159: Why your content ISN'T turning into sales (and how to fix it!)

In episode 159 of Online Business Uncovered, I’m breaking down a frustration I see all the time…

You’re showing up consistently.
You’re creating valuable content.
You’re doing everything you’ve been told to do.

…but it’s not turning into sales.

No consistent enquiries.
No real conversations.

and definitely no “someone just bought while I was offline” moments!

If that feels familiar then this episode will give you the clarity you need.

The problem isn’t that your content isn’t good enough, it’s that it’s not connected to a clear sales journey.

This is about shifting from “posting and hoping” to building a business that actually works... one where your content leads somewhere, your audience knows what to do next and sales don’t rely on you being online all the time.

If your goal is to turn your expertise into something that sells on repeat, then this episode will help you start making that shift.

Tune in now and start turning your content into a system that drives real results.

Links & Resources:
Join Sell Your Brilliance Online → https://www.sellyourbrillianceonline.com/

Check out Systeme here

Transcript

Karen [00:00:00]:
Hello, and welcome to Online Business Uncovered. This is episode 159, and in today's episode, I'm going to be talking about why your content isn't turning into sales and more importantly, how to fix it. So let's jump right in and let's get started. Hello, and welcome to Online Business Uncovered, the show that helps you turn your expertise into digital products, passive income, and, of course, time freedom. I'm your host, Karen, and I do really appreciate you hitting that play button to listen to today's episode. Now, something that I see a lot are entrepreneurs showing up online. They're being consistent. They're posting on Instagram, sharing their value, and creating content that they know is going to be helpful to their audience.

Karen [00:00:56]:
But they're not seeing the sales that they were expecting to see. And I think some of this kind of comes down to the fact that no real conversations are happening, no consistent inquiries are coming in, and so they're not making those sales. And it can leave them feeling like they're not doing enough. They need to post more. They're saying the wrong things, that they're trying to do everything that's right, but they feel like they're doing everything wrong. And so what they are doing isn't converting. Now, if that's where you are right now, I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone. I think this is something that is a common problem with entrepreneurs and business owners on social media, because we have these platforms that are free, and it requires our time in order to be able to utilize them.

Karen [00:01:53]:
So we think the more we show up, the more we do, the more results we're gonna get. It's not actually the case. So I want to really dive into this today and what you can do to fix that. Now, there was a point in my business where I felt as though I was creating content all of the time, and I was that person where I was being consistent. I was showing up giving value, but my content wasn't really leading anywhere, and it wasn't creating a demand, and it certainly wasn't bringing in any sales, and I wasn't building any momentum. And the reason for this is. And it wasn't because my content wasn't good enough, because my content was good. It was because it wasn't connected to a clear sales journey.

Karen [00:02:48]:
Now, in Last week's episode 158, I spoke about putting a system behind your content. And I think that is really important when you're showing up online, because anything that you do, you want to be Posting with a purpose and with intention. And what I mean by that is you need to be sending them somewhere on a journey long after they've consumed your content. Now, when I started to bake in a sales journey into my content, then that's when things for me started to shift. Because your content is just a starting point. It's the entry point of bringing people into your world. And if there's nowhere for people to go next, then they won't buy because they won't know how to. So we have to make it so clear of what we are asking for.

Karen [00:03:54]:
So I want to break this down. I want to kind of make this easy for you to follow, but also give you that clarity around needing that clear sales journey. Because I think that is the point where things will change. It doesn't have to be difficult, it doesn't have to be complex. It just has to make sense for you what you're offering your clients or your customers and where you want them to go and how you want them to get there. And of course, the experience that you want them to have as well. Now, let's just break down reasons why your content potentially is not turning into sales and what you can do instead. So the first, the first thing I want to mention is it's not because your content isn't valuable.

Karen [00:04:53]:
Your content most likely is valuable. You're probably posting on LinkedIn and you're sharing really great insights and informative content. The problem may be it's not strategic. So you might be sharing tips, you might be sharing ideas and great insights. But if your content isn't linked to an outcome or an offer, then it's not going to convert because you're not sending them to that next step. And I think we're told in the online space to create content, give away your free stuff, give away your, your best tips and, and provide high value and educate your audience. Because your audience most likely needs educating before they buy from you. But the problem with this is that if you get stuck within that process of just focusing on piece, then you're most likely not thinking about what the next step is.

Karen [00:05:55]:
So it doesn't lead. So you may be posting something like, here are three tips. Try this in your business, which is great. Those tips may be really valuable to your audience. Maybe they need to have those tips so that they can make a shift. However, most likely what is missing is why does this matter and what should they be doing next? And if you haven't answered that, then every piece of content that you're putting out there is not purpose led. It's not leading them to the next step. So you're posting, but you're posting without a strategic intention.

