Content That Converts: Why Your Brand Needs a Strategy, Not Just Posts

Speaker A: If you're not clear on, um, what you want to be known for, your content won't convert no matter how much you post. Hi there, I'm Carrie Curran, B2B Revenue Growth Executive advisor, industry analyst and host of, uh, Revenue Boost, a marketing podcast. If your content isn't converting, it's not because you need to post more. It's because you haven't built a brand your audience can trust in. Stop posting, start converting. How to build a strategic content engine I'm joined by Lindsay Fuchs. She's the co founder of Undercover Creators. She's here to help you ditch random posts and build a cohesive conversion driving strategy that actually sounds like you. Lindsay's built her business helping brands uncover their voice, sharpen their message and show up consistently across channels. She's breaking down exactly how to do it today. And here's what we cover. Why your content might be failing before it's even posted. The brand voice interview that unlocks trust, authority and clarity. How to create messaging guardrails that make AI work for your voice, not against it. Why? Niche positioning isn't limiting. It's your launchpad for credibility. How to align your emails, blogs, social and sales content without burning out. Imagine having a content engine that works across platforms, scales with your team, and still sounds unmistakably like your brand. Stay tuned to the end where Lindsay shares her three step framework to build content that connects. And the number one mistake, content teams that make that kills consistency and trust. If this episode helps you rethink your strategy, do me a favor. Follow the show, drop a rating and send it to a founder or marketer stuck in that content hamster wheel. Let's build content that converts together. Let's go. So welcome Lindsay. Please introduce yourself and share your background and expertise. Hi.

Speaker B: Yes, thanks for having me. My name is Lindsay Fuchs. I am from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and I'm the co founder of, um, a strategic content agency called Undercover Creators. And uh, we're fairly new in business about two years in and uh, I've been doing it for a long time. Before that it was boots on the ground. I started my first business when I was 12 years old.

Speaker A: Amazing. Yeah, um, excellent. So um, thank you so much for joining us today. I really appreciate it. I first met you on LinkedIn because your content, um, really caught my eye. It was, ah, engaging and clearly picked up by the algorithm and relevant to the content that I was looking for. So um, I'd love to hear more about your business and what are the challenges that your clients and prospects are asking for or help with.

Speaker B: Yeah. So what our company does is we help clients with their, with their mission, audience and messaging. And then, uh, our services are copywriting and social media. So we're helping them with everything from their emails and blogs to, you know, posting their social media for them. And so we're helping them have that, a very cohesive messaging strategy throughout everything they kind of put out there into the world. And so the things I struggle with most often are never as it seems. Right. They come to us because they're like, I don't have time to do it. I don't like doing it. I'm not getting results. Of course, everybody wants to go viral. Yes. But what we're finding often is when they're not having those results and they're struggling or they're not enjoying it, because marketing is really fun. Usually most people love it. So if they're not, it's usually because there's something else in the business that's missing and it's usually very foundational. So, uh, we always start with their mission. So what is it? Why are you here in the world? What are you trying to do? Who are you trying to help? All of those things. Because sometimes somebody will come into a business and there's a mission statement, but they don't know what it is if they're not reading it or somebody had it and it's just carried forward. It was written 50 years ago when the business was opened. You know, it's not really kept active in the business and they're not using it as their strategic guide and that's what it's there for. So we usually will start with that if it's no longer resonating with them, or sometimes it doesn't exist yet. We work with a lot of startups that need some of that coaching to get started. So, um, we start there and then we go deeper into who you're helping, um, and what those audiences are. Some. We'll do a little bit of work with some customer buyer Personas so you know exactly who you're talking to. And then from there we know what you want to say to the world and why. And then we can, we can start building those relationships and building followings and building some interest to get some people in front of you into your door.

Speaker A: Um, excellent. I think that's so valuable and so important to start with those, um, foundational elements. And I love that you start with their, um, mission and their audiences. And I know you've talked a lot about authenticity being such a Critical part of it. So how do you, um, help your clients with identifying their authentic voice in alignment with their mission and target audience?

