#126 - 4 Signs You're Marketing an Unclear Offer

You’re posting consistently, creating content, and showing up on social media.

So why aren't more people buying?

In this episode, I'm breaking down four common signs that the problem isn't your marketing strategy or your content - it's that your offer isn't clear enough for people to understand, remember, and buy.

We'll talk about:

✨ Why creating more content isn't always the answer

✨ The hidden danger of having too many offers and ideas

✨ How inconsistent messaging confuses potential clients

✨ Why disconnected business assets create unnecessary work

If you've ever felt like you're doing all the right things but your marketing still isn't converting, this episode will help you identify where the real bottleneck might be.

Because before you build a funnel, automate your emails, or spend another hour creating content... make sure your offer is clear as day. 

The bottom line: A marketing strategy is only as powerful as the offer it's selling. Clarity comes before content. Always.

You'll walk away with practical questions to help you evaluate your current messaging and determine whether it's time to simplify, streamline, and strengthen your signature offer.

🎯 Ready to get clear on your signature offer? 

As mentioned in the episode, here's the link to Deborah's $7 mini-course

→ Soul-Aligned Systems Mini-Course

Inside you will also find my Signature Offer Framework & Mega Prompt

Connect with Deborah:

Instagram: @deborah_smith_coaching

LinkedIn: Deborah C. Smith

Mindset to Market is a Luminous Creative Production. If you'd like to learn more about our business coaching program and group coaching container, please visit us online at DeborahcSmith.com.

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Mindset to Market is produced by Deborah C. Smith and designed to inspire and support big-hearted creatives in finding their own unique path, building a sustainable business, and creating financial, spiritual, mental wellness and abundance.

🎉 Work with Deborah Learn More
💕 Visit Deborah online at DeborahCSmith.com
💕 Follow on the 'Gram. @deborah_smith_coaching

