Category: Uncategorized

(Or: Should we still invest in blogging if AI is answering everything?)

Oh, this question. It lands in my inbox at least three times a week now, usually from a business owner who’s just read another “SEO is dead” hot take on LinkedIn, followed by some developer explaining why schema markup is the only thing that matters anymore.

Here’s the thing: I’m no developer. I can barely figure out why my WordPress site occasionally decides to have a meltdown, let alone implement fancy schema markup without breaking something important. But I’ve been writing content that actually converts for more than a decade, and I can tell you this — the rumours of blogging’s death have been greatly exaggerated.

But I would say that, seeing as it’s how I make my living. But let me explain why…

Is SEO Really Dead? (Nope. It’s Just Had a Glow-Up)

Traditional SEO isn’t dead, it’s just had a massive glow-up. Like how newspapers didn’t die when TV came along (at least, not all of them) — they just figured out how to work with TV instead of against it.

The landscape now includes:

• AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) — creating content that AI can easily understand and cite
• GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) — optimising for AI-generated responses
• Traditional search that still drives billions of clicks daily

What does that mean? The same principles that made blogs valuable before still work beautifully. You just need to know how to make your content AI-friendly without hiring a development team or selling a kidney to fund technical implementations.

Can You Get ROI From Blogging Without Schema Markup?

Short answer: Absolutely, and I see it happen all the time.

Schema markup is like putting your content in neon lights — helpful, sure, but even without the lights, genuinely good content still gets noticed, shared, and converts. I work with clients who generate serious ROI from blogs that have zero schema, and here’s how we do it:

What Actually Drives Blog ROI (No Developer Required)

1. Clear, Structured Content That Everyone Can Love

Instead of getting bogged down in schema markup, focus on clear formatting that both humans and AI can parse easily:

• Headings that actually answer questions (revolutionary, I know)
• Bullet points and numbered lists that break up wall-of-text syndrome
• FAQ sections within posts (AI absolutely loves these)
• Tables for data comparison
• Short paragraphs that don’t require a university degree to scan

This approach mimics the “structured data” that search engines and AI adore, without needing a single line of code. It’s like speaking clearly versus mumbling through a mouthful of jargon — everyone understands you better.

2. The Multi-Purpose Content Magic

Smart businesses don’t put all their eggs in the search traffic basket. One well-crafted blog post can transform into:

• 5-10 social media posts
• Email newsletter content that people actually want to read
• Sales enablement materials that help close deals
• Webinar talking points
• Client education resources that reduce “but how does this work?” calls

Even if search traffic took a dramatic nosedive to zero tomorrow (it won’t, but let’s imagine), that single blog post is still generating value across multiple channels. That’s what I call proper return on investment.

3. Long-Term Authority Building (The Compound Interest of Content)

Google and AI systems both favour consistent, in-depth content on specific topics. Regular blogging builds what the SEO folks call “topical authority” — basically proving you actually know what you’re talking about in your field, rather than just claiming you do.

This authority translates to:

• Higher rankings for ALL your content (the compound effect is real)
• More citation opportunities from AI systems
• Increased brand recognition and trust
• The ability to charge premium prices because you’re seen as the expert
• Competitors asking how you seem to be everywhere

How Do I Make My Blogs AI-Friendly Without a Developer?

Here’s where most business owners start hyperventilating. They think they need complex technical implementations, but really, AI-friendly content follows exactly the same rules as human-friendly content. Who would have thought?

Write Like You’re Actually Answering Questions (Because You Are)

AI systems pull information from content that directly answers user queries. So structure your posts around the actual questions your customers ask — not the questions you wish they’d ask, or the questions that make you sound clever.

Think:

• “How much does [service] actually cost?” (not “Investment Parameters for Service Delivery”)
• “What’s the real difference between [option A] and [option B]?”
• “How long does [process] actually take?” (with real timeframes, not “it depends”)
• “What are the biggest mistakes businesses make with [topic]?” (people love learning from others’ disasters)

Use Conversational, Direct Language (Like a Human Being)

AI systems favour clear, conversational content over corporate speak that sounds like it was written by a committee of robots. Write like you’re explaining something to a friend over coffee, not presenting to a board room full of people you’re desperately trying to impress.

Instead of “Maximising operational efficiency through strategic implementation,” try “How to get your projects done in half the time.” See the difference?

Include Context and Definitions (Even the “Obvious” Stuff)

AI needs context to understand and cite your content accurately. Don’t assume knowledge — define terms, explain processes, and provide background information. Yes, even if it seems blindingly obvious to you. Especially if it seems obvious to you, because that usually means your customers are confused about it.

What About Schema Markup? Do I Actually Need It?

If you want schema but don’t have a developer on speed dial (or the budget for one), you’ve got some surprisingly decent options:

Free/Low-Code Solutions:

• WordPress plugins like Yoast, RankMath, or AIOSEO that auto-generate basic schema
• Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper that lets non-technical people add schema manually
• Website builders like Squarespace, Wix, and Shopify that often include automatic schema

But here’s my honest take: start with brilliant content structure first. Schema is absolutely the cherry on top, not the foundation. You wouldn’t put a gorgeous roof on a house with no walls, would you?

How Should I Talk About Blog ROI With My Team/Boss/Clients?

Stop promising specific traffic numbers right now. The landscape shifts too much for that, and frankly, it makes you sound like you’re guessing (because you are). Instead, frame ROI like this:

Immediate Benefits:

• Reduced dependency on paid advertising (which keeps getting more expensive, ugh)
• Sales enablement content that helps close deals faster
• Customer education that dramatically reduces “how does this work?” support tickets
• Content that positions you as the go-to expert in your field
• Something interesting to talk about at networking events

Long-Term Benefits:

• Evergreen content that attracts qualified leads for years
• Authority building that makes all your other marketing more effective
• Content assets that can be repurposed across every channel
• A library of resources that proves your expertise to prospects
• The warm fuzzy feeling of helping people solve actual problems

Hedge Against Platform Risk:

• Social media platforms change algorithms whenever they feel like it
• Paid advertising costs keep climbing
• Email platforms can shut down overnight (remember when that happened?)
• Owned content on your domain is the one marketing asset you fully control

The Bottom Line: Is Blogging Still Worth the Investment?

Here’s what I tell clients who ask this question, and what I genuinely believe after 10+ years of watching content work its magic:

Good content has never been more valuable. The challenge isn’t that content doesn’t work — it’s that there’s more noise than ever, which means genuinely helpful content stands out even more.

The businesses absolutely crushing it with content right now are the ones that:

• Consistently publish helpful, well-structured content (even if it’s just once a month)
• Answer real customer questions directly
• Don’t chase every shiny new SEO trick or algorithm update
• Focus on building genuine expertise and authority in their field
• Actually understand their audience instead of making assumptions

The businesses struggling are the ones that:

• Published sporadically or gave up when they didn’t see immediate results
• Chased keywords without considering whether anyone actually cared
• Created content for search engines instead of humans (this never ends well)
• Expected overnight miracles from long-term strategies
• Threw in the towel the moment things got challenging

Look, I’ve been in this game long enough to see every “marketing is dead” panic cycle (and I’ve panicked about plenty of them myself). Email marketing was going to kill direct mail. Social media was going to kill websites. Video was going to kill written content. AI is apparently going to kill everything.

Yet here we are, and businesses still need to communicate with their customers. The format might shift, the platforms might change, but the fundamental need for clear, helpful communication isn’t going anywhere. If anything, it’s becoming more important as the world gets noisier.

Frequently Asked Questions About Blog ROI in 2025

Q: How long does it take to see ROI from blogging?

A: For most businesses, you’ll start seeing some traffic and engagement within 3-6 months, but significant ROI usually kicks in between months 6-12. (It’ll be quicker if you’re making the most of your content and sharing, sharing, sharing to the right channels!) The compound effect of consistent publishing is absolutely real — your 20th blog post will perform significantly better than your 5th, even if the quality is similar. It’s like compound interest, but for content, and way more fun to watch grow.

Q: Should I focus on traditional SEO or optimise for AI systems?

A: Both, but here’s the beautiful thing — they overlap massively. Content that’s well-structured, authoritative, and directly answers user questions performs brilliantly in traditional search AND gets cited by AI systems. Stop overthinking it and start creating genuinely helpful content.

Q: How often should I publish to see results?

A: Consistency trumps frequency every single time. One well-researched, properly structured post per month will absolutely demolish sporadic bursts of daily posting. Find a schedule you can maintain long-term without compromising quality or losing your sanity.

Q: What if my industry is “boring” or technical?

A: Those are often the BEST industries for content marketing because there’s less competition. People still have questions about boring, technical topics — probably more questions because there’s less accessible information available. Your boring industry is someone’s urgent problem that needs solving.

Q: How do I measure blog ROI without drowning in vanity metrics?

A: Track metrics that actually connect to your bottom line: leads generated, sales influenced, support tickets reduced, email sign-ups, content repurposing opportunities, and how often prospects mention your content in sales calls. Traffic numbers are nice for your ego, but conversions pay the bills.

Q: What if I’m not a great writer?

A: If writing really isn’t your jam (or, like 99% of my clients, you just don’t have the time), hiring a skilled content writer who understands SEO and AI optimisation is actually more affordable than ever. AI tools have made experienced writers faster and more efficient, which means better content at lower rates than you’d expect. The key is finding someone who knows how to blend your expertise with proper content strategy — not just someone who can string sentences together.

---

The reality check: Content marketing isn’t getting easier, but it’s definitely not dead. The businesses succeeding are the ones committing to the long game, focusing on genuine value, and adapting as the landscape evolves — rather than panicking every time someone declares something “dead.”