Speaker B: When we're doing some of those foundational pieces, we talk to them a lot about their values also. And. And when you start getting into what their mission is, usually there's a reason. You know, like the. The personal trainer might have been bullied in a, you know, kind of a skinny thing on the playground. Right. So then they've had some kind of experience and passion where they want to make a difference for the world. And so a lot of those stories. Stories are very foundational to why they're doing what they're doing. And those are the pieces that people can relate to. You know, if there's somebody who had a lot of acne, they become this cosmetologist or dermatologist because they want to make a difference in doing these things. Right. So, um, it usually starts really foundational, but it's kind of deep. We go very deep with our clients.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Some of them are like, why do you want to know this about me? But if, um, you can be open about that kind of stuff. Um, and it's not even necessarily that vulnerable when you. When you start sharing it. And you can choose the way you want to share your messaging and how much you want to share, because people are so concerned. Well, I have to sound professional. Like, I can't let people know that I was bullied on the playground or, you know, that kind of thing. But it is so important, because if you experience these things, then you know what your audience is experiencing. What. What are their struggles? What are they doing? And you can. You can speak to that very, um, very directly. And that's how you really connect with your audience, and that's what makes them want to work with you. So when we're talking about your authentic voice, we are. We challenge some people, um, and we'll challenge them to open up a little bit more than they might be comfortable. Um, but that's really. That's really the root of where it all can start. And so from there, then you can go into building out what you want to say and how you want to say it. And we can get into some key messaging. So that will really guide, um, all of your messaging that you do across all of your platforms. Social, um, email, blogs, um. Yeah. Newsletters, everything.

Speaker A: Yeah. And I understand, you know, where your. Your clients are coming from when they're like, why do you need to know all this? But it's. You're right. It's so important, um, for that foundation. And so, you know, from what you've seen, what happens when those foundational elements are missing.

Speaker B: Oh, it's just like, you know, when they say you're trying to build a business, like, build up, building on sand. Right. It's just not a real stable foundation. M. So what we found with our clients is that they don't have those foundational pieces in place. They are not really clear on their direction, which means they change it. And, oh, I had an idea this morning, and I want to do this. Oh, I had an idea. Let's try this.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Trying different things. And you're not really nailing down. Um, you're not aligning a real strategy with what you're, um, with what you're actually providing. So. So it gets, um. It's not productive. And it always feels like throwing spigot. A spigot against the wall, you know, like, it's never just, um, that confidence factor isn't there. And it will cause you to just re. Like you're starting over all the time. Reinvent the wheel.

Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I was. I was laughing there because we've all had those bosses or executives in our, uh, careers that, yeah, we're, um, excited about the shiny object. You know, it's back when Facebook was new. Yeah. Right. It's like, oh, I, by my, you know, nephew told me about TikTok. We need to be on TikTok. Right. You know, so, um, I appreciate that. And, you know, I think you. You talked about with that consistency and the predictability and tone comes that ability to be more memorable because it is. Because of that. So I think it's so critically important. Um, and so what is your talk about, your process for helping clients develop those strong content foundations?

Speaker B: Uh, well, we start with what we call, um, a brand, uh, interview. Um, a brand voice interview story. And so we'll go through all of the pieces I just talked about. And one of the things we're really after when we're going through all of that, too, is to understand what they truly want to be known for.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: There can. And I know there's so many different opinions on niche, and niche can be a lot of different things. Um, but if you take, for example, a dermatologist and you say, um, I. I do cosmetic surgery, and I help with wrinkles, and people kind of know what you do, but don't they all do that? So. So why should I pick you? Right. So there's different ways of making them want to pick you. One is if they get to know kind of who you are and what you care about. That's that authenticity piece, if you're willing to go there and share. Um, another thing is if you get real clear on what you want to be known for. So you can say, um, I help women, uh, specifically women with wrinkles around the eyes and wrinkles around. Whatever you call this. I don't know. You know, it's very specific. Then.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Then as soon as they're like, oh, well, if it sprinkles around the eyes, then that's who you should work with. Even though they probably do all the other things. But if they really make themselves known for one real special thing, because once they get in there, they might need other services done. Oh, can you do this for me? Can you do this for me? And then they'll refer people. Right. So that's another kind of way. And then the other way, niche down, obviously, is a specific audience. And so I help women or I help seniors, or I help, like, who you're. Who you're specializing. So anytime you can, um, you can communicate some type of specialization that immediately elevates your, Your reputation and your credibility and what you're known for. Right. So that will bring in more, More people.