Transcript

What's up, rock stars? Welcome back. Today we're gonna be talking about the four signs that you might be marketing an unclear offer. And the reason why I wanna talk about that this week is because we're heading into summer. A lot of people are thinking about summer containers, short form sprints, things like that with our coaching programs, trying to create light lift offers for the summer that might attract clients in a short term, you know, a summer cash injection. And so I've been having lots of these conversations with my clients. It's a great idea to have a summer themed package for your offer, but it has to be very, very clear. And what I'm seeing a lot of is people sort of blaming social media and saying that their marketing isn't working or all their efforting online isn't working, but when I go audit their funnel or their messaging, it's very, very unclear what they're selling. So I wanna share today some signs that you need to look for inside your marketing, and that's what we're gonna get into. So let's do it. Hey there. Welcome to the Mindset to Market podcast, your go-to space for practical tools and solutions to the everyday challenges of being a creative and soulful entrepreneur living in a material world. I'm your host, Deborah Smith, a holistic business coach and marketing strategist with 17 years of experience. I help my clients bust through mindset blocks and learn daily marketing practices that balance personal wellness with financial growth and impact. I'm here to offer you support with creativity, mindset, practical how-tos, and getting into imperfect, messy action so you can experience daily breakthroughs as you grow. If you're a purpose-driven entrepreneur building an online business, you're in the right place. Let's dive in. All right, y'all. Diving in right away, let's do a little 101. Every business, every single business in the world needs both marketing and sales in order to function. Marketing is brand awareness, it's audience building, it's generating leads, which just means more and more people become aware that you exist as a business, as a brand. You build an audience of people who are interested in what you do, interested in your solution, and then from that audience, you generate leads. Leads are just people who may wanna buy. That's it. Sales is on the flip side of that lead gen is conversions, right? Turning those interested parties into actual buyers, paying customers, and making an exchange. Then, of course, sales includes delivering the offer that you sold, making sure that they're-- you know, you uphold your end of the bargain. And then finally, client retention. You wanna over-deliver. You wanna make sure that they love the product. They're gonna rave about you, give you a testimonial, and refer you, become an affiliate, and eventually work with you again, et cetera. So you wanna do a great job with your sales because sales leads back to more sales. But when it comes to marketing in the online space, in 2026, it's most definitely going to include some form of social media. Now, there are many ways to get more people to become aware of your business and to develop, you know, these connections that turn into audience members, that turn into leads, that turn into sales. Um, n- not the least of which are networking events, being a guest on a podcast, public speaking, um, PR in general, and of course, paid ads. However, the majority of personal brands, like coaches and service providers, are going to be utilizing social media as a way to amplify their reach, and that makes sense because it's an easy, free way to connect with a lot of people quickly. But a very, very common thing that I am hearing from business owners is that their social media is, quote, "not working for them." Now, I get it. I can actually relate to that because when I first really started trying to sell using the internet, and this kind of goes back a long time, and the algorithm does change, the trends do change, the platforms do change. But The thing that is true about marketing and sales will always be true regardless of what the algorithm is doing and what platform you're on, which is that any marketing plan, any content plan is only as strong as your offer is clear. So let me say that again. Any marketing strategy or content plan is only as powerful as the offer that you're selling. Your, your offer needs to be super clear and relatable, and it has to be the obvious solution to people's problems or n- no plan will work, no strategy will work because people don't wanna buy your offer. So very often the problem is actually that you just need a clearer path, uh, between what you do, your purpose, your expertise, you know, the skills that you provide and what you're actually selling to people so that they can make a decision about whether or not to work with you. So I thought it would be helpful to highlight four signs that you can be looking for in your own marketing structure, um, in your own marketing system that's a sign that the problem that you have is actually offer clarity. All right? So we're looking for signs that you are doing everything right, but it's not working, and the real reason is because it's not clear what you're selling Okay, so sign number one. This is an obvious one. This is one of the biggest red flags. It's also something that literally every single person has experienced if you have an online business or a business that works in the online space, and that is that you're creating a lot of content and you're showing up consistently, but very few people are buying from your social media account. So what does this look like? It looks like you're posting, you have a content schedule, you do what you think you're supposed to be doing, you're creating reels, you're using the strategic templates, you're emailing, you know, you're showing up, right? If you're showing up consistently and you're sharing valuable insights and people are giving you feedback and telling you that you're helpful, but you're not making sales, like nobody's reaching out, nobody is responding when you post the link to, you know, join your program or enroll. If nobody's buying, then the issue is it's not your visibility if you're showing up consistently. Oftentimes, very, very often it's that people, they understand what you teach, but they don't understand what you sell. So you need to ask yourself, "Could a stranger explain my offer to another stranger after spending five minutes on my website or on my Instagram account or on my LinkedIn account or my Facebook page?" Like, could a total stranger pop onto your account, read a few posts, and then turn to the person next to them and explain what, what you're selling? And if your answer is no, then it means you need to more clearly communicate what you're selling. And that probably looks like