One of the most common challenges in social media marketing is when a business creates content for themselves rather than the people they are aiming to reach.
It happens in every industry.
A client sees a post and says things like:
“I would not click that.”
“I already know this.”
“That wording feels too simple.”
“We need to explain that.”
And they are usually right, for themselves.
The problem is that they are not the target audience.
Good social media does not speak to the people inside the business.
It speaks to the people outside it.
When you write content only from your own perspective, you create posts that make sense to you, but not to the people who actually need your product or service.
That is when we see performance beginning to slip.
Your audience does not have your knowledge
Most business owners forget what it is like to not know their industry.
If you have spent years doing the job, the basics feel too obvious.
You understand the terminology.
You know the process.
You see the detail every day without realising how specialised it has become.
Your target audience does not.
They might not know the difference between two similar services.
They could be unsure which option they should choose.
They may not understand how the process works.
They are not sure what they should be looking for.
When you remove the information that feels too simple, you remove the information customers actually need.
The content stops helping them make decisions, and it stops performing.
People are not looking for what you would look for
Another issue is preference, a client will often judge a post based on personal taste:
“I do not like that colour.”
“I prefer more text.”
“I would not watch a video like this.”
But preferences are not universal. If they were, marketing would be easy.
Your audience might respond to completely different things, they might like shorter posts, simpler language, or clearer visuals, they might need more guidance, more reassurance, or more explanation.
When you decide based on what you like, you miss what your customers like.
Social media should be shaped by audience behaviour, not personal preference.
Your customers see your content with fresh eyes
People who follow your business do not have your background or your experience. They may not understand the shortcuts you take in your mind when you read something. They may not join the dots in the way you do.
They could be:
Seeing your content for the first time.
Learning your process for the first time.
Understanding your offer for the first time.
What feels repetitive to you might be exactly what they need. What feels basic to you might be the information that builds trust. What feels obvious to you might be the thing that finally gets them to enquire.
When you create content based on what you think your audience already knows, you create gaps. Those gaps stop people understanding you, and when people cannot understand you, they do not buy from you.
Expertise can get in the way of communication
The more skilled you are, the easier it is to forget what beginners struggle with.
You know the questions your customers should be asking, but your customers ask the questions they actually have.
You might think a topic is too small or too simple to post about, but simple topics often perform best, because they remove confusion.
Clear information is not patronising, it is helpful, it makes your audience feel confident, not overwhelmed.
Your audience does not behave like you do
Clients often assume their customers will read a post in the same way they do. But your customers do not sit and analyse every detail.
They skim.
They scroll.
They decide in seconds whether something is worth their time.
So the question is not: “Do I like this?”
It is: “Does this help my audience understand what we do and why it matters?”
Your personal preference does not decide performance, audience behaviour does.
Data should decide, not preference
One thing social media never lies about is behaviour. If a post is clear, helpful, and easy to understand, it performs. If it is confusing, cluttered, or written for the business instead of the customer, it slows down.
This is why the best social content comes from:
Real questions your customers ask.
Real problems they face.
Real information they need to make a decision.
That's not to say your opinions, preferences and your experience doesn’t matter. But you also need to remember your target audience decides what works.
How you can rethink your approach
Before approving or rejecting a post, ask yourself three simple questions:
Would my customer understand this instantly?
Does this answer a real question my customer actually has?
Am I choosing based on my preference or my audience's needs?
If you choose based on your audience, you create clear, trustworthy content that moves people forward.
If you choose based on yourself, you risk creating content that speaks to one person instead of thousands.
Why this matters
When you stop creating content for yourself and start creating it for the people you want to reach, everything becomes clearer.
Your posts become easier to understand, your message becomes more consistent, and your audience gets the guidance they actually need to make a decision.
Social media works best when it speaks directly to the people outside the business.
The more you focus on their questions, their knowledge level, and their expectations, the stronger your content becomes.
If you would like to understand how we approach social content and how we can support your marketing, contact the team.
