Content Creation Idea: Respond To Doubt
Take 3 deep breaths before you start to read this, because we’re going to have a conversation that tends to trigger anxiety for entrepreneurs. You’ll get a reward for sticking through it, I promise.
When you hop on a sales call or explain the business of your business over cocktails, do you ever run into doubt? Is there anything you find yourself having to explain over and over again?
Are there reactions that left you stewing long after the fact? Have you mentally rehearsed what you’d say if you could have a do-over?
Is there a certain type of comment on your social media posts that you’d just like to delete? Or maybe a whole conversation or two that you’d like to erase from your memory?
As unpleasant as having your dreams met with skepticism can be, this is definitely one of those “make lemonade” opportunities.
What if, rather than getting swallowed by insecurity and imposter syndrome, you take all the doubts you’ve been met with in business and turned them into a content plan?
What a boss move.
This Content Creation Idea Is Worth Pushing Past The Discomfort For
Yes, I know asking the question “how do people doubt your business’s ability to serve them?” can bring up some ish that is not fun to think about.
Particularly if you started a business because you were fed up with how your industry devalued your talents when you worked for someone other than yourself.
The other day, my business coach told me that, “A lot of people are motivated to start businesses out of spite.” It’s funny but true. Many entrepreneurs are entrepreneurs because there was no way to fully share their vision, talent, and unique medicine with the world unless they created the business that would allow them to do just that.
Understandably, this history tends to be associated with some challenging emotions. But when you dig under the surface of anxiety, anger, and defensiveness, what’s often revealed beneath is passion. And passion makes for some really good content.
So, if you’ve been struggling to fill out your social media content planner, think through the messaging on your sales page, or plan your next blog series, start identifying doubts to address.
This Is an Opportunity to Soothe Customer Fears
When you identify the doubts that are creating a common obstacle from more people becoming customers, you can remove that obstacle by assuaging the doubt.
That means, any time someone specifically voices their doubt to you, you’ve been given a gift. Now you know what your messaging needs to cover.
The beauty of having buyers concerns answered up front in your marketing is that you’ll:
Find yourself not having to answer the same questions over & over again in your sales calls, speaker pitches, etc.
You’ll know what to say when you are confronted with doubt because you’ve already thought it through and structured your response.
Ready to adopt this fabulous content creation idea? The first step is to identify the doubts that your business has to contend with.
Some common ones are:
Misconceptions about your field
Sticker shock- especially if they’ve encountered similar offers for cheaper elsewhere
Not sure what the benefit is
Can’t see how it applies to their situation
Have never heard of your offer before
Not sure why you’re a better choice than the competition
Think they can just do it themselves
Not convinced you can help them
Don’t understand why your method is different than others they’ve encountered
They have an unrealized implicit bias
It doesn’t seem urgent. They’re not sure why they need it now
Their expectations are misaligned with reality
How To Turn Doubt Into a Content Plan
Once you know what kind of doubt you have to address, it will help you plan your messaging accordingly and where it needs to show up in your marketing.
Let’s expand on the example above with a few ideas.
Identifying Doubt Will Show You Where You Need Social Proof
Glancing through the above table, you probably noticed that “social proof” is listed a lot. Social proof is when people and brands outside your company vouch for the legitimacy of your business either by recommending you or collaborating with you. This can be in the form of:
Ratings
Reviews
Case studies
Word-of-mouth
Guest posts/appearances
User-generated content
Trust is precious when it comes to marketing.
Customers will always find someone who doesn’t benefit financially from praising your brand inherently more trustworthy than you praising your brand. However, influencer partnerships and integrations can also signal trust.
So, in other words, social proof is a powerful way to dispel doubts your brand might encounter.
As you identify which doubts you’re encountering most frequently, you’ll be able to strategize where it’s especially important to get testimonials, produce a case study, etc.
Where You’re Having To Do The Most Education Just Might Be a Differentiator
The ways you’ve been devalued by the mainstream in the past might be exactly the ways in which you’re the perfect fit for customers who have been historically underserved.
If you do things really differently than others in your industry, that’s actually a very good thing. If you’re upfront about your unique approach in your marketing, it’s really easy for customers to spot how you’re different from Companies A-Z.
Chances are, there are customers out there who aren’t being well-served by prevalent, popular approaches. They’ve been waiting for a brand just like yours.
So, rather than minimizing or disguising how different your brand’s approach, methodology, production process, partnerships, business model, or pricing is- put it front and center in your messaging. Then explain why your approach is best for the customers you most want to serve.
Usually, your key differentiator has to do with your brand values, vision, and mission. Make sure you’re clear on what these are- it will help you explain, for instance, why you won’t design for weight-loss brands or why your product costs a little more due to eco-friendly packaging.
If they don’t get it, or want the old way of doing things, no problem. They’re just not your customer. They can see themselves out before you have to waste a sales call on them.
Another clue you may be differentiated is if your offering itself isn’t well known. If you find yourself constantly explaining what somatic therapy or Psych-K is and why it’s a legit field, don’t worry. If you become the go-to source for clear, accessible explanations and education on what it is, who it helps, and why- you can distinguish yourself by making the new, mysterious, or obscure accessible.
Turning Doubts Into Content Is a Confidence Boost for Sales Calls & Pricing
This is like business shadow work. It can be unpleasant to identify how people initially doubt your business or offer, but it’s ultimately very empowering.
When you face the naysayers and doubts that have haunted your business, you get to take back the narrative. And, in so doing, create content that will earn the trust of your customers and industry.
Rumors is the perfect example of turning doubt into incredible content. Listen to this song if you need to psych yourself up before identifying frequent doubts.
You’ll be super prepared for every sales call because you’ll know what to say when doubts come up. Some doubts, you won’t have to keep addressing at all because your marketing already did that for you.
When you know how to counter these doubts, you’ll be less tempted to underprice or not reveal your pricing on your website. Even if you’re asking for what you consider “a lot”- you’ll know exactly how to communicate its worth.
Now go fill out that content planner.
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