putting the name and description of the most popular thing that you sell, the, the height-- the signature thing that you want to sell in your bio description, in your top pinned posts, and in a really clear nuts and bolts kinda way so that when people read it, they're like, "Oh, she coaches a group coaching program to build marketing systems. Got it. Oh, she offers a 90-minute massage. Got it. Okay." Like you want it to be right there upfront, clear as day what you sell in what shape and what form, because people will spend very little time on your social media, and so they might be getting lots of tips and stuff from you, but if they're not being invited to take a next step and it's really, really clear what that next step is and why it's important in what you sell, then they just won't take it. They'll move on And that's one of the things that I've fixed in my own marketing that has led to way, way, way easier sales, which is that I started putting the title of exactly what I sell, the shape of the container, the price point, and the goal, the results that it delivers in my main topped pinned posts. And it felt a little bit uncomfortable at first, but you better believe it led to direct sales. All right? So this is the first thing we wanna do, is we wanna make sure that your offer is, is very clearly articulated in your social media headlines and in your pinned posts. Sign number two that you have an offer clarity issue is that you have multiple ideas and you can't decide which one to focus on. So this is more of an internal struggle that I see with people. Um, it's really common. We're all of us are multi-passionate, especially if you're like Gen X and you're in your 40s or 50s. You've done a lot with your life already. So it's also very common amongst creatives, purpose-driven entrepreneurs who just wanna help people. It's like you could help people in five different ways. You have several certifications. You have several interests. There's multiple different ways that you enjoy delivering support, right? You have several potential offers. And honestly, I'm sure all of them are great. You're probably very good at more than one thing, and I'm sure all of them sound good and feel good to you. So the challenge here is not that you have a lack of ideas or a way to deliver support or, you know, the way to package up an offer. It's that you have to choose which transformation you wanna become known for first and highlight that and, and elevate that to the level of signature offer. Because when everything is really important and you have, like, a lot of great ideas competing for your time and your focus, nothing becomes very memorable, and it leads to messy content creation. So, you know, if you're not making sales and you're not sure why, look at whether your content is expressing multiple different facets of what you do. Or maybe you have multiple different, you know, offers rattling around in the cage. So we really need to hone in on just one thing for sales. And I know it's hard if you're multi-passionate. I have absolutely been there. There's a ton of things that I do and that I would love to be known for. But if I wanna make sales on the internet using social media, I know I learned that it is very important that people see me as an expert in, in one apex thing. And I, I don't think you need to be you know, do only one thing, but I think you need to sell clarity on one thing. So what I do with my multi-passionate clients who are like, "But I cannot be put in a cage or just one, you know, siloed into just one thing," then we choose the most likely to be profitable and marketable thing, and then we package the other things into that. So again, it doesn't mean you don't help in lots of different ways. It doesn't mean you cannot be great at multiple things. It just means that when you're trying to sell something, it's much easier for your ideal client to consider buying if they can see what that one thing is. Um, they need a front door. Think of it like that. Your audience needs a front door. They don't need a maze to walk through. So we wanna make this just easy for people to say, "Oh, she is the person who helps with your offer and your systems." Great. "She is the help ... you know, the person who helps clarify your speaking voice." Great. "She is the person who helps you get booked on stages." Great. Like, these very simple, memorable, uh, and clear offers are what sell, period. So I want you to take a look at your last five pieces of content, 10 pieces of content, and look to see if the message in those pieces of content features a variety of different focal points. If you can't decide what to focus on, your audience will not be able to decide what to buy. Okay, moving on to sign number three that you're having an offer clarity problem. Um, sign number three is that your messaging feels different every week. So one week you're talking about mindset to your clients. The next week you're teaching a tech tutorial workshop, right? Then the week after that, you're posting a bunch of threads and short-form content about productivity. Then you're hosting a conversation on your podcast about personal development. Then the next week you're talking about one service, and then the following week, a different service, your latest idea. Now, there-- again, there's nothing wrong with having a broad range of expertise or, you know, things that you're good at. But if the message that you put out in your social media content flits from, you know, one aspect of your offer to another, then it's gonna be really hard for your audience to get a clear picture of why they should hire you. And by the way, those examples I just shared were from my own business, right? If you looked at my marketing, uh, the messaging specifically three years ago, I was all over the place. And while I was-- You know, thankfully, I had a built-in audience that I brought with me from my last business, and I had lots and lots of people in my network who trusted me, so I was getting referrals. So my business was doing okay. But in terms of social media, making it a lighter lift and growing my audience, it wasn't happening. And that's because I was all over the place. I was talking about mindset over here, and then I was teaching a tech workshop over there. Again, productivity, you know, th- on threads. And then I was hosting personal development workshops. Like, I couldn't decide what to talk about, and my messaging was different week after week. So when you're thinking about consistent messaging, it isn't, it isn't that you're gonna say the same thing over and over again, right? You're not gonna say the exact same words in every piece of content. It's not repeating the exact same content. It's-- consistency in your messaging is about repeating the same transformation from different points of