The Value of Delivering What Your Audience Really Needs

In a recent webinar featuring insights from Katie Mouton, Senior Demand Gen Director at BPM, and Winsome Marketing’s team, including Ross Henderson, Lauren Keller, and Joy Youell, one theme stood out: the importance of understanding what your audience truly needs. Katie Mouton used an everyday example from her life as a mom to illustrate how marketing can often miss the mark when it fails to focus on value-driven solutions.

Katie shared, “I'm a mom. I have three beautiful children who love to make big messes. And if I'm looking for help with that, and I go, hmm, how do I get my kids to clean their room without arguing? Say, I'm looking for some new groundbreaking strategy on that. And I'm on Google, checking things out. I find this website and I see an ebook, The Reasons Your Child Should Clean Their Room. I am not there. I know why they should clean their room. It's messy and I told you so. Those are the reasons. I'm looking for how to get them to do it.”

Katie’s story highlights a common pitfall: content that doesn’t address the audience’s specific needs. For marketers, this is a vital reminder that real value lies in providing actionable solutions rather than just reinforcing what the audience already knows.

Understanding the True Needs of Your Audience

In Katie’s example, she didn’t need an explanation of why her children should clean their rooms—she needed a strategy to make it happen. This is where many marketers fall short. Creating content that delivers value means understanding the deeper needs behind a user’s search, inquiry, or download.

Whether it’s a blog post, an ebook, or a video tutorial, the content should aim to answer the questions that motivated the search in the first place. Katie’s story serves as a reminder that audiences are typically looking for solutions, not just information, and definitely not a reiteration of what they already know.

Shifting from Information to Actionable Solutions

Imagine being in Katie’s shoes—tired of the mess, ready for practical advice on motivating her children to tidy up. Now imagine that instead of actionable steps, the content she found simply told her why a clean room is important. It’s frustrating because it doesn’t address the real issue. For marketers, this gap represents an opportunity to create content that genuinely resonates.

Here are a few ways to ensure content delivers value:

1. Get to Know the Pain Points: Take time to understand the specific challenges your audience faces. In Katie’s case, her pain point was getting her children to clean, not understanding why they should.

2. Focus on Actionable Advice: Audiences want practical steps, not just theory. When creating content, consider adding checklists, step-by-step guides, or tips they can apply right away.

3. Stay Solution-Oriented: Instead of simply explaining why something is beneficial, show your audience how to achieve it. If someone is searching for ways to engage clients, for instance, they’re likely more interested in learning specific engagement strategies than in hearing about the benefits of engagement.

Moving Beyond Surface-Level Content

For marketers, it’s tempting to stick to the basics. But Katie’s example reminds us of the value of delving deeper into the audience's needs and creating content that doesn’t just inform but empowers. Her personal story captures this well: “Those are the reasons [I tell my kids]. I'm looking for how to get them to do it. So it’s about giving them the value.”

Katie’s message is clear: the most impactful content anticipates the audience’s deeper questions and delivers genuine value. This is the kind of approach that not only builds trust but keeps audiences coming back because they know they’ll find something truly helpful.

more Than Awareness

Marketing today isn’t just about spreading awareness; it’s about building connections by understanding and meeting the audience’s real needs. By focusing on actionable solutions and diving deeper into the "how," marketers can transform their content strategies and make a more meaningful impact. Katie’s insights remind us that when it comes to delivering value, audiences aren’t just looking for the “why”—they’re ready for the “how.”