Speaker A: Yeah, I think it's, um, it's so incredibly important. And I, um. Your. The foundations you're talking about, the. What do you want to be known for are important beyond just the, um, content strategy. So it's so, um, important that you're helping your clients build that in as you're. As you're moving forward. Um, so I know we talked a bit about kind of your voice and audience, but talk about, um, the other important aspect of, um, the branding, uh, guidelines and why that's so critical.

Speaker B: Um, if you want to be really consistent in your messaging, you should have something documented. Um, and I mean, it's a, It's a live piece that will always evolve. So as you have a new offering or you maybe, you know, technology or industry changes, like, you're always. You should always stay with that. But if you have that guide you, then you can outsource it. Uh, you can have internal, you know, employees do it for you. So it should always, always sound like you. People want to know they can trust who you are and what you do. And people really like predictability. Right. So they don't want to, um. And again, that's why I'm so passionate, um, about authenticity as well. Because if you, if you show up online and, and you're in a suit and tie every day and they come into your office and you're in like a T shirt and holy jeans. It's like, whoa, this is the same person. Right. All of those little things matter. And how you speak, um, how you respond to your comments and your messages, um, how you write and what you say in the world, what you are, um, putting the world on your social media. Right. So um, it should always be very clear like who you are. You should be able to understand what they do, what their values are and why somebody should pick you over the next person.

Speaker A: Mhm. And what do you see if, when this isn't in place, what kind of happens with the content or the strategy?

Speaker B: It just seems like another generic thing. Right. It's forgettable. Um, it's not. And, and you should always try to retract and repel. So if you don't like, if you say, um, I only want to work with women, well, that's going to attract women because that means that you're used to working with women. You'll understand them better, you know, how they feel, how they think, what their language is versus I work with everyone. Right. It's very generic. It doesn't give you that, um, that reason why should I call you? Or it doesn't give you that competitive advantage. Yeah. Um, and the other thing too I think is if you don't have um. Like a lot of people rely so much on AI, you know, to help them write content, which is great for a base and brainstorming and stuff, but you really have to make sure that polished piece is you and your voice and uh, you don't put it out there the way that it is.

Speaker A: Yeah, yeah.

Speaker B: And one thing that's kind of new right now in the industry that's happening right now is um, I don't know if you've heard of AI mode, uh, but we have an SEO specialist to help us with, with that stuff. So I'm no expert by any means, but what's happening now is, you know, things like Perplexity and Gemini and all of those, those different things are, are, you know, when you Google something right now you'll see y that AI generated answer at the top and then you see list of websites underneath. Well, there's something called AI mode that you connect toggle on or off. So if you turn that off, you'll never see anybody's website. Yeah, yeah, you have to, to work really hard so that AI will choose your content or the next person. And the biggest thing is that uh, AI doesn't actually like AI, it doesn't like generic and it doesn't like that kind of stuff. So you have to write authentically. It has to be um, it's looking for sentiment. So what are people saying about you and your brand? Right. Um, things like on your social medias, on Reddit and things like that. So if you're found there, that's how you build your kind of credibility and reputation online with, with SEO. It's changing a whole, a big.

Speaker A: Ah, I know. Yeah. I actually have a whole other episode on, on that because it is so prevalent. So it's, I appreciate you, you bringing it up because it is so incredibly important. And you're right. It's, it's the um, AI optimization algorithms are uh, are from what I've learned also like to just reiterate what you were saying. Are looking for that unique content that's very helpful and specific and authentic. So definitely, um, definitely important. And so um, you've talked a lot about the content strategy and tone. Talk about like, what are the right channels for your clients? Like how should they be thinking about the different um, channels and what types of content should live there?

