“All businesses gotta do is create content that solves a problem.”
- Writer for DDI on Medium
- Jul 21
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 2
People don’t connect with brands for the solution only. Most of us are driven by things we believe in; principles we hold that are mirrored in the brands we love. Which, in addition, guides our purchasing decisions.
For service-based businesses that understand this, marketing isn’t limited to “creating content that solves a problem” but also about advancing the conviction.
Since wrong and right are subjective, conviction goes deeper than just a belief. It’s more about the origin of that belief; the governing system transforming how you think, feel, and act.
Sometimes, the purpose is clear, and other times it's not—this doesn’t mean you can’t market your services—I waited years to identify mine, created content in the meantime, and got clients. However, if you don’t think deeper than the sale, your brand will still come across shallow and eventually feel lopsided.
63% of consumers trust brands to do what is right, 46% say brands are not doing enough to address issues, and 59% of consumers will pay more if the brand does good in the world.
STOP MAKING CONTENT FOR THE ALGORITHM AND START MAKING IT FOR PEOPLE
Listen, there’s nothing wrong with mixing things up. It’s totally fine wrapping your brand in a trend if alignment is there, and if it creates awareness. I tried pre-recorded video versions of my content because I felt ready to try it. Marketing should be experimental and fun! But when you want to build a relationship with readers who share your values, you create content that’s rooted in your convictions, not Google trends.
Eg, of content created for trust
Eg, of content created for loyalty
Visual design is my jam, so take this with a pinch of salt. Over the last eight years, my content marketing strategy has grown; I no longer just address things to attract clients. My point of view is clearer and now painted with the same spiritual sharpness I bring to my work with clients. Even when I show up, has evolved, and the results don’t lie:
Content expressing my point of view after 2 years, generating 94% of my traffic with 59% belonging to Google. In comparison to content created to intrigue potential clients after 3 years, generating 86% of my traffic with 30% belonging to Google. Do I need to point out the obvious here?
A lot of local marketing advice feels shortsighted or overwhelming. But using a stronger topic to draw attention to a weaker connecting topic to round out the conversation in a way that converts (if that's the plan) is not complicated. But to have the option to do that, you can't box yourself in, creating content that attracts clients, you got to also create content that builds community.
Here’s what you need to know about creating trust and loyalty with your content.
Start with the end in mind.
Beyoncé gave up the highest sales, or streams, “to write and create art more honestly for her fans.”
What are you truly creating content to accomplish?
My observation is that most of us are interested in the wrong things. The inner compass stops pointing North, so someone can easily distance themselves from accountability when something threatens their image or abstain from speaking the truth to hold on to their country club membership. Change is possible, but it starts with how self-aware you’re able to be before you’re unrecognizable.
So who are you?
If your convictions are tied to who endorses it, someone being scared to come off the phone and publicly join their voice with yours (I can’t be the only person this has happened to), will undermine what you can wake up in others standing alone.
The Lord Jesus Christ went to the cross alone; look how many Christians it has produced today.
If your brand genuinely care about something, it will show in your actions — not just in how much you stretch yourself to express something differently. Real conviction produces one behavior. Are you willing to die for what you believe in, even if it’s only you who believes it?
In a world constructed by a perversion of everything Godly, that sounds crazy. But for that very reason, it produces real trust and loyalty.
If you’re not there yet, just maybe you’re not digging deep enough to figure out who you are.
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