Schema markup, AI optimisation, and technical SEO all matter. But they matter AFTER you’ve nailed the fundamentals: creating content that actually helps your audience solve real problems in language they can understand.

And honestly? You don’t need to be a developer to nail that part. You just need to stop overthinking it and start helping people.

Ready to create content that actually converts? If you’re tired of wondering whether your blog investment is paying off, let’s chat. I help businesses create SEO-friendly, AI-optimised content that drives real ROI — without the technical headaches or developer dependencies. Get in touch to discuss how we can turn your expertise into content that works as hard as you do.

(A Rant in Three Parts)

I’ve been holding this rant in for approximately eighteen months, and frankly, I’m surprised it’s taken me this long to unleash it upon the world. Consider this your friendly neighbourhood marketing professional having what my therapist would politely call “a moment of professional clarity.”

Part One: The Death of Authentic Authenticity (Yes, That’s Intentionally Redundant)

Let’s start with the word that makes me want to throw my laptop out the window: authentic. If I had a dollar for every time a brand claimed to be “authentic” whilst simultaneously being the marketing equivalent of a plastic houseplant, I could afford to retire and spend my days doing authentically authentic things like growing actual vegetables and having genuine conversations.

Here’s the brutal truth about authenticity in marketing: the moment you have to announce that you’re being authentic, you’ve already lost the authenticity battle. It’s like declaring yourself humble or insisting you’re spontaneous whilst reading from a script.

Real authenticity doesn’t come with hashtags and carefully curated behind-the-scenes content. It comes from actually being the thing you claim to be, consistently, even when nobody’s watching or when it’s inconvenient for your brand image.

I’ve watched companies spend thousands of dollars on “authentic content creation” that’s about as genuine as a three-dollar note. They hire actors to pretend to be employees, stage spontaneous moments that took four hours to set up, and craft vulnerable stories that were workshopped by committees and focus-grouped to death.

The irony is suffocating. We’ve created an entire industry around manufacturing authenticity, complete with specialists who can teach you how to be more genuine and consultants who’ll help you develop your authentic voice. It’s like hiring someone to teach you how to breathe naturally.

Meanwhile, the businesses that are actually authentic don’t need to tell anyone about it. Their authenticity shows up in how they handle customer complaints, what they do when nobody’s looking, and whether their values are evident in their actions rather than just their Instagram captions.

According to Stackla’s consumer research, 86% of consumers say authenticity is important when deciding what brands they support. But here’s the kicker: they can spot fake authenticity from approximately three postcodes away. Your carefully orchestrated authentic moments aren’t fooling anyone except maybe your marketing team.

Part Two: The Hustleporn Industrial Complex

Can we please, for the love of all things sacred, retire the word “hustle” from professional vocabulary? I’m talking about the entire ecosystem of grinding, hustling, and crushing it that’s turned business into some sort of gladiatorial combat where sleep is for the weak and work-life balance is for quitters.

The hustle culture has infected marketing like a particularly aggressive strain of productivity theatre. Every LinkedIn post becomes an opportunity to humble-brag about working seventeen-hour days. Every Instagram story features someone typing furiously on their laptop at 2 AM with captions about “building their empire.”

This isn’t inspiration; it’s performative exhaustion. And frankly, it’s terrible marketing because it completely misunderstands what most people actually want from their work lives.

I’ve seen marketing campaigns that literally celebrate burnout as though it’s a badge of honour. “I haven’t taken a weekend off in six months, but look at these results!” No, mate. Look at your therapy bills and your cortisol levels.

The most successful business owners I know aren’t the ones posting about their 4 AM workout routines and their seventeen different side hustles. They’re the ones who’ve figured out how to work intelligently rather than just working constantly. They delegate effectively, they say no to opportunities that don’t align with their goals, and they understand that sustainability beats intensity every single time.

But sustainable success doesn’t make for viral content, does it? Nobody’s sharing posts about “I got eight hours of sleep and still managed to grow my business.” There’s no hashtag for “I took a proper lunch break and my productivity actually improved.”

The hustle porn trend has also created this bizarre expectation that entrepreneurs should be available 24/7, responding to emails at midnight and treating every moment not spent working as somehow morally questionable. It’s created a generation of business owners who are exhausted, stressed, and wondering why they started businesses in the first place.

According to research from the Harvard Business Review, burnout isn’t a personal failing; it’s a systemic issue. Yet we keep marketing business ownership as though exhaustion is the price of admission and anyone who wants balance is somehow lacking commitment.

Part Three: The Commodification of Vulnerability

This might be the most rage-inducing trend of all: the weaponisation of personal struggle for marketing purposes. I’m talking about the calculated vulnerability that’s become standard practice in business content, where every entrepreneur needs a trauma story to sell their services and every brand needs to share their founder’s darkest moments to prove they’re relatable.

Don’t get me wrong. Genuine vulnerability and honest storytelling can be powerful and meaningful. But when vulnerability becomes a marketing strategy rather than an authentic expression, it stops being vulnerable and starts being manipulative.

I’ve watched entrepreneurs craft origin stories that conveniently culminate in exactly the solution they’re selling. Their rock bottom moment happened to teach them precisely the skills they now offer as a coach. Their personal transformation aligns perfectly with their business model. What are the odds?

There’s something deeply uncomfortable about the way personal pain has become content currency. Mental health struggles, relationship breakdowns, family tragedies, and financial disasters are all fair game if they can be tied to a business lesson or product offering.

The most concerning part is how this trend pressures other business owners to mine their own trauma for content. I’ve had clients ask whether they need a more dramatic backstory to compete in their market. The answer, by the way, is absolutely not.

Your business doesn’t need to be built on the ashes of your personal disasters. Your professional expertise doesn’t require a foundation of public pain. You can be successful without turning your therapy sessions into LinkedIn posts.

The commodification of vulnerability has also created this expectation that business owners should share everything. Privacy has become almost suspicious. If you’re not willing to discuss your mental health struggles, your family dynamics, or your financial difficulties, you must be hiding something or lacking authenticity.

But here’s a radical thought: you’re allowed to keep some things private. Your personal struggles don’t have to become content marketing. Your healing journey doesn’t need to include your audience as involuntary participants.

According to research published in the Journal of Business Venturing, entrepreneurs who maintain clear boundaries between personal and professional identity actually report higher satisfaction and better long-term performance.

The Real Cost of These Trends

These marketing trends aren’t just annoying; they’re actively damaging the way we think about business, success, and professional relationships. They’ve created unrealistic expectations, encouraged unhealthy behaviours, and turned marketing into a performance that exhausts everyone involved.

The authenticity obsession has made everyone so focused on appearing genuine that they’ve forgotten how to actually be genuine. The hustle culture has normalised burnout and made sustainable business practices seem like lack of ambition. The vulnerability trend has turned personal pain into professional currency and created pressure to overshare for marketing purposes.

Meanwhile, the businesses that are actually succeeding are the ones ignoring these trends entirely. They’re focused on solving real problems for real people, building sustainable systems, and creating value without the performance art.

What Actually Works Instead

Instead of chasing authenticity, just be consistent with your values and honest about your capabilities. Instead of hustling harder, work smarter and build systems that don’t require your constant presence. Instead of mining your trauma for content, focus on your expertise and the value you can provide.

Good marketing doesn’t require you to exhaust yourself, exploit your pain, or perform authenticity for an audience. It requires you to understand your customers, communicate clearly, and deliver on your promises. Revolutionary concepts, I know.

The most effective marketing I’ve ever seen comes from businesses that are so focused on serving their customers well that they don’t have time for performance marketing. They’re too busy solving problems and creating value to worry about whether their content feels authentic enough or vulnerable enough or hustley enough.

The Bottom Line

These marketing trends need to die not because they’re ineffective (though many of them are), but because they’re turning business ownership into a performance that nobody enjoys watching and everyone’s exhausted from performing.

You don’t need to hustle yourself into the ground to prove your commitment. You don’t need to share your deepest traumas to connect with your audience. You don’t need to perform authenticity to be genuine.

What you need is to focus on creating real value for real people, building sustainable systems that don’t require you to sacrifice your wellbeing, and communicating honestly about what you can do and how you can help.

That might not make for viral content, but it makes for sustainable businesses and bearable lives. And frankly, that’s worth more than all the engagement metrics in the world.

---

If you’re tired of marketing trends that feel more like performance art than business strategy, let’s talk about approaches that actually work without requiring you to exploit your authenticity, exhaust yourself, or overshare your personal life.

(Same old dog, with some new tricks)

I bring up E-E-A-T in approximately 195% of my client conversations these days, and I’m starting to think my friends cross the street when they see me coming. But here’s why I can’t help myself: understanding E-E-A-T is the difference between content that ranks and content that disappears into the digital void.

Let Me Start with Some Context (And Why You Should Care)

E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It’s Google’s framework for evaluating content quality, and if you’re creating content for your business without understanding it, you’re basically playing darts blindfolded whilst riding a unicycle. (Loads of fun, but injuries abound, amiright?)

The framework originated from Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines, which are the instructions given to human reviewers who help Google improve its search algorithms. Think of it as Google’s report card for your content, except this report card determines whether anyone will ever find your brilliant insights or whether they’ll languish in the digital equivalent of page 47 of search results.

Here’s why I bang on about this constantly: most businesses are creating content that completely ignores these principles, then wondering why their carefully crafted blog posts generate about as much traffic as a closed road.

The First E: Experience (The Game Changer)

Experience is the newest addition to what used to be just E-A-T, and it’s absolutely crucial for business content. Google wants to know: have you actually done the thing you’re writing about?

