Closing the Content Gap:
A Framework to Cover Your Bases
By Buddy Hallvant
Table of Contents
People research before making purchases. But they often can’t find what they need on company websites.
This content gap – the mismatch between what buyers seek and what businesses provide – leaves potential customers unsatisfied and companies missing opportunities.
While many businesses focus on social media content, the real opportunity lies in creating a system of valuable owned media – specifically video, articles, and photography that work from your website.
Here’s how this approach drives business growth:
Owned Media is The Key to New Business
Engaging Visitors from the First Click
Imagine a potential customer landing on your site. They’re greeted by a professionally produced welcome video, showcasing your team and services. As they scroll, high-quality images capture the essence of your work, while well-crafted articles answer their burning questions.
Accelerating the Sales Process
This approach prepares prospects for purchases and sales conversations, often leading to faster conversions and greater business profitability over time. And content-rich websites rank higher in searches, making it easier for customers to find businesses.
Fostering Long-term Relationships
The relationship continues post-purchase. Ongoing content keeps customers engaged, fostering loyalty. Throughout this journey, content performance reveals customer preferences, guiding strategy refinement.
Creating a Self-Reinforcing Cycle
Each phase builds on the last, creating a self-reinforcing cycle. By closing the content gap with owned media, businesses cultivate an informed audience more likely to choose – and stick with – their brand. This approach yields multiple benefits:
Quick Facts
Videos on landing pages can increase conversions by 86% (Hubspot, 2024)
Content with relevant images gets 94% more views than content without (MDG Advertising, 2018).
Long-form articles (like this one) generate 9x more leads than short-form content (Curata, 2017).
Video explains concepts quickly, photography showcases your products or services in the best light, and articles provide the depth needed for thorough understanding – all working in harmony within a strategic content framework.
The Three Sisters Framework: A Multimedia Approach
To fully capitalize on the compounding nature of content creation, businesses need a structured, strategic approach that goes beyond blogging and social media. Muse Media & Co. leverages our Three Sisters Framework: a powerful content creation strategy designed to address modern buying behavior and maximize the impact of your content creation.
The Content Customers Want:
- Business Showcase Material: A brand’s faces, places, and spaces.
- Query Content: Precise answers to customer questions with appropriate depth.
- Organic Perspectives: Industry conversations with thought-provoking insights
Script Writer
Movie Editor
Videographer
By developing these three pillars of content, businesses achieve the minimal viable content required to attract higher-quality customers, establish industry authority, and drive consistent, long-term growth that outpaces traditional marketing methods.
The Multimedia Advantage
What sets this framework apart is its emphasis on leveraging three key content types across all pillars:
- Video: From brand storytelling to product demonstrations and thought leadership interviews, video content captures attention and explains complex ideas quickly.
- Photography: High-quality images showcase your products, team, and work in the best light, providing visual proof of your expertise and quality.
- Articles: In-depth written content allows for nuanced exploration of topics, establishing your brand as a knowledgeable industry leader.
By strategically employing these three content types across the framework, you create a rich, multi-faceted content ecosystem that addresses customer needs at every stage of their journey.
Beyond Social Media "Content"
While social media can attract attention, its true potential is realized when it directs audiences to your owned media developed using the Three Sisters Framework. The effectiveness of your social media efforts hinges greatly on the quality and relevance of the content it leads to.
Serving Sour Grapes
Think of it this way: social media is the invitation, but your owned media is the main event. When your website lacks this engaging, strategically crafted content, visitors are likely to leave without taking action.
It’s like inviting guests to a beautifully decorated party venue only to find there’s nothing to eat or do once they arrive.
Three Pillars of Successful Content Creation
The Three Sisters Framework consists of three interdependent categories of content:
- Business Showcase Material: Bringing your brand to life through visual storytelling
- Query Content: Answering customer questions with precision and depth
- Original Perspectives: Leading industry conversations with thought-provoking insights
By developing these three pillars of content, businesses achieve the minimal viable content required to attract higher-quality customers, establish industry authority, and drive consistent, long-term growth that outpaces traditional marketing methods.
1. Business Showcase: Faces, Places, and Spaces
Business Showcase content goes beyond mere introduction – it’s about creating a connection through visual storytelling. This pillar offers transparency that not only satisfies curious prospects but also sparks interest in those who might not have considered your business initially.
Transparency and Trust-Building
By showcasing the faces behind your brand, the spaces where magic happens, and the unique aspects of your business culture, you’re inviting potential customers into your world. This transparency confirms interest, builds trust, piques curiosity, and differentiates your business in a crowded market.
