Why Does Marketing Feel Wrong, Even When You're Doing Everything Right?

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You know what I mean, right? You’re following the strategies, you’re laying out the content, you’re staying consistent, and yet the struggle is still real and something just doesn’t feel right.

It’s so easy to go directly to “I’m not doing this right”, when the actual truth is “Something is really out of whack for me.”

We use the term ‘alignment’ a lot (almost to the point of semantic satiation) but in this case, you could truly be out of alignment with your content and marketing plan.

Like wearing a too tight pair of jeans - yea, you could leave the house in them but you’ll be uncomfortable all day and be dreaming of the second you can take them off and put your comfiest sweats back on.

So how can we make your content & marketing feel like comfy sweats and not too-tight jeans?

“Doing It Right” According toWho, Exactly?

Traditional marketing advice - like the stuff we’ve been following since the dawn of modern marketing in the 50’s & 60’s and then the addition of the internet in the late 90’s - values speed, volume, and conversion.

And frankly the internet didn’t help because once we started competing in such a large pool for diminishing attention spans, our necessary tactics became increasingly desperate.

We started hoarding hooks so we could stop the scroll.

We began calling out triggering pain points like we were playing emotional Duck Hunt…

“You’re overwhelmed!”*boom*“You’re stuck!”*boom*“You’re doing it wrong!”*boom*“You’re missing it!”*BOOM!*

We went from simply trying to connect with the audience that needs you to putting up enough billboards along the internet highway that maybe someone will remember you.

Content marketing became this overwhelming game of chance because the internet gave us unlimited space and limited attention seconds to do one simple thing: showcase what you do to the people who need what you do.

But we jumped in! We did all the things, put up all the billboards, used all the hooks - and whether it worked or not, it just didn’t feel good.

This is where I landed a few years back - doing all the things, seeing results, but feeling like the duck on the screen instead of the hunter.

So I pulled back and took my life-long Skeptical Sally hat off its hook.

I’ve always believed that there are a lot of different ways to do one thing, so that’s got to be true for the way I’m doing content marketing, right?

And lo and behold, it was!

Marketing Is an Energetic Exchange (Not Just a Strategy)

If everything is energy (it is, that’s basic science) then the practice of content marketing is simply a creation and exchange of energy between two energetic beings.

And when the energy of the content you’re creating, and the marketing strategy you’re following, doesn’t line up with the energy you’re feeling - or want to be feeling - what comes from it doesn’t feel right either.

The thing about content, messaging, and marketing is that people don’t just consume it, they feel it. So this is where you should think about the way you’d like them tofeelwhen they come across your content.

Do you want them tapping into fear & making a decision from a place of desperation?

Do you want them being triggered into “quick fix” action without truly being ready?

OR…

Do you want them feeling safe enough to acknowledge a gap & feeling ready to address it?

Do you want them to be open to guidance because you’ve shown yourself to be a safe space teacher/guide/mentor/problem solver?

When you start to plan your content & marketing, and create systems around it with these kinds of energy questions in mind, it all starts to feel a lot different.

5 Signs the Problem Isn’t You, It’s the Framework

So how do you know if it’s more the system & not the cog?

1. You dread creating anything because it never feels “good”.

2. You never feel truly confident or comfortable using your voice in your content & messaging.

3. You feel pressure and desperation when selling instead of steady, calm clarity.

4. You keep waiting for content & marketing to be “easy” but it’s just, well, not.

5. You post & hope - not knowing what your content is going to do or if it will do what you want it to.

So What Do We Do Instead?

Well first of all, we don’t burn it all down and start again. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

The first step is a shift in perspective and an un-learning of what we’ve been taught.

Voice Before Strategy

Your values, lived experiences, and natural language are clear & comfortable before strategy is laid out.

Relationships Over Reach

We’ve been taught to focus on reach & follower counts, but what if we put that energy toward deeper relationships that actually produced something?

Natural Rhythm Over Consistency

Yes, it’s important to be showing up consistently to build trust with your audience, but are you being consistent according to someone else’s rhythm or your own?

Invitation Instead of Persuasion

We’re all here to grow a business and make money, but selling what you do should feel like a clear and honest invitation into solution, not a pressured or coercive pitch.

We’re not scrapping everything and reinventing the wheel with this. We’re simply shifting the way we approach what we’re already doing, un-learning the long-held marketing tips & tactics we’ve been taught, and grounding ourselves before hitting the strategy streets.

This is content & marketing rooted in connection, energy, and service.

So let’s stop saying “I’m doing it wrong” and start saying “I’m going to do this differently.”

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And your content & marketing leads with better energy when you know if you're having a first-date conversation or a pre-engagement one.

The 333 Method For Simple Content Planning shows you the difference & helps you plan it all. $13. [Get it here.]