view, from different angles. So we actually did a workshop this morning in my group coaching program that was a batching content workshop, and we talked a lot about-- We spent most of our time on core messaging because your content is gonna be a derivative of that core transformational message that you bring. And this is where having a signature offer becomes really powerful because it creates a center of gravity for everything else that you're doing. So it really does anchor your messaging As I was saying, when I was talking about all those different things in my messaging, it was really hard for people to understand how they could work with me or what they would... You know, what exactly I was selling. But when I started getting much more consistent in my messaging and just talking about offer clarity and then building a system that flows from that offer clarity, people started to understand, oh, Deborah is somebody to work with when you are at a phase in your business development journey that you, you understand getting crystal clear on your offer should come before building a robust technical system. And if you want help with that, you wanna save years of time and really just get it done right, then, you know, this is a person who can help you with that. Of course, there are tons of other things that we do inside my program, but when I'm selling online now, I really focus on talking about offer clarity, and it has made all the difference in my sales. Trust me on that. So we wanna choose the apex thing that people-- that you-- the transformation that you want to be known for, and then fold all the other things that you do into that messaging umbrella. And again, if your messaging is different from week to week and you're one week talking about this, one week talking about that, it's gonna be hard for people. So again, I want you to go look at the last five to 10 pieces of content you've created and really ask yourself, "Am I consistent in my messaging around the transformation that I offer?" Because when people are shopping online, they have a problem that they want to solve, so they're not shopping for nice things that people say. They're shopping for, "Can she specifically help me get this one problem solved?" And that's why choosing one message to, uh, focus on is going to help people find you Okay. Last but definitely not least, uh, is disconnected assets. So sign number four that you're having an offer clarity issue inside your business is that you're working really, really, really hard, but nothing feels connected. It feels like one big disjointed mess. And again, raise your hand if you've been there, and my hand is in the air because this is really common. This happens to all of us. Uh, again, especially if you've been at this for a while and you've created a lot of... You've tried some things. You've tr- you know, you've tried creating this type of offer. You've tried creating that type of offer. What happens when we get towards that, you know, we start getting into this creative jungle where we have lots and lots of pieces of offers floating around and, you know, you've got a lead magnet over here, and you've got, you know, a, a coaching program over there and a podcast over there. I've had so many people tell me, "Oh, my podcast is totally, you know, separate from my business." I'm like, "Make that make sense." But I get it because it just happens. So this is a big one. It's that your content isn't connected to your lead magnet. Your lead magnet isn't connected to your offer. Your offer isn't connected to your bigger mission. And every time you sit down to create a piece of content, it feels like you're starting from scratch because you don't have a clear path where everything flows. So disjointed assets, a messy ecosystem is, is... It, it's very, very common. Um, and again, don't get down on yourself if this is happening to you. Just acknowledge it, right? Awareness is always the first step of clearing up the problem, you know. And so we wanna just... Let's give you some credit where credit is due. It's n- your, your problem is not motivation or a willingness to do the work, right? It's just an alignment issue, and this is, this is... Again, this is like it happens to everyone. So it's when your purpose, the thing that really drives you, the thing that you're most excited about, the message that you're com- you know, you're sharing on the internet, the offer that you sell, the thing that you're actually, like, bringing to market and, you know, all the pieces of content that communicate that, the storytelling that you do, the testimonials, they're not all aligned in one flow. But when you take the time to simplify all that stuff and, you know, clear away some of the dead branches that are cr- clouding your pathway, it really does get easier to make sales on the internet. And again, I draw your attention to these two people who just hired me, um, really just based on seeing an accumulated series of messages from me. So the thing that I did, and I'm sure of it because I talked to them about it, is that I got really clear about the same message, the same transformation over and over again, and I started consistently showing case studies, testimonials, calls to action, and pinned posts with really clear messaging that all say basically the same thing, which is that I can help you build an offer that will sell and a system that will deliver it with ease. And the more I talk about that, the more... uh, 'cause it's something that everybody needs. So now there are lots and lots of people that can help you with your marketing. Some people are gonna be experts at creating social media content. That is not my expertise. Some people are gonna be experts at helping you build an, a gorgeous brand, meaning like choosing colors and fonts and, and, you know, styling a photo shoot and all that stuff. Also not my expertise. My zone inside the large umbrella of marketing is at the very beginning of the, of the journey where you're creating an offer and a system to sell. And in my personal opinion, that becomes, you know, the most important. It's the crown jewel of your business because if you don't have offer clarity, no amount of beautiful branding is gonna make a sale for you. No, no expert content pieces and plan, and even strategy can sell for you when the offer itself is not clear So, um, and again, I'm not saying that this is all gonna make the work of your business go away. It's not like it's gonna necessarily make it easier. It's gonna make it simpler, and there's a difference, and I wanna just clarify that difference. You're still gonna have to show up and do the work. You're still gonna have to build the assets and make sure they make sense. You're gonna have to test your offers and your marketing messaging. You're going to have to serve clients and