This isn’t about having a fancy degree or impressive job title. It’s about demonstrating that you’ve been in the trenches, made the mistakes, learned the lessons, and can share insights that only come from real-world application.

When I write about content marketing disasters, I’m not pulling examples from case studies I read online. I’m sharing the cringe-worthy details of campaigns I’ve personally witnessed implode, complete with the specific moments when everything went sideways and what we learned from picking up the pieces.

That’s experience. It’s the difference between theoretical knowledge and practical wisdom, and Google’s algorithms are getting increasingly sophisticated at detecting the difference.

If you’re a financial advisor writing about investment strategies, your experience isn’t just your qualifications. It’s the story of how you helped a client navigate the 2008 financial crisis, or the specific mistakes you see people making with their superannuation that could cost them decades of retirement security.

The Second E: Expertise (More Than Just Credentials)

Expertise is about demonstrating deep knowledge in your field, but it’s not necessarily about formal qualifications. Google recognises that some of the most valuable expertise comes from practical experience rather than academic credentials.

A plumber who’s been solving drainage problems for twenty years might not have a university degree, but they absolutely have expertise that’s valuable to someone dealing with a blocked sewer on a Sunday night. Their expertise is demonstrated through their ability to accurately diagnose problems, provide effective solutions, and share insights that only come from years of hands-on experience.

For business content, expertise shows up in the depth and accuracy of your information, your ability to explain complex concepts clearly, and your understanding of the nuances and edge cases that only come from real experience in your field.

When I see businesses trying to demonstrate expertise by stuffing their content with industry jargon and buzzwords, I want to shake them gently and explain that true expertise is actually the ability to make complicated things simple, not the other way around.

A is for Authoritativeness (Your Industry Street Cred)

Authoritativeness is about your reputation and recognition within your industry. It’s what other people say about you when you’re not in the room, and it’s one of the hardest aspects of E-E-A-T to game or fake.

This isn’t just about having lots of social media followers or impressive client testimonials on your website. Google looks at signals like whether other authoritative websites link to your content, whether industry publications quote your insights, and whether you’re referenced as a credible source in your field.

Building authoritativeness takes time and consistent effort. It comes from consistently producing valuable content, contributing to industry discussions, speaking at conferences, and being recognised by your peers as someone worth listening to.

I’ve seen businesses try to shortcut this by buying links or paying for mentions, but Google’s getting better at detecting these artificial signals. Genuine authoritativeness can’t be purchased; it has to be earned through consistent value creation and industry contribution.

T is for Trustworthiness (The Foundation of Everything)

Trustworthiness is the foundation that supports everything else. Without trust, experience, expertise, and authoritativeness become irrelevant because people simply won’t believe what you’re saying.

Trust signals include things like having clear contact information, displaying genuine customer testimonials, being transparent about your qualifications and limitations, and maintaining consistent accuracy in your content.

For businesses, trustworthiness also means being honest about what you can and cannot do, admitting when you don’t know something, and correcting mistakes when they occur. It’s about building a reputation for reliability and integrity that extends beyond just your content.

One of the biggest trust killers I see is businesses making claims they can’t support or promising results they can’t guarantee. Google’s algorithms are increasingly sophisticated at detecting these red flags, and users are becoming more sceptical of content that feels too good to be true.

Why YMYL Makes This Even More Critical

If your business operates in what Google calls “Your Money or Your Life” topics – anything that could impact someone’s health, financial security, safety, or well-being – then E-E-A-T becomes absolutely crucial.

Financial advice, health information, legal guidance, and even career counselling all fall into this category. Google holds content in these areas to much higher standards because poor advice could genuinely harm people’s lives.

According to Google’s own documentation, YMYL content requires the highest level of E-E-A-T demonstration. This means you need to be extra careful about accuracy, provide clear credentials, cite authoritative sources, and be transparent about any limitations or conflicts of interest.

The Content Marketing Reality Check

Here’s what drives me slightly mad about most business content: companies spend enormous amounts of time and money creating content that completely ignores E-E-A-T principles, then wonder why it’s not working.

They publish generic blog posts that could have been written by anyone about anything, with no demonstration of actual experience or unique expertise. They make broad claims without backing them up with evidence or specific examples. They fail to establish any credible author information or industry credentials.

Then they’re surprised when their content doesn’t rank, doesn’t drive traffic, and doesn’t generate leads.

E-E-A-T isn’t just about SEO rankings, though that’s certainly important. It’s about creating content that actually serves your audience and builds genuine trust in your brand. When you demonstrate real experience, deep expertise, industry authority, and consistent trustworthiness, people are more likely to engage with your content, share it with others, and eventually become customers.

How to Actually Implement E-E-A-T (Without Losing Your Mind)

The good news is that implementing E-E-A-T doesn’t require a complete content overhaul or a massive budget increase. It’s more about shifting your approach to focus on quality and authenticity rather than quantity and keyword stuffing.

Start by auditing your existing content through an E-E-A-T lens. Does your content demonstrate actual experience with the topics you’re covering? Can readers clearly understand why you’re qualified to write about these subjects? Are you backing up claims with credible sources and specific examples?

For new content, begin every piece by asking yourself what unique perspective or insight you can provide based on your actual experience. What specific examples can you share? What mistakes have you seen others make that you can help readers avoid?

Make sure your author bios clearly establish relevant credentials and experience. Include specific details about your background, qualifications, and track record in your field. This isn’t about boasting; it’s about helping readers understand why they should trust your insights.

Build relationships within your industry and contribute to authoritative publications when possible. Guest posting, speaking at conferences, and participating in industry discussions all help establish your authority and create the external signals that Google looks for.

Why I Can’t Stop Talking About This

The reason I bring up E-E-A-T constantly is because it represents a fundamental shift in how we should think about content marketing. It’s not about gaming algorithms or finding clever keyword strategies. It’s about genuinely serving your audience with valuable, trustworthy information based on real expertise and experience.

When businesses embrace E-E-A-T principles, their content doesn’t just perform better in search results. It builds stronger relationships with their audience, establishes genuine thought leadership, and creates sustainable competitive advantages that can’t easily be replicated.

The companies that understand this are creating content that stands out in an increasingly crowded digital landscape. They’re building trust with their audience, establishing genuine authority in their fields, and creating content that continues to drive value long after it’s published.

The companies that don’t understand this are stuck in an endless cycle of producing forgettable content that nobody reads, shares, or acts on.

That’s why I can’t shut up about E-E-A-T. Because once you understand these principles and start applying them consistently, everything else about content marketing becomes significantly more effective.

And frankly, in a world where anyone can publish anything about everything, demonstrating genuine experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness isn’t just good SEO strategy. It’s good business strategy.

---

Want to audit your content through an E-E-A-T lens and identify opportunities to build genuine authority in your industry? Let’s discuss how to transform your content from forgettable to unforgettable whilst building the trust and credibility that actually drives business results.

(Answer: Yes…BUT)

Last month, a potential client asked me this exact question during our discovery email. They’d been using ChatGPT to write their weekly blog posts for six months and couldn’t understand why their website wasn’t performing any better. The answer lies in understanding what AI can do versus what effective content marketing actually requires.

The Short Answer: AI Can Write, But It Can’t Think Like Your Customer

Yes, AI can absolutely generate blog content. In fact, I use AI tools daily in my content creation process. But here’s the reality check that most business owners miss: writing the words is only about 20% of effective content marketing.

The other 80%? That’s strategy, audience psychology, brand voice development, competitive positioning, and conversion architecture. And that’s where human expertise becomes irreplaceable.

Let me be brutally honest about what you’re actually getting when you hand your content over to artificial intelligence.

What AI Actually Gives You (The Surprisingly Good Stuff)

AI has some genuinely impressive capabilities that I’d be foolish to ignore. It can produce a thousand-word blog post faster than I can finish my morning coffee, which seems like magic if you’ve ever stared at a blank page for three hours wondering what the hell to write about.

It’s also fantastic for research assistance. Need to understand the basics of blockchain technology or get different angles on supply chain optimisation? AI can synthesize information from dozens of sources and present it in a coherent way that would take you hours to compile manually.

Where AI really shines is in overcoming that initial creative paralysis. If you’re stuck on how to start explaining a complex topic, AI can generate multiple approaches and frameworks that give you something to build on. It’s like having a brainstorming partner who never gets tired and doesn’t steal your good ideas.

The technology has also gotten surprisingly good at basic SEO structure. Most AI tools understand heading hierarchy, know where to place keywords naturally, and can craft decent meta descriptions that follow best practices.

What AI Can’t Give You (The Uncomfortable Reality)

Here’s what I’ve learned from analyzing hundreds of AI-generated blog posts over the past two years, and why your customers can immediately tell the difference between AI content and the real thing.

AI has no unique perspective or actual experience. It regurgitates existing information like a very sophisticated copy machine. It can’t share your fifteen years of industry experience, your specific methodology that you developed after failing spectacularly with three different approaches, or the lessons you learned from that nightmare client project that taught you everything you know about managing expectations. Your audience can spot generic, repackaged content immediately, and according to Google’s helpful content guidelines, so can search engines.

AI doesn’t understand your customer’s actual journey. Does your ideal customer need technical depth or simplified explanations? Are they price-sensitive decision-makers or value-focused executives? Do they respond better to data-driven arguments or emotional appeals? AI doesn’t know your customer interviews, your sales call insights, or the patterns you’ve noticed in your support tickets. It’s writing for everyone, which means it connects with no one.

