If you’ve spent any time watching videos from one or more of the countless content creation gurus on the internet, you’ve probably heard this advice a thousand times: “You need to provide value to your audience!”
Sounds simple, right? Except, instead of being helpful, it usually just leaves business owners spinning their wheels on their content strategy. Suddenly, “providing value” turns into a pressure-filled mission to be the smartest, most knowledgeable, most educational expert on the internet.
Let’s Stop Overthinking Value
The truth about providing value is that, 90% of the time, small businesses over complicate it. You don’t have to be an expert on everything or only share educational content. The best way to show up with value is just figuring out what your audience actually finds valuable and becoming a resource for that exact thing! You need an audience that feels connected to your content and content that naturally directs people to your offers. It’s all connected, and it’s way easier than you think!
#1 Understand What You Uniquely Bring to the Table
The magic of your content is found in who you are. Your value comes from your expertise, yes, but also from your personality, experiences and unique perspective. Instead of trying to be everything to everyone, lean into the topics you feel comfortable being a resource for – the ones that align directly with your business and for what you truly want to be known.
What topics are you always talking about with customers, clients or friends? What’s your take on things in your industry that makes you different? How can you bring in elements of your personality, humor, values or hobbies to make your content feel real? People connect with people. Your audience doesn’t just want information – they want connection, relatability and trust.
#2 Uncover What Your Audience Connects to Most
Don’t miss the mark on why your audience is coming to you! Doing a little detective work to figure out what truly resonates with them is going to keep your audience engaged and interested in what you’re sharing. How do you find out what they really want? Simple; ask them yourself.
Add a poll to your Instagram stories or send a survey to your email list asking them what they need help with, what they struggle with or what they love seeing from you most. Experiment with your content by trying different types of posts like behind-the-scenes moments, straight up storytelling or quick tips, and see what gets engagement! Most importantly, lean into your key messaging! What problem does your business solve, and how can your content support that solution and reinforce why your audience needs what you sell?
#3 Lean Into Your Secret “Value” Sauce
As tempting as it is to jump on social media trends or try to emulate what the “successful” creators are doing, your customers don’t want cookie-cutter content they’ve already seen everywhere. They are craving fresh and interesting content, so serve up your secret sauce!
Don’t be afraid to get a little spicy! Share an unpopular opinion in your industry, challenge a common myth and find ways to make your audience stop and think. What’s something that’s second nature to you but could be mind-blowing to someone else? Sometimes it’s those little things that change the game for your customer. Don’t forget to be intentional about connecting your content to your offers. If your business sells XYZ, what does your ideal customer need to see or hear to realize they need what you sell?
Show Up. Share. Sell.
You already have so much value to share! The key is to make it unique to who you are, engaging and relevant to the problem your business solves. Trust that your audience wants to hear from you, and let that fuel the way you show up online.
Hustle & Heart Challenge
This month, block 20 minutes for a brain dump activity where you write down all of the problems your business is the solution to. Think about how you can speak to these things and what format works best to communicate with your audience.
