Content is only the first step

Despite what the ￡997 to crush LinkedIn course peddlers will have you believe, a clever LinkedIn strategy is about more than just slinging up a post and hoping for the best.?

Sure, content is an essential cog in the larger machine, but if you ask your posts to do all the work, from driving awareness to closing the deal…

You might find that growth is a little slower than you expected.?

The purpose of content

I’ve been creating content since 2019 not because I enjoy the sound of my own voice (although some would argue differently) but because I know its value in my target buyers' sales cycles.

To have a cat in hell's chance of closing anything, first, you have to make yourself known to your buyer. If you were born in a cave and haven’t been online in the last 20 years, you will assume that to do this, all you need is a Yellow Pages and a landline phone.?

Cold calling isn’t dead, but it’s limping along on one leg, no arms and only one eye.?

In the real world, the first opportunity you have to gain your buyer's trust is with the messages you put out into the world with zero expectation of a return. A foreign concept to many I know, but one that most successful entrepreneurs will validate.?

These messages are your content, offering words of wisdom, tales of success and sadness and maybe even a very close look behind the scenes of your day-to-day operations.?

Over time, and with the right consistency, your buyer learns to love your approach, mentally positioning you at the top of their wish list for when their time comes. A time that only they will know, hence the need to continually show up.?

Content alone is rarely enough

So, now you have your buyer right where you want them. They dream of you at night and see you at the top of their feed every single morning like a favourite radio DJ on the dreaded commute. It’s like two souls intertwined, just waiting to make that final connection.?

While you (the seller) are ready to go at the drop of a hat, your buyer has a million things to consider when it comes to investing in a new service.?

?? Can I afford it?

?? Have I got time to manage it?

?? What if we lose a big account and I’m locked in?

?? What if their content is all an act and all they want to do is build Lego?

Every one of these concerns, although completely valid, acts as a hurdle to your buyer taking the next step and making a buying commitment. Left to their own devices and despite knowing they would benefit from your product or service, they kick it down the road for another month in the hope that all of these worries will have magically disappeared.?

But they won’t. They never do.?

As a seller, you have to appreciate the work your content has done, and help your buyer take the next step by holding their hand and offering a more 1:1 approach.?

The Power of Direct Messaging

Whenever I post about DMs, email outreach or anything that involves actual human conversation, I am hit with a wave of scepticism and naivety.?

“People hate DMs. Ever since the Hi Dear crew started smashing out 8000 messages a day using an automation tool, it has ruined it for the rest of us.”

Sorry peeps, but I call bullshit on that.?

If it wasn’t for the spammers and bots, you would have found another reason not to take the conversation away from your feed and into a slightly more intimate setting. Sadly, in 2025, it’s just the way most of society is wired.?

But a clever DM and email strategy considers the content you are producing and works in harmony with it to take what would typically be a very cold outreach program, and make it a damn sight warmer.?

All of a sudden, because you are showing up in people’s feeds every day adding something of interest to their otherwise lifeless platform experience, they feel less inclined to delete your message and block you based on reading the first line.?

Some will even respond because they’ve formed a connection through your content.?

What should I say in my messages?

Firstly, let me be clear. These are not an opportunity for us to take something from our buyer but rather give something back. They are a sales tool, but not in the way you are used to based on the 76 cold messages you currently receive each week.?

They are both a reminder of your existence with an offering of something they can use, and a push into making the decision they already know they should have made with you, but haven’t allocated the brain space to do so.

They are an opportunity to take the conversation deeper, allowing you to truly understand what someone needs so that you may tailor your next message accordingly.?

?? If you have a newsletter, tell them about it.?

?? If you raise money for charity, tell them about it.

?? If you have some feedback about their business, tell them about it.

The greatest hurdle to sending messages is that people have the concept of sales completely backwards based on most of their experiences to date.?

Sales isn’t about asking for money. It’s about starting a conversation, creating a connection, demonstrating authority and building trust.?

It’s also about accepting that most people won’t respond today, but with the right approach, may respond in 3, 6 or 12 months.?

People often need a push.?

Stay Unconventionall.