AI can’t maintain authentic brand voice consistency. Your brand voice isn’t just choosing between casual and formal language. It’s your specific way of explaining complex concepts, your humor style, your value system, and the personality quirks that make people remember you. AI might nail your tone in one paragraph and completely miss it in the next, creating content that feels like it was written by a committee of polite strangers.

AI has zero strategic thinking capabilities. It writes individual posts in isolation without understanding how each piece fits into your broader content architecture. It doesn’t develop content pillars, create topic clusters for SEO authority, plan seasonal campaigns, or design conversion paths that guide readers toward becoming customers.

The Hidden Costs Nobody Talks About

When that client I mentioned earlier showed me their AI-generated content, I immediately spotted several expensive problems that were actively hurting their business.

Their content had been flagged by Google’s helpful content update, which specifically targets AI-generated content that doesn’t add unique value. Their organic traffic had been steadily declining over six months, but they’d attributed it to increased competition rather than content quality issues.

More concerning was the complete absence of any lead generation strategy. The content had no strategic calls-to-action, no lead magnets, no conversion architecture whatsoever. They were getting some traffic but zero qualified leads because the content wasn’t designed to do anything except exist.

Perhaps most damaging was the brand dilution. Their AI content sounded exactly like their competitors’ AI content because they were all drawing from the same information sources. They’d lost their distinctive voice and market positioning, becoming just another interchangeable vendor in their industry.

In their regulated financial services sector, the AI had also made several claims that weren’t technically accurate, creating potential compliance risks that could have resulted in regulatory penalties.

How I Actually Use AI (Without Losing My Soul)

I’m not anti-AI. I’m anti-lazy. Here’s how I actually incorporate AI tools into my content process without sacrificing quality or authenticity.

During the research and ideation phase, I use AI to identify trending topics and analyze competitor content gaps. It helps me generate multiple angles on complex subjects and assists with initial keyword research. But the strategic decisions about which topics align with business goals and what unique perspective we can offer? That’s pure human insight.

When it comes to actual content creation, AI might generate an initial draft or outline, but that’s where the real work begins. I inject brand voice, add unique insights from actual experience, and ensure the content serves a specific strategic purpose. Every piece needs to fit into the broader content architecture and guide readers toward a specific outcome.

The quality assurance phase is entirely human-driven. I fact-check everything, verify compliance requirements, and test whether the content actually serves the audience’s needs rather than just checking SEO boxes.

When AI-Only Content Actually Makes Sense

I’ll be completely honest about when AI-generated content is perfectly appropriate. If you’re creating internal documentation where brand voice isn’t critical, AI can save enormous amounts of time. For high-volume, low-stakes content like basic FAQ answers or product descriptions, AI efficiency often outweighs the need for human creativity.

AI is also excellent for content testing before you invest in full human creation, and it works well for supporting content that supplements your strategic pieces without needing to carry the full weight of your brand positioning.

The Real Question Every Business Should Ask

The question isn’t whether you can use AI to write your blogs. Obviously you can. The real question is what you’re trying to accomplish with your content marketing.

If your goal is simply to fill a blog with words so you can check “content marketing” off your to-do list, AI is perfect. You’ll have content that looks professional, covers relevant topics, and doesn’t contain any glaring errors.

But if you want to build genuine authority in your industry, generate qualified leads, and create a competitive advantage through content, you need the strategic thinking and authentic perspective that only comes from human expertise combined with actual business experience.

The businesses winning with content marketing understand that effective content isn’t about publishing frequency or keyword optimization. According to research from the Content Marketing Institute, successful content marketing is about solving specific problems your audience actually has, building authority through unique expertise, and creating systems that compound business value over time.

What This Actually Means for Your Business

If you’re currently using AI for all your content, the first step is honestly evaluating whether it’s working. Not vanity metrics like page views, but actual business impact. Is your AI-generated content driving the kind of engagement and inquiries that lead to real customers?

The most successful approach I’ve seen combines AI efficiency with human strategy. Use AI to handle the mechanical aspects of content creation, but invest in human expertise for the strategic thinking, unique positioning, and quality control that actually differentiate your business.

AI is an incredibly powerful tool, but like any tool, its value depends entirely on how strategically you use it. The companies treating AI as a complete replacement for human insight are making the same mistake as those who thought having a website automatically meant having a successful online business.

The technology can handle the writing, but it can’t handle the thinking. And in content marketing, the thinking is everything.

---

If you’re tired of content that looks professional but doesn’t actually work for your business, let’s talk about developing a strategic approach that combines efficiency with effectiveness. I help B2B companies create content that actually drives business results, not just blog traffic.

(And How to Keep Yours Alive)

I have a morbid fascination with abandoned business blogs. You know the ones – they start with grand announcements about “sharing valuable insights with our community,” publish enthusiastically for a few months, then suddenly go silent. The last post is usually something optimistic from six months ago, gathering digital dust like a forgotten gravestone.

Welcome to the Blog Post Graveyard

If you’ve ever scrolled through a company blog and noticed the posts mysteriously stop somewhere around month four, you’ve witnessed what I call the Blog Post Graveyard. It’s littered with the digital remains of well-intentioned content strategies that died slow, painful deaths.

The statistics are absolutely brutal. According to research from content marketing experts, 80% of blogs fail entirely, and most business blogs that do launch are abandoned within the first six months. That means for every ten enthusiastic business owners who start blogging, only two are still posting by the time Christmas rolls around.

But here’s what’s really fascinating about this graveyard: it’s not filled with blogs that were objectively terrible. Many of these digital corpses contain perfectly decent content. Some even have great writing, professional design, and solid SEO. So why do they die? The answer isn’t what most people think.

The Mythology of Blog Death

Most marketing advice will tell you that blogs fail because of poor content quality, inconsistent posting schedules, or lack of promotion. And while those factors certainly don’t help, they’re symptoms rather than causes. I’ve analysed hundreds of abandoned business blogs, and the real killers are far more insidious.

The first murderer is the Content Calendar Delusion. Business owners get excited about blogging, create elaborate content calendars mapping out topics for the next six months, then discover that having a calendar and actually executing it are two entirely different beasts. According to Orbit Media’s research, only 21% of bloggers report strong results from their efforts, and those who succeed spend an average of nearly four hours per blog post.

Four hours. Per post. That’s not what most business owners expect when they casually decide to “start a blog.”

The second killer is Audience Amnesia. Most business blogs fail because they’re written for the business owner, not for actual readers. The content might be technically accurate and professionally written, but it answers questions nobody is asking and solves problems nobody has. Research shows that only 20% of bloggers report strong results, and the difference often comes down to whether they actually understand their audience’s needs.

The Real Reason Blogs Die: Unrealistic Expectations

Here’s the uncomfortable truth that nobody mentions in those “Start a Blog in 30 Days” guides: blogging is a marathon, not a sprint, and most business owners sign up thinking it’s a 100-meter dash.

The mythology goes like this: Start a blog, publish some posts, watch the traffic and leads roll in. Maybe invest in some SEO, share on social media, and within a few months you’ll be swimming in qualified prospects who discovered you through your brilliant insights.

The reality is that businesses that blog generate 67% more leads than those that don’t, but this doesn’t happen overnight. It happens after months of consistent publishing, relationship building, and audience development. Most blogs die somewhere in the valley between expectation and reality, where the initial excitement has worn off but the results haven’t materialised yet.

This is exactly where most business owners throw in the towel. They look at their analytics after three months, see modest traffic numbers, maybe a handful of comments, and conclude that blogging “doesn’t work” for their business. What they don’t realise is that they quit right before things typically start to improve.

The Fatal Flaws That Kill Content Strategies

After conducting my own informal autopsy on dozens of abandoned business blogs, I’ve identified the most common fatal flaws that lead to content strategy death.

The Kitchen Sink Approach is probably the biggest killer. Business owners try to cover every possible topic related to their industry, creating a blog that’s an inch deep and a mile wide. They write about industry trends, company updates, product announcements, educational content, and personal insights, all mixed together in a confused jumble that serves no one particularly well.

The Perfection Paralysis is another silent assassin. Business owners delay publishing because the post isn’t quite perfect yet, the headline could be stronger, or they want to add just one more example. Meanwhile, their content calendar slips further behind, and the momentum dies completely. Content marketing statistics show that businesses publishing consistently, even with imperfect content, outperform those who occasionally publish “perfect” posts.

The Promotion Afterthought kills countless blogs that might otherwise survive. Business owners spend 80% of their energy creating content and 20% promoting it, when successful bloggers know these ratios should be flipped. They publish a post, share it once on LinkedIn, and then wonder why nobody’s reading it.

The Sustainability Crisis Nobody Talks About

The dirty secret of business blogging is that most content advice is completely unsustainable for actual business owners. Marketing gurus recommend publishing daily, conducting extensive keyword research for every post, creating original graphics, writing 2,000-word comprehensive guides, and maintaining active engagement across multiple social platforms.

This might work if you’re a full-time content creator or have a dedicated marketing team, but it’s a recipe for burnout if you’re trying to run a business and blog simultaneously. According to HubSpot’s research, only 29% of B2B marketers say their content marketing is very or extremely successful, and 64% of the successful ones have documented strategies – but having a strategy and being able to execute it are different things entirely.

The blogs that survive understand something crucial: consistency beats perfection, and sustainability beats intensity. It’s better to publish one thoughtful post per month for two years than to publish daily for two months and then burn out completely.

The Content Treadmill Effect

One pattern I see repeatedly in the Blog Post Graveyard is what I call the Content Treadmill Effect. Business owners start blogging with enthusiasm, publishing frequently and putting significant effort into each post. But when they don’t see immediate results, they assume they need to publish more often and work harder.