Speaker B: It's very dependent on each business actually. Again, we go back to what are your goals, who are you trying to reach? Um, and then again we always try and incorporate an authentic angle. Something that feels like you, that's comfortable, natural. So if you're already on, so you're already on Facebook, Right. And that's where you're really comfortable, then start on Facebook. And when you master that and you feel comfortable, then maybe you add another platform. Um, and again it's very dependent on your goals. And so if you really want to reach specifically professionals and you want um, to engage in educational content and things like that, we'll probably talk to you about LinkedIn. If you are wanting to be very, um, you know, kind of fun and relevant and you know, modern and, and you're willing to do the, the things for Instagram. Right. So if you don't want to be on video and you don't want to do the dances.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Dance on Instagram. But, but some fun reels and stuff, it can be very time consuming and especially if you're more than one or two, you got to get a team together to get into a video to do this thing. It can become a lot. So we never want to see somebody overextending themselves. We don't want to see them um, frustrated with whatever platform it is that they're using. Mhm. And we want to make sure that it is right for them and doing the job. And so if they're, you know, if they're stuck on sales and uh, they really, really need conversion, then we might talk to them about a different strategy. Like do you have an email list? Um, because emails like man, it still outperforms uh, any of the socials and um, yeah, other, other platforms out there. So it's a great way to stay in front of people. And of course if that platform ever goes down and all your contacts are lost, they'll email you.

Speaker A: Right.

Speaker B: Right on that list forever. But um, yeah, the conversion is, is much higher in email still. People always say email is dead and I tell you it absolutely is not directly in front of them. And actually one of the other things is SMS text messaging and, and that's also proving to have great results too. So um, if you just want some awareness and you want to be out there and you know, back in the day when websites started coming out, it's like eh, uh, I don't know if I really want one and, and then ah, got to the point where if you don't have one then people will assume you're not a legitimate active company. Are you out of business or are you like some kind of person that's gonna jet.

Speaker A: Not,

Speaker B: um, um. And it's become that way with social media as well now. So if you don't have a presence then um, yeah, it, it, you could be risking, risking your credibility there. Yeah, it's just awareness and you want to have a place to show up to let people know you're active. Um, and it's a really great way to, to position yourself as a thought leader if you want to be sharing opinions and uh, position yourself as being kind of on top of the industry. Right. So if you are putting out blogs and things like that often or newsletters and you're sharing these, some of these things, then it's really going to help them. Okay, well, like they're on top of their game. I want to work with them. So somebody that's doing the same thing they were doing 10 years ago with old technology and old, you know.

Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. What's holding back your growth isn't effort, it's misalignment. Hi, I'm Kathleen Booth, SVP of Marketing

Speaker B: and Growth at Pavilion.

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Speaker A: Well, yeah, it's interesting. So you mentioned blogs and you know, I was wondering like, are they still prevalent? Is it still important to invest in your blog?

Speaker B: Yeah, I would say 100% yes. And again, I'm not an SEO expert, but that's a great place to, for people to find you. So um, if you are, we try and put one out every couple weeks but there's a lot of companies that do it way, way more often. But yeah, it's great, it's great for your, for your content. It's um, if you can build up a bit of, ah, you know, a good listing of blogs that people are, um, if they're engaging in that content, they're going to keep coming back to you for more because they're going to start trusting you. They like what you're putting out there and they're going to believe you know what you're talking about. They're going to believe you're lying. They're going to, you know, so um, they will, they will come back to you for that kind of stuff. And socials this short, right? Like you can't uh, play a whole lot of information because people are busy and we don't have the attention spent. Often people don't even read to the end of a post, you know. So um, if it's something they're really interested in, then they're going to take the time and then they're going to look for more than a post. They're going to look for an article where they can learn whatever it is they want to, they need to know.

Speaker A: Yeah, no, that's, that's really helpful and um, yeah, I think you're right. It's uh, builds the trust and the relevance and it is an opportunity to expand um, much, much further than the um, character counts on the other platforms. Um, so I know for, for B2B marketers, LinkedIn is um, the place to be. But um, the algorithm is, I know, drives me crazy because I can't crack the code. But um, I know you've, you've been able to grow a huge following and uh, it's a testament to your um, writing talent and ability. So can share, can you share some of your tips for, for LinkedIn and how to kind of get your content picked up more there?

