The Real Reason Your Posts Aren’t Getting Clients (It’s Not the Algorithm)

If you've been blaming Instagram or Facebook for your lack of clients, this episode is going to be uncomfortable—but necessary.

The truth is, if your posts aren't converting followers into paying clients, it's probably not the algorithm's fault. It's something much more fixable, but it requires honest reflection about what you're actually posting.

In this episode, I'm breaking down the 8 real reasons your content isn't generating sales conversations—from posts that are all about you instead of your audience's problems, to never actually asking for the sale, to having a profile that doesn't support your content.

This episode delivers the tough love you need to stop blaming external factors and start creating content that genuinely attracts clients.

Connect with me

Website: www.newschoolofmarketing.com
Facebook: @newschoolofmarketing
Instagram: @bianca_mckenzie

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https://newschoolofmarketing.com/accelerate

🔵 MARKETING MOMENTUM: a 6-week 1:1 mentoring package designed to get your marketing unstuck. With three strategy-packed sessions and personalised support, you’ll gain clarity, confidence, and a plan that actually moves your business forward—no more guesswork or going it alone.
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Transcript

Hey. Welcome to the new School of Marketing podcast. I'm Bianca McKenzie, and this is the place where we break down marketing strategies that actually work without the overwhelm.

Before we dive in, I want to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land I live and work on, the Palawa people of Lutha Uita. I pay my respects to their elders, past and present, and I acknowledge the deep connection they have to this land, culture and community.

Now, let's dive in and make marketing work for you.

Okay, if you've ever blamed Instagram or Facebook for your lack of clients, or if you're posting consistently but rarely hear from potential customers, or if you convince yourself that the algorithm is hiding your content from the people who need to see it, then this episode is going to be slightly uncomfortable, but necessary.

Today we're talking about the real reason your posts aren't getting you clients.

And spoiler alert, it's probably not the algorithm's fault.

It's something much more fixable than goodness.

But it does require honesty about what you're actually posting and whether it's genuinely helping people or just adding to the noise.

Because here's the truth.

If the algorithm is your biggest marketing problem, you're actually in pretty good shape.

All right, let's dive in. I'm going to start by addressing the elephant in the room.

Yes, social media algorithms exist.

Yes, they change.

Yes, they can be super frustrating.

But they've also become the most convenient excuse for why your marketing isn't working.

Everyone's complaining.

The algorithm hates me. My posts aren't being shown to my followers.

Instagram is hiding my content.

I hear this constantly. And here's what I've noticed.

It's almost always coming from people who are creating content that doesn't actually deserve to be seen by more people.

I know sounds super harsh, and I really. I don't like hurting people's feelings, but stick with me here.

The algorithm's job isn't to make you successful.

Its job is is to keep users on the platform by showing them content they find valuable, content that they find engaging, content that they find entertaining.

If your content isn't getting traction, the algorithm isn't being mean to you.

It's doing its job by not forcing unengaging content onto people's feeds. I know, super harsh.

But they have a purpose to serve as well. And their purpose is to keep people on the platform, keep entertaining them, keep engaging them.

So before we dive into why your posts aren't working, let's get clear on what actually turns social media followers into paying clients.

It's not likes, it's not shares, and it's definitely not going viral.

What drives conversions is, firstly, trust.

People need to believe that you can actually solve their problem.

This comes from consistently demonstrating your expertise, showing your results and being genuine.

And while I say this like super briefly, it's not just saying, you know, I did this for a client.

There is, you know, a nuance to it.

But one, trust people need to believe that you can actually solve their problem. Secondly, clarity. They need to understand what you do,

who you help and how you help them.

And if your content leaves people confused about any of these things, they won't become clients.

And when I say content in, yes, social media content, but obviously also other touch points. If you are only trying to build your business on social media, that's a whole different discussion. Let's not get into that. But yes, that is not a good place.

The next one is relevance.

Your content needs to speak to their specific situation and challenges, and it needs to do that at the right time. It's pretty tricky.

A generic advice that could apply to anyone is not actually going to resonate with anyone.

So relevance is the next one, and then the next one is call to action.

They need to know what to do next.

If you never tell people how to work with you, they won't magically figure it out.