This creates a vicious cycle where they’re running faster and faster on the content treadmill, getting more exhausted but not necessarily getting better results. Eventually, they’re spending so much time creating content that they’re neglecting their actual business, or they’re so burned out that they stop entirely.

Research from content marketing experts shows that businesses focusing on blogging are 13 times more likely to see positive ROI, but this ROI comes from strategic, consistent effort over time, not from frantic content production.

The Social Media Mirage

Another factor that sends blogs to an early grave is the Social Media Mirage – the belief that if content doesn’t go viral or generate massive social engagement, it’s failed. Business owners publish a thoughtful, helpful blog post, share it on LinkedIn, get a handful of likes and maybe one comment, and conclude that their content isn’t resonating.

What they don’t understand is that B2B content marketing works differently than B2C social media marketing. Your blog post doesn’t need to get hundreds of shares to be successful. It needs to be found by the right people at the right time and help them solve real problems. Sometimes that happens months after publication, through search traffic rather than social shares.

The Comparison Trap

The internet is full of success stories about blogs that grew to massive audiences within months, generated millions in revenue, or launched their creators to industry fame. These stories are inspiring, but they’re also dangerous because they set unrealistic expectations for normal business owners with normal blogs.

Most successful business blogs aren’t dramatic success stories. They’re quiet workhorses that consistently attract qualified prospects, establish thought leadership over time, and contribute steadily to business growth. They don’t make headlines, but they make money.

The blogs that survive learn to measure success differently. Instead of comparing themselves to viral sensations, they track metrics that actually matter to their business: qualified leads, customer inquiries, and long-term relationship building.

What the Survivors Do Differently

The blogs that make it past the six-month mark – and continue thriving for years – share some common characteristics that have nothing to do with writing talent or marketing budgets.

They start with realistic expectations about timeline and results. Instead of expecting immediate traffic spikes, they plan for gradual, sustainable growth over 12-18 months. They understand that blogging is relationship-building, not performance marketing.

They choose a specific niche and stick to it, rather than trying to be everything to everyone. They’d rather be the go-to resource for one specific audience than a mediocre resource for everyone. This focus makes content creation easier and builds stronger audience loyalty.

Most importantly, they build systems that make blogging sustainable rather than exhausting. They batch content creation, repurpose ideas across multiple formats, and create frameworks that make writing easier over time. They treat blogging like a business process, not a creative hobby.

The Resurrection Strategy

If you’re reading this and recognising the warning signs in your own blog, don’t panic. Blog death isn’t always permanent, and many successful content strategies have risen from the ashes of previous failed attempts.

The key is diagnosing what actually killed your original blogging efforts, rather than just trying harder at the same approach. If you burned out from overcommitting, scale back to a sustainable publishing schedule. If you were writing for yourself rather than your audience, conduct some customer research and refocus your topics.

Most importantly, remember that blogging success isn’t measured in months; it’s measured in years. The businesses with thriving content strategies didn’t get there by accident or overnight. They got there by showing up consistently, serving their audience genuinely, and treating their blog as a long-term investment rather than a quick marketing fix.

The Bottom Line

The Blog Post Graveyard exists because most business owners approach blogging with the wrong expectations, unsustainable strategies, and measurement criteria that don’t align with how content marketing actually works.

Your blog doesn’t need to be perfect, viral, or revolutionary. It needs to be helpful, consistent, and genuinely useful to the people you want to reach. It needs to fit into your actual life and business operations, not dominate them.

The blogs that survive understand that content marketing is about building relationships over time, not generating immediate results. They know that showing up consistently for a year beats showing up intensively for a month.

So before you join the ranks of abandoned blogs in the digital graveyard, ask yourself: Are you building something sustainable, or are you setting yourself up for burnout? Because the difference between those two approaches determines whether your blog becomes a long-term business asset or just another forgotten URL gathering digital dust.

---

If your blog is currently on life support or you’re thinking about starting one without ending up in the graveyard, let’s talk about creating a content strategy that actually fits your business and your life. Sometimes the difference between success and failure is just having a realistic plan.

(And What We Can Learn From Them)

I have a confession: I collect marketing disasters like some people collect vintage wine or rare stamps. There’s something simultaneously horrifying and fascinating about watching a brand spectacularly miss the mark, especially when you can see exactly where things went wrong and how easily they could have been avoided.

Why I Can’t Look Away From Marketing Train Wrecks

As someone who spends her days crafting content strategies and helping businesses avoid these exact pitfalls, I’m drawn to marketing failures the way rubberneckers are drawn to car accidents. There’s always that moment of “How did nobody see this coming?” followed immediately by “What can we learn from this absolute disaster?”

Marketing fails aren’t just entertainment (though let’s be honest, some of them are absolutely brilliant comedy). They’re masterclasses in what happens when brands lose touch with their audience, ignore basic human psychology, or get so caught up in being clever that they forget to be sensible.

So pour yourself a coffee, settle in, and let me walk you through some of the marketing catastrophes that have genuinely kept me staring at the ceiling at 2 AM, wondering how we got here.

The Willy Wonka Experience: When AI Dreams Become Marketing Nightmares

If you somehow missed the internet’s collective obsession with Willy’s Chocolate Experience in Glasgow, let me paint you a picture of marketing hubris so spectacular it makes the Fyre Festival look well-organised.

In February 2024, families in Glasgow paid up to £35 per ticket for what was promised to be an immersive Wonka experience featuring “stunning and intricately designed settings” and “an array of delectable treats.” The promotional materials featured gorgeous, dreamlike imagery of chocolate fountains, candy gardens, and whimsical wonderlands that would make Roald Dahl weep with joy.

What they got instead was a sparsely decorated warehouse, a sad bouncy castle, a few jelly beans, and actors who’d been handed 15 pages of AI-generated gibberish to memorise as their script. The whole thing was shut down within hours after police were called to deal with angry parents and crying children.

The kicker? Those gorgeous promotional images were entirely AI-generated. The organisers had created a marketing campaign for an experience that literally could not exist in reality, then seemed genuinely surprised when people expected what they’d been shown.

What this teaches us about marketing: AI is a tool, not a replacement for actual planning or genuine customer experience. You can’t market your way out of a fundamentally flawed product, no matter how pretty your visuals are. Also, if your marketing promises something specific, you’d better be able to deliver exactly that, not some bargain-basement approximation.

Google’s “Dear Sydney” Olympic Ad: When AI Replaces the Human Heart

During the 2024 Olympics, Google ran an ad that made me physically uncomfortable, and apparently I wasn’t alone. The “Dear Sydney” campaign featured a father helping his daughter use Google’s Gemini AI to write a fan letter to Olympic track star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.

On the surface, it seems sweet. A child wants to express her admiration for her hero, and technology helps her find the right words. But something about it felt deeply wrong to viewers, who responded so negatively that Google eventually pulled the ad entirely.

The problem wasn’t the technology itself; it was the implication that a child’s authentic feelings needed to be polished and perfected by artificial intelligence before they were worthy of sharing. It suggested that genuine human expression wasn’t good enough, that even a seven-year-old’s heartfelt admiration needed to be optimised for maximum impact.

What this teaches us about marketing: There’s a massive difference between using technology to enhance human connection and using it to replace human authenticity. People can sense when something feels genuine versus when it feels manufactured, even if they can’t articulate why. The most powerful marketing often comes from embracing imperfection rather than trying to optimise it away.

Coca-Cola’s AI Christmas Ad: Nostalgia Meets the Uncanny Valley

Coca-Cola decided to recreate their beloved “Holidays Are Coming” Christmas ad using AI, and the results were… unsettling. The 2024 AI version maintained all the visual elements of the original – the red trucks, the lights, the festive atmosphere – but somehow stripped away everything that made the original magical.

Viewers immediately noticed something was off. The AI version felt cold and sterile despite being technically impressive. It was like looking at a photograph of your childhood home that’s been perfectly restored but somehow lost its soul in the process.

The backlash wasn’t about being anti-technology; it was about a beloved brand trading emotional authenticity for technological novelty. Coca-Cola’s Christmas ads work because they tap into genuine feelings of warmth and nostalgia. The AI version felt like an elaborate technical demonstration rather than an emotional experience.

What this teaches us about marketing: Brand equity built over decades can’t be replicated by even the most sophisticated technology. Sometimes the imperfections and human touches are exactly what makes something special. When you’re dealing with emotional branding, efficiency isn’t always the goal.

Bumble’s “Celibacy Isn’t the Answer” Billboard: Reading the Room Catastrophically Wrong

Bumble, the dating app that built its brand on empowering women, decided to launch a billboard campaign in Los Angeles with the message “You know full well celibacy is not the answer.” The timing? Right in the middle of ongoing cultural conversations about women’s bodily autonomy and the growing celibacy movement among young women.

The campaign was clearly meant to be cheeky and provocative, encouraging women to get back out there and start dating. Instead, it came across as tone-deaf and dismissive of women’s choices about their own bodies and relationships. Many saw it as exactly the kind of pressure that makes dating feel like an obligation rather than a choice.

The irony is that Bumble’s core brand promise is about giving women control over their dating lives. This campaign accidentally positioned the company as another voice telling women what they should be doing with their bodies.

What this teaches us about marketing: Context is everything. A message that might seem clever in a boardroom can land completely differently in the real world, especially when sensitive social and political issues are involved. Always consider what else is happening in your audience’s lives and the broader cultural conversation.

