Content Marketing Strategist

If you aren’t making enough sales, it’s probably one of these three things: your content, your message, or your offer. 

But how do you know which one isn’t working? 

Content, message, and offer are like the three legs of a stool. If one is wobbly, the whole thing collapses. 

Content alone doesn’t make sales. Your content might get you noticed, but your message and your offer are what turn visibility into paying clients. And that has to tie into your sales strategy, because if you’re not following up, building relationships, or doing any kind of outreach, you’re leaving money on the table. 

A great example of a company doing all three well is Gousto. There are dozens of recipe boxes on the market. Their content works (recipes, influencer collabs), their message works (“less stress, more flavour”), and their offer, customisable boxes, simple cooking, big variety, that makes people subscribe.

Spot the symptoms before you fix anything

Most people try to fix their problem by tinkering with the offer, content and message. But before you start tinkering, you need to diagnose what’s actually broken. Here’s some symptoms to spot:

• If your content gets likes, saves, or replies but no one buys, the issue is your offer.
• If people see your content but don’t understand what you do, it’s your message.
• If your posts barely reach anyone and you feel like you’re talking to yourself, it’s your content.

Think of it like running a café. If no one walks past your café, you need better content (visibility). If they come in but don’t get what you’re selling, it’s a messaging problem. And if they love the vibe but never order anything? Your offer needs work.

Fixing your content: the visibility piece

Content is your delivery system. It’s how people find you, connect with you, and stick around long enough to trust you. Without it, you’re invisible. But showing up doesn’t just mean throwing out random posts when you feel like it. Consistency is what builds recognition.

Your content should:

• Show up regularly so people remember you.
• Reflect your brand voice and personality, not sound like everyone else.
• Add value such as insights, stories, or perspectives that actually matter to your audience.

But content alone doesn’t equal sales. You could post every day, get comments, even rack up followers, but if there’s no sales strategy behind it, it’s just noise.

This is where your marketing and sales need to hold hands. Content opens the door; your sales process closes it. If you’re not doing personal outreach, nurturing leads, or following up, you’re relying on luck. And luck is not a strategy.

Fixing your message: the clarity piece

Your message is the thing that makes your audience go, “Oh, I get it now.” It’s how you explain the transformation you offer, in words your ideal clients understand. Too many business owners overcomplicate this. They hide behind jargon, fancy frameworks, or endless lists of features. But clarity is what sells.

A strong message should:

• Speak directly to the person you want to attract.
• Focus on the transformation, not the tools.
• Be simple enough that someone else could explain what you do after hearing it once.

If you’ve ever had someone say, “That sounds great, but I’m not sure I really need it…”, that’s a messaging problem. If people keep asking you “so what is it you actually do?”, messaging problem. If you feel like you’re talking a lot but no one’s listening, yep, messaging problem.

Fixing your message usually comes before fixing your offer, because if people don’t understand the value of what you do, they won’t buy it, even if the offer is amazing.

Fixing your offer: the conversion piece

This is the part where too many business owners bury their heads. They think if they post more content, eventually people will buy. But if you’re showing up and people say they love your content but never take the next step, it’s your offer that’s holding you back.

A strong offer should:

• Solve a problem your audience actually cares about right now.
• Be priced at a point that matches the value and the people you’re targeting.
• Be easy to understand – your audience should instantly know what they’re getting and why it matters.

Sometimes your offer is good but you’re not selling it enough. Sometimes your offer is misaligned with what your audience actually wants. And sometimes it’s just too vague. If people keep saying, “I’ll think about it” or “maybe later,” that’s your sign to work on your offer, not pump out another 20 reels.

The bigger picture: content, message and offer work together

You can’t just fix one a part of this trilogy and forget the others. They feed into each other. Your content gets attention, your message builds trust, and your offer gives people the next step. Miss one and you’ll always feel like you’re hustling harder than you need to.

And remember: content is the visibility, not the whole sales engine. You need a sales process behind it. That might be personal outreach, follow-up emails, booking calls, sending DMs, or running ads. Whatever route you take, it has to be intentional. Marketing warms people up. Sales turns them into clients. If you don’t connect the dots, you’ll stay stuck in “posting mode” without ever moving into “payday mode.”

So, the real question isn’t “Which do I fix forever?” It’s “Which is the weakest link right now?”

Fix that first, then bring the others up to speed. That’s when business feels simpler, sales come more steadily, and you stop wondering if you’re doing it all wrong.