It's like my husband saying, I need to do things in the shed. I'm like, well, when? Tell me you need to be super clear.

Tell me what you need and when you need it.

So it's the same with social media. Call to action.

All right, now let's talk about why your posts aren't actually delivering on these four elements.

The first one is your posts are all about you. And this is the biggest one.

And I can see why people do it, because it's not always easy to come up with content.

Most business owners create content that talks about themselves, about their processes, about their qualifications, about their philosophy, instead of content that actually helps their audience.

Look at your last 10 posts.

How many of them were actually focused on your audience's problems and how many were focused on you?

And be honest, I do see a lot of Posts like, I'm so excited to announce that I'm now certified in X.

Or you know, like Monday motivation, remember why you started?

Or behind the scenes of my morning routine.

And these posts might get some engagement from people who already know, like and trust you, but they don't actually attract new clients because they're not demonstrating value.

They don't solve any problems. They don't build trust in your ability to help them solve their problem.

So how can you fix this?

Well, start with your audience's problem, not your solution.

So every post should answer a question, solve a specific challenge, or provide actionable insights that your ideal client can use immediately.

And like I'm saying every post, I'm not, I'm not meaning that you do every post like that because you still need to have that trust building content as well.

But to attract new clients, you need to answer questions, solve challenges, you know.

So instead of saying I'm now offering one on one coaching, you can say, struggling to know which marketing activities to prioritize. And I'm using myself here.

Here's the exact framework I use with my clients to identify their highest impact strategies.

Or instead of, you know, Monday motivation, you can say, if you're starting your week feeling overwhelmed by a to do list, here's a simple method to identify what actually matters today.

You see the difference.

The second versions are still about what you offer, but they lead with value. Instead of announcements. They they also lead with a pain point.

They lead with knowing what your ideal client is actually struggling with or like needing.

Okay. The second reason is that you're creating content and not conversations.

And here's a pattern I see all the time.

Someone posts valuable content, they get some likes and some comments and then never responds. Or they respond with a generic like, thanks.

Social media isn't a broadcasting platform, it's a conversation platform. It's a social platform and if you're treating it like a megaphone where you just shout your message and disappear, you're just missing the point.

The real business happens in the comments, in the DMs, in the conversations that come from your posts.

That's where people ask questions, they tell you their challenges,

and that's how they decide whether or not they want to work with you.

This is why controversial posts or like bold statements do so well. Because you are basically poking someone to comment, to engage.

So how do you fix this? Is commit.

Commit to engaging with every comment on your post for at least the first hour after posting.

So schedule this into your calendar, ask follow up questions, show genuine interest in people's responses, and you can turn comments into conversations.

Use your content to start discussions, not just share information.

And you can end your post with genuine questions that actually invite people to share their experiences. And when they do, make sure that you engage with what they shared.

Literally monitor your DMs and respond to them like they are sales leads, because in a way, they are.

Whether they work with you or whether they actually send someone else your way, someone taking the time to message you is showing interest. So don't leave them, you know, for like, three days because you know you're too busy. Engage.

Reason number three is you're not specific enough.

Vague content gets vague results.

It's pretty obvious when you try to speak to everyone, you generally end up speaking to no one because it's just. It's just too vague.

And I see this all the time. You know, like, post like, five tips for business success. And I'm like, yeah, cool. Or, you know, how to improve your marketing or ways to be more productive.

They might get some engagement, but they won't convert clients because they're too broad as a person or like an ideal client. They can't see themselves in this content.

Like, I think, you know, five tips for business success.

Great, but is that going to apply to my business? Is that for a service business? Is that for E commerce business? Like, it's too broad and people just can't see themselves in the content.

They can't actually tell if you're talking to them or to someone else.

So how do you fix this?

You need to get uncomfortable.

Like, and I mean, like, really uncomfortable in the way you're talking to the people that you speak to. Like, you need to get so specific about who you're talking to and what problem you're solving that you're actually thinking, ooh, maybe I'm leaving people out.

Name the exact situation that your ideal client is in right now.

So instead of saying tips for business success, you. You can say, if you're a service provider who's booked out but still stressed about money, here's why your pricing structure might be the problem.