Jaguar’s “Copy Nothing” Rebrand: Alienating Your Actual Customers

Jaguar’s 2024 rebrand was so divisive it spawned a million critical comments and prompted Elon Musk to ask, “Do you sell cars?” The luxury car brand deleted their entire social media history and launched a campaign featuring high-fashion models but not a single car, all while adopting the slogan “copy nothing.”

The rebrand aimed to position Jaguar as a forward-thinking electric vehicle company, but it felt like they were running away from everything that made the brand distinctive. Longtime customers felt abandoned, and potential new customers were confused about what the brand actually stood for.

The campaign succeeded in getting attention, but mostly from people asking what on earth Jaguar was thinking. When your rebrand generates more questions than excitement, something has gone seriously wrong.

What this teaches us about marketing: Evolution is usually smarter than revolution, especially for heritage brands. Your existing customers have emotional connections to your brand that took decades to build. Dramatic change needs to bring people along rather than leaving them behind. Also, if you’re going to be provocative, make sure the provocation serves a clear strategic purpose.

Apple’s “Crush” iPad Ad: Missing the Creative Community Entirely

Apple’s “Crush” campaign for the iPad Pro showed a hydraulic press destroying musical instruments, art supplies, cameras, and other creative tools, then revealing the slim iPad that contained all their capabilities. The visual metaphor was clear: all your creative tools in one sleek device.

The problem? The ad horrified exactly the people Apple was trying to reach. Artists, musicians, and other creatives saw the destruction of physical instruments and art supplies as symbolic of technology crushing human creativity rather than enhancing it.

Actor Hugh Grant called it “the destruction of the human experience,” and countless artists pointed out that physical tools aren’t just functional; they’re part of the creative process itself. The tactile experience of playing a real piano or painting with actual brushes can’t be replicated digitally, no matter how advanced the technology.

What this teaches us about marketing: Know your audience’s deeper values, not just their surface needs. Creatives don’t just want efficiency; they want tools that inspire and connect them to their craft. Sometimes the metaphor you think is clever sends exactly the wrong message to the people you’re trying to reach.

The Patterns That Keep Repeating

After studying dozens of marketing disasters, I’ve noticed some depressingly predictable patterns. Brands get so focused on being clever, innovative, or attention-grabbing that they forget to consider whether their message actually serves their audience.

There’s also a recurring theme of brands using technology as a shortcut to authentic connection, then being surprised when audiences can sense the difference. Whether it’s AI-generated imagery promising experiences that can’t exist or algorithms trying to replicate human creativity, the failures happen when technology replaces rather than enhances human insight.

Perhaps most importantly, many of these disasters could have been avoided with better testing and genuine diversity of perspectives. When everyone in the room has the same background and viewpoint, it’s easy to miss how a campaign might land with real audiences in the real world.

What Actually Works Instead

The brands that avoid these spectacular failures tend to have a few things in common. They test their ideas with actual customers before launching them. They understand that their audience’s values and cultural context matter more than clever wordplay or technological innovation. Most importantly, they remember that marketing’s job is to serve the audience, not impress other marketers.

They also tend to have systems in place for recognising when something isn’t working and pivoting quickly rather than doubling down on a failing strategy. Pride and stubbornness have killed more campaigns than any external factor.

The Silver Lining

Here’s the thing about marketing failures: they’re often more instructive than successes. Success can be attributed to luck, timing, or dozens of different factors. But failures usually have clear, identifiable causes that the rest of us can learn from and avoid.

Every spectacular marketing disaster is a free education for everyone else in the industry. The Wonka experience teaches us about the dangers of overpromising. Google’s Olympic ad shows us why authentic human connection can’t be automated. Jaguar’s rebrand demonstrates the risks of alienating your existing audience while chasing new ones.

These failures also remind us that even the biggest, most well-resourced brands can get it spectacularly wrong. It’s oddly comforting to know that having unlimited budgets and teams of experts doesn’t guarantee marketing success. What matters more is understanding your audience, staying connected to reality, and maintaining the humility to admit when something isn’t working.

The Bottom Line

Marketing disasters don’t happen because people aren’t smart enough or don’t care enough. They happen because it’s genuinely difficult to predict how messages will land with diverse audiences in complex cultural contexts. They happen because brands sometimes get so caught up in their own cleverness that they forget to consider their customers’ actual needs and feelings.

The best defence against joining this hall of fame of marketing failures is maintaining genuine curiosity about your audience, testing your assumptions before betting your reputation on them, and remembering that the goal isn’t to impress other marketers – it’s to create genuine value for real people.

And if you do end up with a marketing disaster on your hands? Own it quickly, learn from it publicly, and use it as an opportunity to show your audience that you’re listening and willing to do better. Sometimes the response to a failure can be more powerful than the original campaign ever could have been.

But let’s be honest – I’ll still be collecting these disasters and losing sleep over them, because there’s always another brand somewhere making a decision that will have me shaking my head and reaching for my notepad at 2 AM.

---

Want to make sure your marketing campaigns don’t end up as cautionary tales? Let’s talk about building strategies that actually connect with your audience instead of accidentally alienating them.

(And How to Know When You’re Ready)

Last week, a business owner called me in a panic. Six months ago, they’d confidently taken their marketing in-house (read: outsourced it to their intern and ChatGPT’s free version). Now their lead generation had dropped 60%, their website traffic was circling the drain, and their newly hired “marketing coordinator” was spending most of her time creating pretty graphics that nobody was seeing. Sound familiar?

The Seductive Fantasy of In-House Marketing

I get it. The idea of bringing your marketing in-house is incredibly appealing. You’ll have complete control over your messaging, immediate access to your marketing team, and you’ll save all that money you’ve been paying to external agencies. Plus, who knows your business better than you do, right?

It’s the same logic that makes people think they can renovate their own kitchen after watching a few YouTube videos. Sure, some people pull it off beautifully. Most end up with crooked tiles, wonky plumbing, and a desperate call to professionals to fix what they’ve broken.

The harsh reality is that most businesses aren’t actually ready for effective in-house marketing, despite what that confident voice in their head is telling them. According to research from HubSpot, 61% of marketers say generating traffic and leads is their biggest challenge, and that’s with dedicated marketing professionals. Imagine trying to tackle that whilst also running every other aspect of your business.

What Most Businesses Get Wrong About Marketing

Here’s the fundamental misunderstanding that trips up most business owners: they think marketing is just a collection of tasks that anyone reasonably intelligent can handle. Write some blog posts, post on social media, send some emails, run a few ads. Oh, and type “write a blog post on “How to Turn Your Shopify Store Into a 6-Figure Business”. How hard can it be?

This is like saying surgery is just cutting people open and stitching them back up. Technically accurate, but missing about 99% of what actually makes it work.

Effective marketing requires a deep understanding of consumer psychology, data analysis, technical implementation, creative strategy, and constant adaptation to changing platforms and algorithms. It’s not just knowing what to do; it’s knowing why you’re doing it, when to pivot, and how to optimise based on performance data.

I’ve watched businesses confidently hire a “marketing person” expecting them to single-handedly handle everything from content creation to paid advertising to email automation to SEO to social media management. That’s like hiring one person to be your accountant, lawyer, HR manager, and IT support. Even if they’re brilliant, they’re going to be mediocre at most of those functions.

The Hidden Costs Nobody Talks About

When businesses calculate the cost of in-house marketing, they usually just look at salary and benefits. But that’s like calculating the cost of owning a car by only considering the purchase price whilst ignoring fuel, insurance, maintenance, and registration.

Here’s what most businesses don’t factor into their in-house marketing budget: the learning curve costs. Every mistake your internal team makes whilst they’re figuring things out costs you real money in the form of wasted ad spend, missed opportunities, and time spent on strategies that don’t work.

Then there’s the tool and technology costs. Effective marketing requires a stack of software tools for email marketing, social media management, analytics, design, project management, and more. According to Salesforce research, the average enterprise uses 120 different marketing tools. Even small businesses need at least a dozen different platforms to run effective campaigns.

Don’t forget the ongoing education costs. Marketing is constantly evolving. What worked last year might be completely ineffective this year. Your internal team needs continuous training and development to stay current with best practices, platform changes, and new opportunities.

The Expertise Gap That Kills Results

The biggest challenge with in-house marketing isn’t usually a lack of effort or intelligence from your team. It’s the expertise gap that comes from not having exposure to multiple industries, clients, and challenges.

When I work with agencies or experienced marketers, they bring insights from dozens of different businesses and industries. They’ve seen what works across different market conditions, audience types, and business models. They know which strategies are worth testing and which ones are likely to waste your time and money.

Your internal marketing person, no matter how talented, is only seeing your business and your challenges. They don’t have the pattern recognition that comes from working across multiple accounts and industries. This means they’re more likely to spend months testing strategies that experienced marketers would immediately recognise as poor fits for your situation.

When In-House Marketing Actually Works

I’m not completely anti-in-house marketing. There are definitely situations where it makes perfect sense and delivers excellent results. But the businesses that succeed with internal marketing teams have several things in common.

They have sufficient scale to justify hiring multiple specialised marketing professionals rather than expecting one person to handle everything. They understand that marketing is a strategic function that requires ongoing investment in tools, training, and testing. Most importantly, they have leadership with enough marketing knowledge to provide proper direction and evaluate performance effectively.

Businesses that successfully transition to in-house marketing also usually have a solid foundation already established. They’re not starting from scratch; they’re taking over existing systems, processes, and strategies that are already working. They understand what good marketing looks like because they’ve experienced it, either through working with agencies or having internal expertise from the beginning.

The “We’ll Just Copy What Our Agency Was Doing” Trap

One of the most dangerous assumptions I see is businesses thinking they can simply replicate their agency’s processes internally. They’ve got the templates, the content calendars, the campaign structures, so how hard can it be to just keep doing the same things?