Speaker B: Um, like kind of, I kind of joke about the algorithm because people are like, oh, the Algorithm hates me, you know. But the funny train it. We train our own algorithm. Algorithms.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: If we're engaging in something, then it's going to show us more of what we like. Because the whole goal of any platform is to keep you there, keep you there longer and make you come back more often. So m. Um, things that will signal to the algorithm that there's been some kind of, um, value is there's somebody saving your content, um, how quickly they respond. So if a post goes out and immediately it's getting comments and likes, then it's. Oh, it's signaling to the algorithm that there's a lot of value here and we should show more people. Um, so there's little things like that. And another thing, especially with LinkedIn, is it really likes, like mutual interaction, like that reciprocates. So if you and I talk a lot, it's going to show me all of your stuff because it knows we're interested, we have mutual interests or mutual contacts or whatever it is. Um, and one of the ways you can increase that too is if you, uh, if you are commenting on somebody's stuff, please comment before you go straight into their inbox. The pitch slap thing.

Speaker A: Yeah, yeah.

Speaker B: Ah, if you're commenting a little bit and you're kind of building some, some trust there, uh, and then if you, if you start talking in your inbox a little bit, then it's going to say, okay, well, these people are, are really, um, give me some opportunities for them there. We want to help them. So it will show you more of their things too. So one feature LinkedIn has is that little bell on your profile.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: If you do that, if I was to ring your bell, then it's going to tell me when you've commented on somebody's thing, when you've posted something. And so I can go back and I can check out your stuff and, and then that will also help the algorithm. Say, show me more of her stuff.

Speaker A: Yeah, I've actually been utilizing that bell feature a lot more so that I can see the content from the people that I really want to see it from and less of the, the random. So it's, it's very valuable. So what type of content are you seeing perform the best?

Speaker B: Um, well, videos really, really taken, I think the friends. M. Um, but I mean the copy is still so important because usually people will kind of skim what it's about and then they'll decide if they want to watch it or they'll watch it the first three or six seconds and then it's like, oh, I'm in or out. So um, you really need a strong combination of those two. Um, and if you're doing just copy, then you're gonna put it with an image, then it really needs to be like personal, personalized, authentic imagery. Right. Like pictures of yourself in the real world or of your team or anything. That's kind of uh, behind the scenes kind of vibe because people connect with people, right? They want to know who you are and what you're about and, and that's what helps them trust. They want to work with real people. So. Mhm. So that's really important too.

Speaker A: Yeah. No, thank you. Any other, um, best practices to share,

Speaker B: um, as far as content goes? Hm. Um, if you, if you're kind of stuck on what to write about, I, I feel like the comments that people do post in, in response to whatever you've shared can be like a little gold mine. So if it's like, oh, well, this made me think of that, or they have another question or they want to add to whatever you shared, um, those are all great inspiration for, for posts. Um, another thing you can do is actually poll your audience and ask them what they want to know more of, or what their opinions are, what they think about some new thing coming out they give. You heard of AI mode? What do you think? Right, yeah, those are things that get a lot of people interested in because. Well, what is this? And, and people will either have an opinion or they won't. Yeah, um, that's another, another really good, good way to, to find ideas for your content and then the people you follow, um, their comments are really good too. So what are people saying to them or asking questions? Well, it can always inspire another idea for another post that you can share, write about or article or blog or um, yeah, any of those kind of things. Any of your, any of the ways that you share your content.

Speaker A: Yeah, no, I love those. Yeah, those are great, great, great recommendations. So thank you. And um, I know we talked a bit about AI and it's so prevalent in um, especially on LinkedIn. So what are your thoughts about using AI in content and um, advice around leveraging ChatGPT?