Like, that is so specific.

You're talking to service providers who are booked out, who are stressed about money, but you could not get any more specific or, you know, instead of saying, improve your marketing, you can say, for coaches who are getting great engagement on Instagram, but zero sales calls, here's the one thing missing from your content.

When you get specific, the right people will feel like you're reading their minds.

The wrong people Will scroll past and you know, that's okay. You're not trying to convert everyone. You're trying to convert your ideal clients.

This is such important work to know who your ideal client is, but not just because everyone talks about who's your ideal client, know who your ideal client is, all that kind of thing.

This is the foundation work that we do in the marketing momentum membership. And we get so deep on this.

I've had my students say, oh, my gosh, I have never gone this deep. I've done this work.

I've never gone this deep.

And we really look at who is your ideal client, but also, how do they speak?

What are their problems? What are the words they use? We use language mirroring all of those things so that we get this right.

Okay, so no more vague content.

Reason number four is that you never ask for the sale. And this is very common.

It's so common, it almost deserves its own episode.

Business owners create valuable content. They build trust.

They demonstrate that they are the experts.

And then they don't tell people how to work with them because they think, you know, being salesy is bad.

So they actually avoid mentioning their services.

They hope that, you know, if they provide enough free value, people will naturally reach out and ask how to work with them. And I get this every single time I have mentoring clients. I tell them, email your list, email your list.

Like, tell them how people can work with you. And they're like, I don't want to spam them.

You got to think about it.

People are busy, they're distracted.

Even if they love your content and they want to work with you, they might not take action unless you make it easy and clear. They need a direct invitation, like, here's a button to click on, or here's, you know, you gotta make it so clear.

So here's how you can fix it.

Include a clear call to action in your content. And this doesn't mean that every post needs to be a hard sell, but people should always know what to do next if they want to go deeper with you.

You can create a bit of a content rhythm where you alternate between know a pure value post and a post that includes an invitation to work with you.

So maybe you can create like, you know, three or four value posts and then one invitation post to work with you every week.

Make it easy to take the next step.

Make sure that you put a clear link in your bio.

Mention your services naturally when they're relevant.

Tell people explicitly, you know, say things like, if this resonates with you and you Want help implementing it? Here's how we can work together.

I know it seems so obvious, but so many people just get uncomfortable asking for the sale.

Remember, asking for the sale is not pushy. It's helpful.

Not asking for the sale is not helpful because people want to work with you.

And if you're giving people a clear path to solve their problem instead of leaving them stuck, then you also need to give them a clear path to work with you. Because there's no point in you saying, hey, I can solve your problem. And they're not telling them how you can help them, how they can work with you.

Reason number five is that your content isn't connected to your offer.

This is often quite subtle, but it is there because I think people get really hung up in what kind of content they create.

Your content might be valuable and engaging, but if it doesn't connect to what you actually sell, it won't generate clients. And I see, you know, business coaches posting things like, you know, motivational quotes or accountants like sharing recipes, which is great. And you know, marketing consultants posting about their personal life and then they wonder why their content isn't converting.

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with showing personality or sharing occasionally like off topic content because it fits with your life and who you are.

But the majority of your content needs to be strategically aligned with your offers.

So how do you fix this?

Map your content to the customer journey.

What do people need to understand?

What do they need to believe or feel before they're ready buy from you?

You need to create content that moves them through the stages.

This is exactly again what we do in the Marketing Momentum membership.

After we've done our avatar work and know exactly how they talk, we look at their customer, the customer journey, we look at content pillars, we build out.

Honestly, you're going to get so on point with speaking to your ideal client and where they're at, at what point in their journey. It's really, really precise.

You need to create content that moves them through the stages.

If you sell a course on email marketing, your content should address the problems email marketing solves. It should demonstrate your email marketing expertise and show results that your students have achieved.

So it's not just giving tips, it's also building in that trust.

If you offer one on one coaching for overwhelmed business owners, your content should speak to specific overwhelm they're experiencing.

Like you need to know how they feel, not just like feeling overwhelmed, no, like you know, feeling like you know every day, this and this and this.

And you need to show your Understanding of their challenges. And every piece of content should either attract your ideal client, build their trust in your expertise, or move them closer to working with you.