Karen [00:06:42]:
So what I would encourage you to think about is when you are sharing content online, not just to post, but think about moving someone one step closer to working with you. Now, that can be in many different ways. It could be you create a really valuable post sharing your tips, and you could simply lead them into a free resource that they can download. Now, with that free download, you then get to email them because they will give you their details, they'll give you their name, they'll give you their email address. Once you have those, then you can continue the conversation. So really think about your journey. If a customer or a potential customer reads your content, what do you want them to do when they've done their next step? Where are you leading them to? And I think that if you can get really clear and succinct on that, you'll start to move potential customers or clients to buying from you, leading them to your next sale. The second reason could be that you're not making the problem or even the solution clear enough.

Karen [00:08:01]:
So this is quite an important one because if your audience doesn't fully see themselves in what you're saying, then they won't take action. Okay? So they need to be sitting there reading your content, almost nodding their because they see what you're saying, they understand it, they relate to it, and they want to therefore take the next step with you. Now, I had a situation recently that I thought was really interesting because I was having a call with someone who has been in my world for a while. They've been on my email list, they've consumed my content, they've attended my masterclasses, and they've been active in my audience. And they asked to book a call with me where they could talk to me about the next step. And what was really interesting in this call was that when they were talking about where they were at and how they were feeling, they were almost reflecting back to me my own messaging. It was almost like they were telling me what their problem was, but it was so aligned with the messaging that I've really been sharing with people of late. And I thought that was really interesting.

Karen [00:09:28]:
And I didn't know whether it's because they've seen my messaging, where it's landed with them and they resonate with it and they're like, that's me, that's how I'm feeling. And then they've jumped on a call with Me, and then they've shared it with me, or whether it's just my messaging has just clearly reflected how this person, who is my ideal person, is feeling. When you create really effective content that resonates with the people that you are trying to connect with, then they want to take the next step with you. So in this instance, with this sort of. With this person, it led to them joining my membership because they were like, this is how I feel. I feel tired, I feel burnt out, I feel exhausted. I'm trapped in my business. I'm not making the money that I want to make, and I haven't got anything that could sell without me being at my desk.

Karen [00:10:37]:
How do I change this? So instead of trying to say everything to your audience, I would encourage on focusing on just narrowing it down and saying the right thing. Get to the heart of how your audience are feeling. Really understand that. Because if you can do that, then it just. Your messaging, your content, becomes so powerful, it becomes so magnetic that people can't help but want to jump on a call with you and take that next step. If you speak to a specific problem and you call out a specific person and you paint a clear picture of what they are currently experiencing and then show them what's possible on the other side, then you will get those leads and you will get those sales. The third reason could be that you're not talking about your offer enough. Now, let's be honest.

Karen [00:11:46]:
Most people, and I include myself in this, are massively underselling. So you may mention your offer once, but then you may also move on. Or you might wait until you feel like people are ready. But your audience needs repetition. They need you to repeat what it is that you do, how you help and what you can offer them. They need to hear what you do on a consistent basis. How do you help? What is your outcome? And you need to repeat that over and over again. Now, not in a pushy way, but in a really clear, confident, and consistent way.

Karen [00:12:35]:
Because people can't buy something that they don't fully understand. So what I would encourage you to do is look at the content that you're sharing. You can say one thing many different ways, and you can lead them to the same place. So, and just to give you an example, recently I was at a networking meeting and this is one of my favorite meetings because the way they have structured the meeting just, it aligns with me. I get to meet people. And I really like the fact that halfway through the meeting, they have a discussion time where they will be talking about A topic, and they will open it up for conversation. And I really, I really like that. And they presented a really interesting topic this month.

Karen [00:13:37]:
And so I've attended three of the networking meetings, which are sort of national and, well, they're global, actually, because they're in the us, they're in Ireland, and they're here in the uk now, the question that they were asking their members was, how did you make your last sale? And for me, this was really interesting because out of the three meetings that I attended, I was the only person there in a room full of business owners and entrepreneurs. I was the only person that said through a click, everyone else said, either through conversations, referrals, or through multiple touch points, which means that they have to spend a large proportion of their time getting leads and driving sales instead of somebody being able to just buy there and them. So that was really interesting to me because of what I do. I help founders create scalable offers in their business that they can sell on repeat without having to be there in the room, without having to have those conversations, without them having to rely on referrals. So that has been my topic that I've been talking about because my messaging is very clear. If you don't have something that somebody can buy in your business when you're not there, then you need to do whatever, reach out to me, download my freebie, come to my masterclass, whatever it is that I've been offering. So it's really important that I share that message because I need people to think, and part of my content is about shifting perception around how they're currently structuring their business so that they can bake in a model that serves them and builds in sustainability. So this is a great topic for me and I've spoken about it in many different ways, but my call to action and the offer that I'm making is still the same.