This is like thinking you can perform surgery because you’ve watched a doctor do it several times and have access to the same tools. (Know what you get? Gall bladder surgery a la Temu/Wish.) The processes and templates are just the visible surface of what makes marketing work. The real value comes from the strategic thinking, the ability to interpret data and adjust accordingly, and the expertise to know when something isn’t working and needs to be changed.

Marketing agencies succeed because they have teams of specialists with different expertise areas working together, plus the experience of having solved similar problems for other clients. When you take that work in-house, you’re not just hiring people to execute tasks; you need people who can think strategically, solve problems creatively, and adapt quickly when circumstances change.

Warning Signs You’re Not Ready

There are some clear indicators that your business isn’t ready for effective in-house marketing, even if the idea appeals to you financially.

If you’re expecting one person to handle all your marketing activities, you’re setting them up for failure. According to LinkedIn’s marketing talent research, successful marketing requires specialised skills across multiple disciplines, and it’s unrealistic to expect one person to excel at all of them.

If your current marketing knowledge comes primarily from reading blog posts and attending webinars rather than hands-on experience managing campaigns and budgets, you probably don’t have the foundation needed to properly direct and evaluate an internal marketing team.

If you’re motivated primarily by cost savings rather than strategic advantages, that’s a red flag. Effective marketing requires ongoing investment, and if you’re approaching it as a cost-cutting exercise, you’re likely to underinvest in the tools, training, and talent needed for success.

How to Know When You’re Actually Ready

Successful in-house marketing transitions usually happen when businesses have reached sufficient scale and have clear strategic reasons beyond just saving money.

You’re probably ready when you can afford to hire multiple marketing specialists rather than one generalist, when you have leadership with enough marketing expertise to provide proper direction, and when you have established systems and processes that are already working effectively.

Most importantly, you’re ready when you understand that taking marketing in-house isn’t about reducing costs; it’s about gaining strategic advantages like faster decision-making, deeper brand integration, and more intimate knowledge of your customers and market.

The Alternative That Actually Works

Before you decide that in-house marketing is your only option for gaining more control and reducing costs, consider hybrid approaches that give you the best of both worlds.

Many businesses find success working with specialised agencies or consultants (read: freelancers – cheaper than agencies and generally more straightforward and transparent) for strategy and high-level execution whilst handling day-to-day implementation internally. This gives you external expertise and fresh perspectives whilst maintaining control over messaging and timing.

Another effective approach is retaining a freelancer or agency for specific functions where expertise is crucial (like paid advertising or technical SEO) whilst bringing other activities like content creation or social media management in-house.

The Bottom Line

Taking your marketing in-house can absolutely work, but it requires significantly more investment, expertise, and strategic thinking than most businesses realise. The fantasy of saving money whilst gaining complete control rarely matches the reality of what it actually takes to execute effective marketing consistently.

If you’re considering this transition, be brutally honest about your motivations, your current expertise level, and your willingness to invest properly in making it work. And remember that the goal isn’t to have in-house marketing; the goal is to have effective marketing that drives real business results.

Most businesses discover that working with experienced external partners actually gives them more control and better results than trying to build everything internally from scratch. Sometimes the best way to take control of your marketing is to work with people who actually know what they’re doing.

---

If you’re evaluating your current marketing approach and wondering whether in-house, freelancer, or hybrid makes the most sense for your business, let’s have an honest conversation about what actually works in your specific situation.

(It’s probably not what you think)

Let me start with some uncomfortable truth-telling: Most B2B content marketing is hot garbage.

There, I said it. And before you get your feathers ruffled, hear me out. I’ve been swimming in the B2B content pool for over a decade, and I’ve seen more content strategies crash and burn than a Hollywood stunt coordinator.

Here’s a sobering reality check: only 29% of marketers whose organisations have a documented content strategy say it’s extremely or very effective. Another 58% say it’s moderately effective, according to the Content Marketing Institute’s 2025 research. That means 70% of B2B companies with documented strategies aren’t seeing the results they want – and that doesn’t even include the companies flying blind without any strategy at all.

But here’s the real booger in your burger – it’s not because they’re not trying hard enough or spending enough money. It’s because they’re making the same predictable mistakes that turn their content into digital wallpaper that nobody notices, reads, or acts on.

The Real Reason B2B Content Marketing Fails

Louder for those in the back: It’s not about budget, tools, or even talent. It’s about fundamentally misunderstanding what content marketing is supposed to do.

Most B2B companies approach content marketing like they’re still living in the Mad Men era. They create “content” that’s really just thinly veiled sales pitches wrapped in a blog post bow. Then they wonder why nobody’s reading, sharing, or converting.

Here’s what actually happens: Your audience can smell a sales pitch from a mile away, and they run faster than people fleeing a time-share presentation.

Failure #1: They’re Creating Content for Themselves, Not Their Audience

I can’t count how many times I’ve heard, “We need to showcase our expertise” or “We want to demonstrate thought leadership.”

Reality check: Nobody wakes up thinking, “I really hope that software company shows me how smart they are today.”

Your audience has problems they need solved. They have questions that keep them up at night. They’re looking for insights that will make their jobs easier, their processes more efficient, or their bosses happier.

The fix: Start every content brainstorm with one question: “What does our audience actually care about?” Not what you want to talk about. What they want to learn about.

I worked with a cybersecurity company that was creating content about their latest security features (yawn). We pivoted to addressing the real fears of IT directors: “How to Explain a Data Breach to Your CEO Without Getting Fired.” Engagement increased 340%. (To be fair, it was a low bar to start with, but I’ll take that win.)

Failure #2: They’re Addicted to Jargon Like It’s Digital Crack

B2B companies love their acronyms, buzzwords, and industry speak. They think it makes them sound smart. Instead, it makes them sound like robots communicating with other robots.

The brutal truth: Your prospects are humans first, professionals second.

I once received a blog post draft that contained the phrase “leverage synergistic solutions to optimise cross-functional deliverables.” I printed it out just so I could dramatically throw it in the trash.

The fix: Write like you’re explaining things to your intelligent but non-technical friend over coffee. If you wouldn’t say it out loud to a real person, don’t write it.

Failure #3: They Think More Content Equals Better Results

The “spray and pray” approach to content marketing. Pump out five blog posts a week, flood social media, and hope something sticks.

Newsflash: Quality beats quantity every single time.

One strategically crafted, deeply researched piece of content will outperform ten generic posts faster than you can say “content calendar.” I’d rather see you publish one killer piece per month than four mediocre ones per week.

The fix: Focus on creating fewer, better pieces of content that actually solve real problems. Your audience will thank you by actually reading, sharing, and converting.

Failure #4: They Have No Content Distribution Strategy

Creating great content and hoping people find it is like opening the world’s best restaurant in the middle of the desert with no road signs.

Most B2B companies spend 80% of their energy creating content and 20% promoting it. That ratio should be flipped.

The reality: Even the most brilliant content needs a promotion strategy.

The fix: For every hour you spend creating content, spend three hours promoting it. Email it to your list, share it on social platforms, reach out to industry publications, engage with relevant communities, and repurpose it across multiple formats.

Failure #5: They’re Not Measuring What Actually Matters

Page views and social likes are vanity metrics. They feel good, but they don’t pay the bills.

I’ve worked with companies celebrating 10,000 blog views while generating zero qualified leads. That’s like being excited about window shoppers who never buy anything.

The fix: Track metrics that matter to your business:

• Lead generation and quality
• Sales pipeline contribution
• Customer acquisition cost
• Content-influenced deals
• Time to conversion

Failure #6: They Don’t Understand the Buyer’s Journey

B2B companies often create content for only one stage of the buyer’s journey (usually the “buy now” stage), then wonder why their conversion rates are terrible.

Here’s the deal: B2B buying cycles are complex. Your prospects need different types of content at different stages.

The fix: Create content for every stage:

• Awareness stage: Educational content that helps them understand their problem
• Consideration stage: Comparison guides and solution frameworks
• Decision stage: Case studies and specific product benefits

How We Actually Fix B2B Content Marketing

After working with dozens of B2B companies and seeing what actually works, here’s my proven framework for content that converts:

1. Start with Deep Audience Research

Not surface-level demographics. I’m talking about understanding their daily frustrations, decision-making processes, and the language they use when talking about their challenges.

2. Create Content Clusters, Not Random Posts

Build comprehensive topic clusters around your core expertise areas. This establishes topical authority and helps with SEO.

3. Focus on Problem-Solution Fit

Every piece of content should address a specific problem your audience faces. No exceptions.

4. Optimise for Humans First, Search Engines Second

Write for real people with real problems. The SEO will follow.

5. Build a Promotion System

Create repeatable processes for amplifying every piece of content across multiple channels.

6. Measure and Iterate Based on Business Impact

Track metrics that directly correlate to revenue and continuously optimize based on what’s working.

The Bottom Line

B2B content marketing fails because companies treat it like a nice-to-have rather than a strategic business driver. They create content for themselves instead of their audience, measure the wrong things, and wonder why nothing’s working.

The solution isn’t more content, better tools, or bigger budgets. It’s about fundamentally shifting how you approach content marketing – from company-focused to customer-focused, from quantity-driven to quality-driven, from vanity metrics to business metrics.

When you get this right, content marketing becomes one of your most powerful business growth engines. When you get it wrong, you join the 70% wondering why you’re not seeing the results that actually matter.

The choice is yours.