Speaker B: Oh, I, I have a love hate relationship. I think it's such a great tool. It's great for ideas and brainstorming. Um, but it is very obvious when it is AI. So if you are using it to create a post or to respond in a comment or to write a blog or uh, do your email for you, it's really important that you put your Own voice on it. Um, AI will repeat stuff you've already said, you know, and it uses some very telltale words that you know, it's not how you talk. Then you shouldn't, you shouldn't post it. Yeah, there's another thing too. Not. I'm not sure that everybody knows, but it is a learning model. So whatever you put into there it will use to um, share with the rest of the world too. Right. So unless you have a paid subscription, if you are putting in ah, say spreadsheet that you want it to summarize or analyze or there's anything proprietary or confidential in there, it's, it's going to be shared with everybody. So this is the way you do it. And this is your secret sauce. This. But you've put it in there, it's going to be somebody else asked that question. Oh, do it like this. So there goes your secret sauce.

Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, no, that's, that's really um, helpful advice and I love the um, recommendation of you know, in your m own private GPT to upload your brand voice guide so that when you are using it it's more um, aligned. So I appreciate that. Um, so Lindsay, this has been really, really helpful. There's so many great actionable recommendations. So for the people listening and they're like, Lindsay, um, like think that you're brilliant like I do and want to know how to get started. Like what, what are kind of the places they can um, or things they can do to start up leveling their content marketing and strategy.

Speaker B: Um, I would say just start with why, why, why are you doing what you're doing? Why are you posting? Why are you signing the message? What is the result you want to get? There should be a purpose with everything, everything you put out. Um, so when you are, if you've ever done the work to do your customer buyer Persona and your customer journey map, um, figure out your touch points, how often you want to be in contact with them and what those touch points look like. So will it be a phone call? Will it be an email? Will it be um. Yeah, maybe you could send them a gift or a thank you. Right. So all of those different things are different touch points and it's part of an overall strategy and communication plan and then making sure that everything you send to them is very cohesive. So if um, you know, you have maybe somebody doing your social media and somebody do your writing and somebody internally is going to do another piece, they're going to do your webinars or whatever it is, um, it can come across a little differently and sometimes even it can be conflicting in some areas. And so it's very important that you, you really take the time to figure out what you want to know, be known for, um, what it is you're trying to accomplish and, and then build that guide. And so within that guide, you should have things as granular as we say this, we don't say that. And this is why. So anybody doing that work can be. You can have a very cohesive message. It'll always feel like you, no matter who is on the other side, sending that message. And then, yeah, like you said, when you have that brand guide in there, um, you can put that into ChatGPT and use it like a prompt. And so you can say, uh, I need an email about this subject for this audience in this, in my tone. Right. So it'll help. And so it reduces the amount of back and forth. Well, I don't like that. Do it like this. Right? Sometimes you have to send a message back in there like six times to get it the way you want.

Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. Um, definitely. No, this is super valuable. Um, again, I loved everything you've shared with us today, Lindsay. So how can people get in touch with you?

Speaker B: Uh, the easiest way probably is, uh, our website, which is undercover-creators.com. um, and I'm pretty active on LinkedIn. That's my favorite platform. And so if you just search for Lindsay Fuchs, um, everybody always asks, you know, how do you pronounce that? It's German into it. Yeah, you search that name on LinkedIn, you'll find me pretty easily there too.

Speaker A: Definitely. I know, again, that's how I found you. So thank you so much, um, for your willingness to join us today. I'll make sure to put all your contact information in the show notes, but I really, again, provide appreciate you sharing all of your wisdom and expertise with us today.

Speaker B: Thank you for having me.

Speaker A: Thank you so much to Lindsay for joining us today. What an insightful conversation. Here's a few takeaways worth revisiting. Clear messaging starts with mission values and audience, not just tactics. Consistency builds credibility, especially when your team uses a, um, shared brand. Voice specificity attracts the right audience and makes your content unforgettable. Your strategy, not the algorithm, is what makes content convert and AI is useful, but only if your voice and message are already solid. If you're serious about building a brand that earns trust and drive results, this episode gave you a framework to get there. Don't forget to subscribe like, and leave a quick review and share this episode with your marketing or leadership team. To learn more, visit revenuebasedmarketing.com and follow me. Kerry Curran on LinkedIn thanks for listening and I'll see you next time.