In Action: Harmony Wellness Clinic’s Showcase Implementation
Harmony Wellness Clinic, a small holistic health center with three practitioners and one administrative staff member, implemented the following Business Showcase elements over a three-month period:
- Meet Our Practitioners’ Page:
- Created individual profiles for each practitioner, including professional portraits, detailed bios, and areas of expertise.
- Added a short video introduction for each team member.
- Clinic Space Showcase:
- Produced a 2-minute virtual tour video of their treatment rooms and waiting area.
- Added high-quality photos of their facilities to the website gallery.
- Treatment FAQ Section:
- Developed concise FAQ items for each of their five main holistic treatments.
- Included practitioner insights for each FAQ to add a personal touch.
- Website Engagement:
- ‘About Us’ page visits increased by 45% (from 200 to 290 monthly visits).
- Average time spent on the ‘Meet Our Practitioners’ page rose from 1:30 to 2:45 minutes.
- Bounce rate on the homepage decreased from 65% to 52%, suggesting increased interest in exploring the site further.
- Social Media Impact:
- Posts featuring practitioner spotlights saw a 60% increase in engagement compared to other content.
- The clinic tour video garnered 1,500 views on Facebook, a 200% increase from their average video views.
- Lead Generation:
- Consultation requests mentioning specific practitioners increased by 35% (from 20 to 27 per month).
- 15% of new patient inquiries specifically mentioned the virtual tour as a factor in their interest.
- Conversion Rates:
- Conversion rate from website visitor to consultation request improved from 2% to 3.5%.
- The rate of consultations converting to bookings increased from 60% to 75%.
- Revenue Impact:
- New patient acquisitions rose by 25% (from 12 to 15 new patients per month).
- Average revenue per new patient increased by 10% (from $200 to $220 for first-month services).
- Brand Perception:
- Post-consultation surveys showed a 40% increase in mentions of “trustworthy” and “professional” when describing the clinic.
- 30% of new patients mentioned feeling like they “knew” the practitioners before their first visit.
“Our work isn’t visually interesting enough for showcase content.”
Every business has a story to tell. Focus on the people, their expertise, and the problem-solving aspects of your work. Use infographics, animations, or creative photography to make technical concepts more visually appealing.
“We’re B2B. Do business clients really care about the people behind our product?”
Absolutely. B2B decisions are still made by people. Showcasing your team builds trust and differentiates you from competitors. It can also help potential clients envision a working relationship with your company.
“We’re a new startup. Won’t showcasing our small team make us look inexperienced?”
Not at all. Use this as an opportunity to highlight your team’s expertise, passion, and agility. Many clients appreciate the dedication and personalized attention that smaller teams can offer. Showcase your team’s relevant experience and unique skills.
“Our industry is quite technical. Won’t behind-the-scenes content be boring or confusing for our audience?”
The key is to make your content relatable and valuable. Focus on the problem-solving aspects of your work. Use analogies, simplified explanations, and visual aids to make complex concepts accessible. This can actually position you as an excellent communicator in your field.
Team Introductions: Introduce key team members and their roles within the organization.
Personal Stories: Share personal anecdotes or experiences that highlight individual contributions and personalities.
Day-in-the-Life Features: Showcase a typical day for various employees to give insights into their responsibilities and interactions.
Production Processes: Provide detailed walkthroughs of how your products or services are created or delivered.
Office Culture: Explore the workplace atmosphere, team dynamics, and company culture through candid interviews and footage.
Special Projects: Highlight ongoing projects or initiatives to demonstrate innovation and teamwork within your organization.
Office Tours: Take viewers on virtual or in-person tours of your office spaces, showcasing different departments and amenities.
Storefront Features: Showcase your retail or physical storefront, highlighting unique selling points and customer experiences.
Event Coverage: Document events hosted at your locations, capturing the ambiance and interactions with attendees.
2. Query Content: Addressing Client Needs with Precision
Query Content addresses the modern buyer’s need for research. By anticipating the information your audience wants and providing valuable, insightful content, your brand becomes discoverable wherever your customer is searching.
Key aspects of Query Content include:
Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Content is crafted to match common search queries and long-tail keywords relevant to your industry.
Question-Based Format: Often structured around specific questions that your target audience is asking.
In-Depth Answers: Provides comprehensive, valuable information that satisfies the searcher’s intent.
User-Focused: Prioritizes the needs and interests of the user, rather than pushing sales messages.
Multiple Formats: Can include blog posts, FAQs, how-to guides, videos, and infographics, all optimized for search.