---

Maggie Harris specialises in transforming B2B content strategies from money pits into revenue generators. With over a decade of experience turning boring B2B topics into compelling content that actually converts, she’s helped dozens of companies break free from the content marketing failure statistics. When she’s not crafting conversion-focused content, she’s probably judging other people’s marketing emails.

(Or: How I went from being told “writing isn’t a real career” to proving everyone spectacularly wrong)

Fifteen years ago, I was convinced that writing was a pipe dream – something “real adults” didn’t do for a living. I was working in telecommunications sales, climbing the corporate ladder like a good little professional, while my creative writing dreams sat gathering dust in a metaphorical junk drawer.

I had no idea I was about to embark on a journey that would transform me from a reluctant corporate climber into the content strategy badass you see before you today.

Chapter 1: The “Writing Is No Way to Make a Living” Years

Let me paint you a picture of early-career Maggie. I’d studied both business and creative writing because I couldn’t decide between practical and passionate. I’d been told as a kid that writing was “no way to make a living,” so I figured I’d be sensible about my career and maybe write in my spare time.

Spoiler alert: “Spare time” was a myth, but the writing skills were about to become my secret weapon.

I started in telecommunications sales and training. The work was fine, but something interesting kept happening. Whenever someone needed training materials written, marketing copy crafted, or any form of written communication that didn’t suck, they came to me.

“Hey Maggie, you’re good with words – can you make this sound less terrible?”

Thanks to my Marketing 101 background and natural writing ability, I became the unofficial company writer without even realising it. The training materials I created actually got read (revolutionary!). The sales materials I wrote generated better responses than the corporate-approved templates.

The plot twist: I was really good at this stuff. Like, actually good. And not just in the way your mum tells you you’re good.

Chapter 2: Climbing Ladders and Accidentally Building Skills

I moved up to a regional manager role in retail, thinking I was being a responsible adult with a “real career.” Then I landed state rep positions with big names like Nokia and Lindt. On paper, I was succeeding. I was hitting targets, managing territories, and doing all the things you’re supposed to do in a traditional business career.

I really enjoyed the people-facing side of things, and particularly the training. But in every single role, I kept getting pulled into the writing tasks. Product training materials, marketing communications, sales presentations – if it needed to be written well, it somehow ended up on my desk.

Game changer moment: I started to realise that my writing skills weren’t just a nice-to-have bonus feature – they were becoming my competitive advantage in every role I took on.

I was the rep who could explain complex products in simple terms. I was the manager who created training materials that people actually wanted to read. I was the person who could take corporate jargon and translate it into something that made sense to real humans.

But I was still treating writing like a side skill, not a superpower. After all, I had been conditioned to believe that “real adults” didn’t make livings from writing.

Chapter 3: The Book That Changed Everything

In 2016, I did something that completely shifted my perspective on the whole “writing isn’t a real career” narrative. I published my first book – a travel memoir that I’d been working on in whatever spare time I could scrape together between sales calls and territory management.

Plot twist: People actually bought it. And read it. And liked it. I pumpled Liz Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love off the Amazon top seller’s list (for all of about 2 hours).

Suddenly, I wasn’t just someone who “was good with words.” I was a published author (albeit self published). I had proven that not only could I write, but I could create something people valued enough to pay for.

This was my lightbulb moment. If I could write a book that people wanted to read, maybe – just maybe – I could make this writing thing work professionally.

Chapter 4: The Side Hustle That Started to Take Over

Even before my book launch, friends had always asked me to help with their business writing. “You’re so good at this stuff, could you look at my website?” “Would you mind writing some marketing materials for my startup?” “Can you help me figure out how to explain what my business actually does?”

At first, it was just favours. Then it became paid favours. Then it became something that was starting to feel like… a business?

I was working with entrepreneurs who were passionate about their businesses, who wanted content that reflected their personality, who weren’t afraid of having a point of view. I was writing for a boutique fitness studio that wanted to sound like your motivational best friend, not a corporate gym. I was creating content for a local psychologist that wanted to educate people about mental health and really make a difference to people’s lives.

The beautiful thing: This stuff was working. Really working.

The fitness studio’s website was converting visitors into members. The psychologist’s content was building a community of loyal customers and changing lives. And I was starting to understand that good business writing wasn’t about showcasing how smart the company was – it was about helping customers solve problems and making them feel something.

More importantly, I was having more fun writing marketing copy for a small business on weekends than I was doing my “real job” during the week. That should have been a massive red flag about my career choices.

Chapter 5: The Leap of Faith (Also Known as “Holy Crap, What Have I Done?”)

By 2017, I had reached a tipping point. I was making much more money from my freelance writing work than my corporate salary, working with clients who actually appreciated what I brought to the table, and having way more fun in the process.

The scariest decision of my professional life was finally admitting that maybe, just maybe, those people who told me “writing isn’t a real career” were wrong.

So I made the leap. Full-time freelance. Published author turned professional copywriter and content strategist.

My husband was… let’s call it “concerned.”

The first year was terrifying. I went from steady paychecks and corporate security to living project to project. I had to learn about business development, client management, pricing strategies, and about a million other things they don’t teach you when you’re juggling business and creative writing studies.

But here’s what I discovered: When you’re really good at solving a specific problem for people, they’ll pay you well for it. And the problem I was really good at solving was taking complex, boring business concepts and making them interesting and accessible.

Chapter 6: Finding My Voice (And My Superpower)

Around year two of full-time freelancing, I had my second major epiphany. I was working with all types of businesses – B2C, B2B, e-commerce, local services – and while I could write for anyone, I was starting to see where my superpowers really shone.

I was best at helping businesses that were tired of sounding like everyone else. I had a knack for finding the human story in business content. And I was particularly good at helping companies sound like actual humans instead of corporate robots.

This was when I started really developing my voice – that mix of irreverent humor, straight-talking expertise, and zero tolerance for bullshit that you’re experiencing right now. I realised that my personality wasn’t something to hide in my writing; it was my competitive advantage.

The realisation: All those years in sales, training, and business roles hadn’t been a detour from my writing career – they had been preparation for it.

Chapter 7: The Expert Evolution

By 2018, something beautiful was happening. I wasn’t just writing content anymore – I was developing content strategies. I was analysing what worked and why. I was helping companies completely transform their approach to content marketing.

All those years of working in sales, training, and state rep roles had given me something most writers don’t have: a deep understanding of business operations, customer psychology, and what actually drives results.

I could see patterns across industries. I could predict which types of content would resonate with different audiences. I understood the psychology behind what makes people share, engage, and ultimately convert – because I’d spent years understanding what makes people buy.

The lightbulb moment: I wasn’t just a writer anymore. I had become a strategic partner.

My clients weren’t just buying words from me; they were buying insights, strategy, and results. I was helping them understand their audiences better, develop their brand voices, and create content that directly contributed to their business goals.

Turns out, all those years of being told that writing “wasn’t a real career” had led me to build skills that made my writing more valuable than traditional writers who’d never stepped foot in a sales meeting or had to hit quarterly targets.

Chapter 8: The Authority Building Phase

Around 2019, I started sharing what I was learning. I began writing about content strategy, not just creating content for other people. I started building my own audience and establishing myself as an expert in the field.

I launched Harris Content & Copy as a brand, not just a service. I started positioning myself as the content strategist for businesses who were tired of boring, ineffective content. I attracted clients who wanted to work with me specifically because of my approach, my expertise, and yes, my personality.

The result: I went from competing on price to commanding premium rates. I went from taking whatever projects came my way to being selective about who I worked with. I went from being just another freelance writer to being a recognised expert in content strategy.

Chapter 9: Where We Are Today

Today, I’m not just creating content – I’m solving business problems through strategic content marketing. I work with companies to develop comprehensive content strategies that align with their business goals and actually move the needle on their growth metrics.

I’ve learned that the best content marketing feels like having a conversation with someone who really gets you and your challenges. It’s educational without being preachy, entertaining without being frivolous, and strategic without being soulless.

My clients come to me because they want content that stands out in a sea of corporate mediocrity. They want a strategic partner who understands both the art and science of content marketing. And they want to work with someone who’s not afraid to have opinions and share them.

The Lessons I’ve Learned (So You Don’t Have to Learn Them the Hard Way)

1. Your “non-traditional” path might be your biggest advantage. Those years in sales and business operations gave me insights that pure writers often miss.

2. Your personality is your superpower. Don’t hide it. Use it.

3. Strategy beats pretty writing every time. Beautiful content that doesn’t drive results is just expensive decoration.

4. Understanding your audience is everything. You can’t create compelling content for people you don’t understand – and years in sales taught me how to really understand customers.

5. Consistency compounds. One great piece of content won’t change your business. Consistent, strategic content will.

6. Sometimes the people who tell you something “isn’t a real career” are just wrong. Really, spectacularly wrong.

The Bottom Line

My journey from telecommunications sales to content strategy expert taught me that the best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing. It feels like someone who really understands your world sharing valuable insights that help you solve problems and achieve your goals.

That’s what I do now. That’s what Harris Content & Copy is all about. And that’s exactly what your business needs if you’re tired of content that looks pretty but doesn’t perform.

The journey continues, but now I get to help other businesses transform their content from generic corporate fluff into strategic assets that actually drive growth. And honestly? I can’t imagine doing anything else.

Turns out, writing is a pretty great way to make a living after all.

---

Maggie Harris is the founder of Harris Content & Copy, where she transforms boring business content into strategic assets that actually drive results. An author and former sales professional, she brings a unique blend of business acumen and creative expertise to every project. When she’s not crafting content strategies or writing conversion-focused copy, she’s probably reading something she shouldn’t admit to or plotting new ways to eliminate corporate jargon from the world.