Reason number six is that you're inconsistent.

And I know this is very uncomfortable because we're all striving for consistency.

But posting once a week or whenever you feel inspired, or even if you are posting regularly but you're not using the right content, it's not enough to build momentum and to even stay on top, like top of mind with your potential clients.

Inconsistent posting signals to both the algorithm and your audience that you're not serious and people lose track of you. They forget what you do, and when they're ready to hire someone in your field, you're not actually on their radar.

So how do you fix this?

Well, you need to commit. You need to commit to a realistic posting schedule and you need to stick to is better to post three times per week consistently than to post daily for two weeks and disappear for a month.

So batch your content creation so that you're not just scrambling to come up with posts every day.

Set aside a few hours once or twice a month to create multiple posts at once. Like, batching is so super powerful. You get really into the flow and then you can use scheduling tools to keep that consistency even when you're busy.

And there is nothing wrong with scheduling posts in advance. It's actually smart business.

Again, this is something that we do work through in the Marketing Momentum membership where we actually lower the amount of time we spend on content creation because we have a system, we have a framework, we batch things and you'll like, you'll always know what to post because you've done the foundational work. It is smart business to batch and then to schedule.

Now, reason number seven is that you're not showing results.

People don't just want to know that you're knowledgeable.

They want proof that your thing actually works.

But a lot of people, a lot of business owners never share client results or case studies or transformation stories.

Some people feel like, you know, they might be bragging or they don't want to make clients uncomfortable by sharing their stories.

Or some they just forget to document and share their wins. I've been here too.

I often go, oh cool, awesome, move on to the next. I'm always helping people.

So here's how you can fix this.

Start systematically. Like as in create a system for it collecting and sharing client results.

So ask happy clients, like ask them for permission to share their transformation stories, even if you change their names and make it A regular part of your content rhythm.

You can sometimes share before and after scenarios. You can talk about specific problems that you helped clients solve.

You can use real numbers and like concrete outcomes when that's possible.

And you don't need to name names. You don't need to share private details. You can say, you know, I recently worked with a client who was struggling with X and within a certain time frame, they achieved Y result.

Social proof is it's really one of the most powerful trust builders when people see that you have successfully helped others like them. Because one, it explains that you understand the problem, and two, it shows that you have helped someone fix that.

And when they can see that, they become much more likely to reach out.

Reason number eight, and this is the last one, is that your profile doesn't support your content.

So someone sees your post, they find it valuable, they click through to your profile and then they have no idea what you actually do or who you work with. I've done this a few times. I clicked on them and go, what do you do?

If your bio is vague and your pinned posts are irrelevant, there's actually no clear path to take the next step.

Like, all that great content is kind of wasted because your profile doesn't convert curious visitors into leads or clients.

It's hard to get this right.

At the minimum, say what you do and who you do it for and have a link to your website because you want people to be able to take that next step.

So make sure that your bio is optimized and like, it really clearly states who you help and how you help them.

Use your link strategically.

So you only get one or two spots to put a link in, for example, in Instagram.

So you want to send people to either a landing page, a booking link, lead magnet, ideally not just your homepage, but if in the interim you have nothing, send them to your homepage.

Pin a post that introduces you and your services to new visitors.

So you can think of this as like, you know, a welcome mat that tells people what to expect and how you can help them.

So use the pin post and use story highlights.

On Instagram, you can create highlights for like FAQs or client results or services.

Free resources.

I know this is sometimes tricky, and this is one for myself as well.

This is why I put it in here because I often forget to add things to the highlights. So here's one for you and me to create some highlights and actually regularly add post to the highlight.

All right, here's the thing about algorithms that nobody wants to hear.

They actually favor good content.

I know content that gets saved, shared, and drives genuine engagement actually gets shown to more people.

That's why a whole lot of us doom scroll, because we get all these like, things that we're interested in because the algorithm does learn and then show us more of what we are already consuming.

But content that people scroll past, it just quickly gets buried.

People just like, okay, cool. So at the moment, I think videos, carousels, because if the first tile engages you and you want to scroll and read the rest, and that kind of works.

