Let me know if this is you –
Most small business owners who look for help on social media either 1) already know they aren’t showing up for their business and want to change that or 2) are trying their hardest, but they feel like they are screaming into the void.
The second is the one I see regularly requesting a social media audit. Today, we’re going to chat about the number one problem we see in those audits that you can fix right now.
Your content is all about you.
And I get it. It’s your business. It’s basically your baby, and you are probably obsessed with it (same).
But your audience isn’t until you give them a reason to be. They care about their problem, interests, and motivations.
The Question Your Content Needs to Answer First
Before you write a single caption, before you pick a graphic, before you decide what to post, you need to be able to answer one question:
What’s in it for them?
Not “what do I want them to know?” Not “what am I launching this month?” What does the person reading this get from stopping their scroll and giving you thirty seconds of their attention?
This is what I call the WIIFM problem. A business owner is posting regularly, working hard, doing everything they were told to do, and still not seeing results. When we dig in, the content is almost always self-referential. It’s about the business, not for the audience.
What “For Them” Actually Looks Like
Content that serves your audience teaches them something, validates what they’re already feeling, or challenges an assumption they’ve been operating under. It meets them where they are and gives them something to do with it.
None of that says “tell them about your offer.” That’s not content, that’s a brochure.
Your audience is scrolling with their own problems running in the background. Their to-do list. Their frustration with a situation. Their question they’ve been meaning to Google. If your content speaks directly to that moment, you earn their attention. If it doesn’t, you’re just a part of the noise.
The businesses that build real traction on social media aren’t necessarily posting more than everyone else. (Well, more on that another time.) They’re posting smarter. Every piece of content they put out has a clear answer to WIIFM baked into it from the start.
Why This Is Hard for Small Business Owners
This is hard, especially when you’re close to your business.
When you’ve spent years building something, it feels natural to talk about it. You want people to know what you offer, understand its value, and see the expertise behind it. That instinct makes sense. The problem is that people don’t like being sold to; they like being heard, helped, validated, and entertained.
This does not mean that you should never sell on your social media, but if you’re only selling, no one is buying. If your content doesn’t immediately tell your audience what’s in it for them, you’ve lost them.
This is also why “post more consistently” isn’t a strategy. Consistency is a vehicle. If what you’re consistently putting out isn’t oriented toward your audience, you’re just showing up more often with content they don’t connect with.
How to Shift Your Approach
Start by getting specific about who you’re talking to and what they’re dealing with right now. Not in abstract demographic terms — in real, specific, human terms. What are they frustrated about? What have they tried that hasn’t worked? What do they secretly wonder about your industry?
Then look at your last ten posts. For each one, ask: does this speak to any of that? Or does it speak to what I wanted to say?
That audit alone will tell you a lot.
When you plan content going forward, lead with their problem before you ever get to your solution. The only way to communicate your expertise effectively on social media is to demonstrate it by actually serving your audience, not just talking about yourself.
Liz Bachmann is the founder of Wildflower Social Media, a boutique social media strategy and consulting agency serving founder-led small businesses. WSM helps business owners build a social media presence that actually drives results, starting with strategy.