Bad Strategy Turns Content into Noise. Here’s How to Cut it Out.
By: LaNae Riviere of FMK Agency
Every marketing team says content matters. But if you look at the budgets, workflows, and decision-making processes, you’d never know it. Content is still treated like a "nice to have"—a blog here, an email there, a few social posts when there’s time. It’s siloed. It’s rushed. And it’s completely disconnected from the rest of the business.
If you’re still thinking of content as a “top of funnel” tool, you’re already behind.
Let’s break it down.
Your Blog Isn’t Top of Funnel, It’s the Front Door
Most customers don’t meet your brand in a pitch meeting or a product demo. They meet you in a Google search.
They’re trying to solve a problem. They click a headline. They land on your blog. And within a few seconds, they decide: are you helpful or are you noise?
That one blog post might be the first and only shot you get to make an impression. If it’s generic, confusing, or obviously written to game the algorithm, they bounce. If it’s clear, smart, and genuinely useful, you earn their trust, and maybe their time.
This isn’t just a marketing detail, it’s a business moment. And if you’re still treating your blog content strategy like a calendar to “keep fresh,” you’re missing the whole point.
The Best Content Supports Every Team, Not Just Marketing
Let’s be real: content that only serves marketing goals rarely works. Good content supports the whole business:
- Sales teams need content that answers objections and builds trust.
- Support teams need help docs that actually help.
- Product teams need clear messaging for new features and launches.
- Leadership needs content that reflects the company’s point of view.
Disconnected Teams Make Disconnected Messaging
Here’s what happens when content is siloed:
Sales writes their own decks.
Marketing runs campaigns with vague goals.
Product launches features with zero narrative.No one sounds like they’re on the same team.
The result? Your brand feels like a group project where no one talked to each other. Your message splinters. Customers don’t know who you are or what you do. Trust erodes. And all those isolated efforts underperform because they’re pulling in different directions.
Alignment doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It happens when content is treated as a connective layer across the entire business.
Content Runs Through the Whole Business, So Act Like It
Strong brands sound consistent everywhere.The landing page sounds like the demo.The help doc sounds like the blog. The product update email feels like it was written by someone who understands the customer.
That consistency isn’t an accident, it’s content doing its job.
But that only works when writers and editors are treated as collaborators, not afterthoughts. When they’re in the room early. When they’re allowed to ask hard questions, challenge assumptions, and help shape the message.
You want clarity and consistency across channels? Stop treating content like a side hustle. Make it part of the main thing.
Your Writers Are Your Strategists, Use Them
A good writer isn’t just thinking about words. They’re thinking about structure, clarity, positioning, and tone. They spot messaging gaps. They bridge them. They ask “why?” and “who cares?” when everyone else is nodding along.
But you only get that if you let them in early.
If you treat your writers like note-takers… if you toss them half-baked ideas with no input and expect brilliance… you’ll get copy that sounds like it came from a blender.
Want better content? Stop giving your writers orders.
Give them a seat at the table.
So How Do You Actually Prioritize Content?
If you’re a marketing agency or internal team leader who’s been nodding along, great. Now let’s turn this into something useful. Here are six action items you can put into play right now to treat content like the strategic asset it is.
1. Put Content at the Center of Kickoff Meetings
If your writers and editors aren’t in the room during client or campaign kickoffs, fix that. They’re the ones who’ll translate the strategy into words people actually understand. Get their input early, and your messaging will be tighter from the start.
2. Build Cross-Team Content Briefs
Stop sending content requests as one-liners in Slack. Build cross-functional briefs that include input from sales, product, and support. Let your content team see the bigger picture. When they know the “why,” they write content that actually works.
3. Audit All Messaging for Consistency
Take a hard look at your brand’s messaging across platforms. Does the homepage match the tone of your emails? Does your product copy match your sales pitch? If it doesn’t, bring in your content team to align it. They’re not just writers, they’re voice architects.
4. Track Content Impact Beyond Traffic
Pageviews are fine, but they’re not the whole story. What content are your sales reps actually using? What articles reduce support tickets? What onboarding flows get fewer drop-offs? Content impacts more than marketing, start measuring it like it does.
5. Kill the “One-Off” Mindset
Stop thinking of content as isolated pieces. Every blog should support a sales conversation. Every case study should tie back to a product message. Every help doc should reinforce your values. Tie your content together, and you build something stronger than the sum of its parts.
6. Treat Content Planning Like Strategic Planning
If your content planning process is just filling slots on a calendar, you’re doing it wrong. Good content starts with a point of view, a goal, and a purpose. Give your writers the time and trust to build that. You’ll get better results and a better team.
Content Is Not a Task. It’s a Framework.
So stop asking what blog to write next. Start asking what your audience actually needs, and how your message shows up in everything you do.
Because when you get that right, content stops being a stage in your funnel. It becomes the framework that holds the whole damn thing together.