The algorithm isn't hiding your content because it's out to get you. It's hiding your content because people are not finding it valuable enough to engage with.

So what the algorithm actually rewards is content that sparks conversations, lots of comments, back and forth, discussion.

So this is why sometimes you have to get uncomfortable and come up with that bold kind of content.

It likes content that gets saved because, you know, people want to reference it later. So this is where like some of the tips will come in really handy.

But you need to give people a call to action at the end to say, save this for later. And you know, then they'll save it.

Content that gets shared because some of us like to share things and it's valuable enough to pass along. So the algorithm loves that.

It also loves content that keeps people on the platform.

So if you have videos, you know, longer viewing time, multiple interactions, and if you focus on content that does these things, content that is genuinely valuable, also conversation starting and relevant, the algorithm will actually work in your favour and not against it.

So the bottom line, the uncomfortable truth is this.

If your posts aren't getting you clients, it's probably because they're not good enough yet.

Not because you're not talented, not because you're not knowledgeable, but because you're not creating content that serves your audience, not content that demonstrates your value and invites people to take the next step.

But the good news is that it's fixable.

You don't need to wait for the algorithm to change, you know, because it will keep changing.

Or, you know, for Instagram to show your post to more people, you need to make a shift in your content strategy to focus on what actually drives client conversions.

You can start this, tune back into this episode, listen to all of the points that I've mentioned.

You can join us inside the Marketing Momentum membership when we open our doors next, because that's exactly what you'll be doing.

But there you have it.

8 reasons why your posts aren't getting you clients and not One of them is the algorithm's fault. I know we love to blame it.

Stop blaming external factors.

And as uncomfortable as it is, start taking responsibility for creating content that actually serves your audience and then move them towards working with you.

I'm going to give you an action step for this week, and I don't do this very often in a podcast, but here's the action step.

Go back and look at at least 10 posts using the criteria we discussed today.

For each post, ask yourself this is this about me or is this about my audience's problems?

Does this demonstrate my expertise and build trust?

Is this specific to my clients, my ideal client's situation?

Or is it vague?

And does this include a clear next step?

And the last one is, is this connected to what I actually sell?

Be brutally honest.

Then you can commit to improving just one of these areas in your next week of content.

And don't worry about getting it wrong.

None of us ever get it fully right.

Not every single post is going to hit the mark.

But that's why we keep creating content.

And if you're feeling overwhelmed by all the different types of content that you think you should be creating and you're just not sure where to focus your energy,

I've got something coming up that will help.

I'm running a free masterclass called the Marketing Priority Matrix.

How to stop Stop doing everything and start getting results.

Here's the thing.

The reason that your marketing feels chaotic isn't because you're not doing enough.

It's because you're doing too much of the wrong things.

So in this masterclass, I'm going to teach you a simple two by two matrix that helps you categorise every marketing activity into what you should do first, what you should schedule strategically, what you should batch or delegate, and what you should stop doing immediately.

And it's especially valuable when it comes to content creation because there are infinite types of content you could create.

This matrix will help you focus on the content that will actually convert followers into clients, not just generate likes and comments.

I'll be hosting this Masterclass on Wednesday, November 12 at 11am Australian Daylight Saving Time. So Melbourne time, Hobart time.

It's completely free. You can register at newschoolofmarketing.com/matrix I will pop this link in the show notes.

I will be answering questions live.

So make sure that you bring your specific content challenges so that I can help you with them.

Now remember, better content beats better algorithms every single time.

The algorithm will keep changing, but if you create really good content, the algorithm will favour that.

Stop waiting for the platform to fix your problems and just start creating content that is too good to ignore.

If you found this episode helpful, or if it made you uncomfortable because you recognise yourself in these mistakes, please share it with another business owner.

Especially the ones who are also blaming the algorithm for their lack of clients.

Because you know what? Sometimes we all need a reality check. I know this will be uncomfortable for some people, but it is sometimes what we need.

All right, thank you so much for tuning in to the new School of Marketing podcast.

Remember, the algorithm isn't your enemy. Mediocre content is.

All right, I'm Bianca McKenzie, and I'll catch you in the next episode where we'll talk about how to turn your content into actual sales conversations.

All right, until next time, keep marketing work from for you.