get feedback and fix what's broken. So all that stuff is still work. There's still gonna be uphill, you know, hills to climb and challenges to overcome in your business. But it'll become simpler to connect with people, simpler to grow an audience, simpler to use basic organic, you know, basic social media in order to get that message across, and then of course, simpler to create, uh, a purchase because you stop guessing what to talk about. So again, signature offer clarity allows you to stop chasing trends, you know, and start building real assets 'cause they all flow out of that one clear focus, that one clear transformation. So here's the closing reflection. I want you to think about-- Go back, look at the fi- last five to 10 pieces of your marketing. Ask yourself, "Is it crystal clear what I'm selling? Could a stranger turn to another stranger and say, 'Oh, I just saw a piece of content by, you know, this person, and she sells blank'"? And if someone landed in your business tomorrow, would they immediately understand who you help, the transformation that you provide, what exactly what you sell? Meaning, like, is it a coaching container? Is it, uh, you know, a size seven sneaker? And why does the thing you sell matter? Why should it matter to somebody? What is different about your offer than my offer and everybody else's offer? And if the answer is no, they could not land on your Facebook page and know what you sell tomorrow, then don't beat yourself up. Just look at that as a starting point to get more clear about that offer and start working on offer clarity. Most entrepreneurs skip this phase and start building a website, start building a brand, and start, you know, getting ... building an audience on social media of people who follow them for trendy content, but they don't get clear about what they're gonna sell because, again, people are so eager to, you know, make their marketing work for them, but they skip the part where they bake the cake with the right ingredients. So clarity comes before all the, you know, amplified marketing stuff always. You always, always, always wanna be clear about what is inside that offer Now, if you're listening to this and thinking, "I don't think I'm clear about my offer. I want help with that," then I have a wonderful solution for you. I created a very mini course. I'm calling it a mini course because it's really just four videos. You could probably, uh, watch the entire thing in just a couple of hours if you were motivated. Um, it's before you build funnels, before you start automating your email marketing, before you spend another hour creating content that does not sell for you. This is designed to help you get clear about the unique transformation, the thing that bridges the gap between your purpose, that thing that you're called to do in the world, and making a profit, and the signature offer that's gonna support both your mission and your passion and all those things, and your income as well. So inside that mini course, I walk you through the exact process that I use with my coaching clients to align purpose, expertise, and offer into a business structure, right? So it's really about signature offer clarity. Um, it's helping you create a sustainable and profitable system because it flows from a very clear and unique signature offer. So if today's episode feels a little familiar and you're feeling like maybe your focus is skewed or your marketing is messy, and you're noticing that you have one of these four signs that your offer is not clear, then I urge you to take a look at that mini course, um, because it did-- it is the very thing that helped me lock down my online marketing and start leading to significant audience growth and sales. And again, every single business is going to need to lock down this marketing and sales operation in order to function, so what I'm suggesting is that it all flows with great ease when you're clear on your signature offer. So check out the link in the show notes, or if you want to DM me on any platform, I'm mostly on Instagram and LinkedIn. Those are the two platforms that I put a lot of attention into, but, you know, you can message me anywhere. You can email me at hello@deborahcsmith, and I can send you the link to the mini course. Uh, like I said, most people have been able to devour the course in, you know, a couple of days' time if they're spreading it out. You could certainly do it in an afternoon. And it's designed to help you get this piece right before you move on. So if you're interested in that, check it out. And all I want for you is to feel like your marketing is simpler and that the work that you're doing is actually worth it, right? Because I remember being like, "This is not working and it's not worth it, and I'm really frustrated." But I didn't give up, and I really got to the bottom of it inside my own business, and it has made a huge difference in my life. So with that all said, my friend, I really wish you the best in this journey. Reach out if you have a question about anything from this episode. And I'm just gonna right now recap the four, the four signs so that you have them in a nutshell. Sign number one is creating lots of content but not making sales. Sign number two is having multiple ideas and not being able to decide which one you're gonna focus on from week to week. Sign number three, which is an extension of that, is that your messaging is all over the place and it feels messy. It's different week after week. And sign number four is that you're working a lot of hours, you're working really hard, but your assets are disconnected. If one of those things is happening inside your marketing, inside your business, then I highly suggest you consider checking out the signature offer mini course because it's designed to help fix all of those problems. All right, my friends, with that said, lots to look forward to. In the coming weeks, I'll be talking about it a little bit more, but I'm gonna have a free summer camp series that starts in July. I'm so excited about this. It really does feel like summer break, but I don't ... You know, every summer I say the same thing. I need a break. You need a break. We all need a break. But who can afford to stop growing their business and making sales? So summer camp is desi- uh, is my way of offering you support around building one really powerful high-value asset that you can add to your business suite. So everyone does something different every year. This year I'm gonna be doing it very different. I'm gonna pre-record the episodes, and it will be, um, a breakdown of my seven-step process that I usually teach inside a container, and this year I'm doing it for free on my podcast. So I hope you guys enjoy that. It's coming soon. And I'll let you know more about that next week. Until we meet again, may you be vibrant.