fun stories, polls, quizzes and question/answer buttons on Instagram.

Remember, the most critical thing that your content needs to do is to build trust. It should build trust in you as an expert. It should build confidence in your skills and experience, and it should build trust in you as a person. When your audience trust you, they are MUCH more likely to invest in your services and recommend you to their friends and peers.

The next time you go to post on social media ask yourself, what is the intention of this piece of content? To inspire, motivate, teach, build trust, entertain?

If you can’t answer the question clearly, the chances are that your content is not going to support you in the way it could.

Did you find this useful? Don’t forget to join my Free Facebook Group, the The Happy Business Hub, where I host regular free training on all things Content Strategy and Canva!

This is what one of members’s Karen had to say about the group:

“You are an inspiration! And I can’t tell you how much you have kept me going when I was getting No’s and 0 attendances for 6 months. I know I’m probably not at the forefront of your mind when you think of who you have helped, but know you have and know I am forever indebted. The day I was ready to give up you kept me going. You don’t always see the impact you make and I wanted to say thank you.