Karen [00:15:55]:
So what I would encourage you to do is think about your content, think about what you want to say, and think about how you can say it in different ways. And this is where maybe, you know, using AI can really help you. If you write something out and you put it into chat, then ask chat to give you different angles in which you can talk about it. But as long as you keep that, that call to action, the same. So you're leading them to your offer, you're leading them to your freebie, you're leading them to your masterclass, whatever that call to action is, then what will happen is because they're seeing that content on a regular basis, your Messaging is consistent. You are pointing out a clear problem, you're giving them a clear solution, you're making it so easy for them to identify themselves in what you're then you will start to move that audience from consuming to taking action. And that leads me on to step number four, that your content potentially has no clear next step. So this is where so much content does fall down.

Karen [00:17:08]:
And I see it online. It's like somebody will post something brilliant, they'll share their opinion, they'll share some tips, they'll share an insight, but then there's nothing. There's. It's almost like share in the comments if you agree it doesn't really do anything, it doesn't help them, it doesn't lead their audience anywhere. If you've created something valuable and someone is taking the time to read it or to watch it, and they are thinking that this is helpful, what do you want them to do next? And if you're not asking them to do anything, there's no next step, there's no clear direction, there's no invitation. They're going to just simply scroll on. So if you want your content to convert, then you need to guide people to where you want them to go. So tell them what you want them to do next.

Karen [00:18:01]:
And it could be download your free guide, join your webinar, message you send you a dm, explore your offers. It doesn't really matter what your call to action is. There just needs to be a bridge between your content and your sales. And then the fifth and final reason why your content might not be leading people to set to buying from you is that you don't have a system behind your content. If this is the case, then go and listen to episode 158 that I released last week because I talk at length about this. This to me is the biggest one of them all. Because even if your content is amazing, even if content is connecting, even if your audience are interested, if there's no clear system supporting your content, then it there's not going to be those conversions. Content alone is not a sales strategy.

Karen [00:19:08]:
You need a really simple system that is easy to set up and easy to easy to implement. And what I mean by that, a simple system could be something like your content leading to your lead magnet, where you then nurture your audience in order to invite them into your offer that then generates sales. So you've got your content, your lead magnet, you've got your nurture, you've got your offer, and you've got your sales. Now you can set this up in a platform called System IO. I'll put the link in the show notes. This is where things get exciting because if you get people coming in to your world because they're signing up for whatever it is that you're offering your freebie, you can start building out your leads that you can then nurture in order to convert into sales. So we need to be creating a system that supports this growth. In order for your business to grow.

Karen [00:20:26]:
You need traffic, you need leads, and you need sales. They're the only three things that really matter because this is how you go from just posting and hoping to building a business that actually works. So something that I do on a regular basis is I share. I've got a couple of freebies and I share my freebies and I will often get people downloading those freebies and giving me those details. I will run regular master classes that also brings people into my world where they sign up and then I can nurture. And from time to time I will put out offers where I will also get sign ups and they come into my world and then I can nurture them and lead them to the next stage. So think about how you're going to get your traffic, which is going to be how you're going to use your content. Think about how you're going to generate those leads, which is where the freebie comes in.

Karen [00:21:35]:
And then think about how you're going to get those conversions, where you're going to make those sales, and that's going to be from your offer. Building a simple system in your business that you can run on auto is an absolute game changer because this takes you from being one of those overwhelmed business owners that's trying to do everything, trying to find people to work with, trying to generate income, having to be everywhere and anywhere just to be seen in to somebody that is fully in control of their business because they have a system built in place. So you're getting that regular traffic through your content, you're turning them into great leads and then you're making sales off the back of that because you're nurturing them and you're leading them to where you want them to go. When I started to bake this into my business, this is for me what when everything changed, it's when I stopped focusing on just creating content and I started focusing on where that content was leading people. And it was when I was starting to make sales away from my desk because they were coming into my world in that system and they were being led to where I needed them. To go. So that's when my business stopped depending on me being on all the time and started being an asset that made me money. So if your content isn't converting right now, I want you to ask yourself these three questions.

Karen [00:23:19]:
Number one, where am I leading people? What is the next step after they've consumed my content? And number three do I have a clear journey from that content to a sale? Because once you fix that, everything will start to shift. Thank you so much for tuning into today's episode. I hope this has given you some clarity and sparked some new ideas for your business. If you have found this helpful, please do share it with a friend or a fellow entrepreneur who is also building their online business because this might be what they need to hear today. 

And if this episode has you thinking that you're ready to start creating those offers and turning your value valuable expertise into income, then I would love you to come and join my membership. Sell your brilliance online. It's only 47 pound a month. You can cancel at any time.

Karen [00:24:23]:
But this is where you get to implement. This is where you get to take action, and this is where I get to support you and give you what you need in order to make this happen. You can join me right now at www.sellyourbrillianceonline.com/membership. I will be back next week with another episode, but until then have a wonderful week.