Make Useful Content, Not Just More Posts

Move Beyond the Pressure to Post

It is 3 AM, and the glow of a laptop screen illuminates a founder's weary face, scrolling through competitor feeds, consumed by the relentless pressure to publish. Another blog post, another Instagram reel, another LinkedIn update—each a tick mark on a never-ending list. This pervasive feeling of 'more, more, more' often masquerades as strategy, yet it frequently leads to diminishing returns and profound burnout. Brands pour precious resources into a content churn that feels productive but fails to genuinely move the needle for their business or their customers. The real cost here is not just financial expenditure, but the squandering of attention, trust, and the unique voice that could set a brand apart. This endless cycle, driven by an unspoken fear of irrelevance, ultimately risks alienating the very audience it seeks to engage.

The Mistake of Treating Activity as a Plan

Some founders think that posting more will automatically help their business. This can make them focus on filling a calendar instead of sharing useful information. The result may be generic posts that customers ignore. Planning content around what customers need can save time and help build stronger customer relationships.

What the Research Shows

Research from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute suggests that brands grow when more buyers can remember and recognize them. For content, this means building clear, familiar links between a brand and situations when people might need it. Posts should help people remember what the brand offers, rather than only giving detailed information to a small group.

Further corroborating this, studies in cognitive load theory consistently demonstrate the limitations of human working memory and attention. When individuals are presented with too much information, or information that is poorly organised and irrelevant to their current goals, their ability to process and retain it significantly diminishes. For small brands, this means that overly complex, verbose, or unfocused content is not only ignored but can actively create mental friction, making your brand harder to understand and engage with. Effective content, therefore, must be concise, clear, and directly relevant to the user's immediate cognitive 'job,' reducing extraneous load and facilitating effortless comprehension and recall.

Truly effective content is not just seen, it is remembered and acted upon, serving a clear purpose within the customer's mental landscape.

Jobs to Be Done: Make Content Useful

The Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) theory, popularised by Clayton Christensen, offers a powerful lens for understanding customer motivation beyond surface-level demographics or product features. At its core, JTBD posits that customers don't simply buy products or services; they 'hire' them to perform a specific 'job' in their lives. These jobs can be functional, emotional, or social, representing a desired outcome or progress the customer is trying to achieve. Understanding these underlying 'jobs' shifts the focus from 'what we sell' to 'what problem we solve' or 'what aspiration we fulfil' for the customer.

Use Content to Help Customers

A Founder Who Got It Right

Consider the hypothetical case of 'Botanica Blends,' a small, artisanal skincare brand based in Manchester, specialising in natural, custom-blended facial oils. Botanica Blends initially struggled to differentiate itself in a crowded market dominated by established beauty giants and a proliferation of independent brands. Their early content strategy focused heavily on ingredient lists, scientific benefits of botanicals, and generic 'how-to' application guides, which, while informative, failed to capture significant attention or drive consistent sales. They were creating content about what their product *was*, not what 'job' it performed for their customers.

The founder of Botanica Blends learns that customers use facial oil for more than hydration. They want a calming self-care routine or to feel confident without heavy makeup. The brand changes its content to include short videos about applying the oil, customer stories about feeling calm and confident, and information about natural ingredients. The article reports that engagement and brand loyalty increased, along with direct online sales by 30% in six months.

When content is designed to help customers achieve a desired outcome, it transforms from a commodity into a valued service.

The Three Mistakes That Cost Founders Most

Founders can make three common mistakes. They may post without knowing what each piece should help customers do. They may copy competitors instead of finding topics their own customers care about. Or they may count likes and views without checking whether their content helps people or leads to useful action.

Putting It Into Practice

Start by asking customers what they were trying to do when they chose your product. You can have informal conversations or send a short survey. Ask what problem they wanted to solve and what made it difficult. Listen for practical needs as well as how they wanted to feel or be seen by others.

Second, review your existing content. Look at your blog, social posts, emails, and product descriptions. Ask what each piece helps a customer do and whether it does that well. Find needs your content does not address. Update, reuse, or remove content that is repetitive or not useful.

Third, engineer new content specifically for 'job completion.' Based on your identified 'jobs' and content audit, design new content pieces with a clear, singular 'job' in mind. For example, if a key 'job' is 'feeling informed and confident about sustainable choices,' create a concise infographic or a short video explaining your supply chain in a transparent, accessible way. Focus on utility, empathy, and clarity, ensuring each piece of content delivers tangible value that helps your customer make progress, rather than just passively consuming information. By doing so, your content transforms into a valuable service, building trust and positioning your brand as an indispensable partner in your customers' lives.

Where This Is Heading

Looking ahead to the next three to five years, the digital landscape will only become more saturated, with advancements in AI further accelerating content generation. Brands that thrive will not be those that simply produce the most content, but those that produce the most *meaningful* content, deeply attuned to the enduring human needs and aspirations of their audience. The relentless pursuit of volume will give way to a strategic focus on utility, empathy, and genuine problem-solving. Success will hinge on the ability to understand that content is not merely marketing collateral, but a service your brand provides, helping customers make progress in their lives. Those who master this shift, transforming their content from a broadcast into a trusted guide, will build resilient brands that resonate long after fleeting trends have faded.