The power of combining these formats is clear: blog posts incorporating video attract 3x more inbound links than text-only posts (Moz, 2017), amplifying your SEO efforts and increasing your content’s reach.
In Action: MechPro Manufacturing’s Query Content Implementation
MechPro Manufacturing, a B2B industrial automation equipment manufacturer, implemented a comprehensive Query Content strategy to address specific customer pain points and questions throughout the buying journey.
- Keyword Research and Content Planning:
- Identified top questions and concerns of MechPro’s target audience, including plant managers, engineers, and procurement specialists.
- Developed a content calendar addressing the top 15 identified queries relevant to industrial automation, equipment maintenance, and MechPro’s specific product lines.
- Technical Content Creation:
- Crafted 8 in-depth, technical blog posts addressing common challenges in industrial automation and how MechPro’s solutions address them.
- Created comprehensive product pages for each of MechPro’s main equipment lines, incorporating detailed specifications, use cases, and maintenance guides.
- Resource Development:
- Developed a series of whitepapers on topics such as “Optimizing Factory Floor Efficiency” and “Predictive Maintenance in Industrial Automation.”
- Created an ROI calculator to help potential customers estimate the cost savings of implementing MechPro’s automation solutions.
- FAQ and Troubleshooting Guides:
- Compiled an extensive FAQ section covering product selection, implementation, and maintenance.
- Created detailed troubleshooting guides for each of MechPro’s main product lines.
- Organic Search Performance:
- Organic search traffic to MechPro’s website increased by 41% (from 2,730 to 3,850 monthly visits).
- Achieved first page rankings for 7 targeted long-tail keywords related to industrial automation equipment.
- Secured featured snippets for 2 high-value question-based searches about equipment maintenance.
- On-Site Engagement:
- Average time on site increased from 2:07 to 2:41 minutes.
- Pages per session rose from 1.8 to 2.2.
- Whitepaper downloads increased by 62%, from 56 to 91 per month.
- Lead Generation:
- Product demo requests increased by 28% (from 35 to 46 per month).
- A new in-depth blog series on “Optimizing Industrial Automation Processes” generated 22 qualified leads through newsletter sign-ups in its first month.
- Sales Impact:
- Sales team reported handling 17% fewer basic product inquiries via phone and email, allowing more time for in-depth customer consultations.
- Conversion rate from demo to purchase improved from 15.3% to 17.1%.
- Revenue Impact:
- Overall quote requests rose by 22% compared to the previous quarter.
- Average deal size increased by 4.7%, attributed to better-educated leads entering the sales pipeline.
“Our work isn’t visually interesting enough for showcase content.”
Every business has a story to tell. Focus on the people, their expertise, and the problem-solving aspects of your work. Use infographics, animations, or creative photography to make technical concepts more visually appealing.
“We’re B2B. Do business clients really care about the people behind our product?”
Absolutely. B2B decisions are still made by people. Showcasing your team builds trust and differentiates you from competitors. It can also help potential clients envision a working relationship with your company.
“We’re a new startup. Won’t showcasing our small team make us look inexperienced?”
Not at all. Use this as an opportunity to highlight your team’s expertise, passion, and agility. Many clients appreciate the dedication and personalized attention that smaller teams can offer. Showcase your team’s relevant experience and unique skills.
“Our industry is quite technical. Won’t behind-the-scenes content be boring or confusing for our audience?”
The key is to make your content relatable and valuable. Focus on the problem-solving aspects of your work. Use analogies, simplified explanations, and visual aids to make complex concepts accessible. This can actually position you as an excellent communicator in your field.
Practical Guides: Addressing common challenges with actionable solutions, such as “Fixing Common Household Issues.”
Diagnostic Tips: Troubleshooting tips and solutions for technical or practical problems, like “Troubleshooting Car Problems.”
Keyword-Specific Tutorials: In-depth tutorials tailored to specific keywords or phrases, such as “How to Choose the Best Smartphone.”
Step-by-Step Guides: Providing detailed steps for popular tasks, like “Step-by-Step Guide to Starting a Small Business.”
Expert Insights: Practical tips and best practices from industry professionals like “Effective Strategies for Lead Generation.”
Insider Advice: Insights from experts on niche topics, such as “Financial Planning Tips for Beginners.”
Product Comparisons: Detailed analyses of products or services based on user queries, such as “Comparing Smart Home Devices.”
Honest Reviews: Assessments incorporating user concerns, for example, “Reviewing Top Streaming Services.”
FAQs: Answers to frequently asked questions on specific topics, like “Understanding Credit Card Rewards.”
Expert Q&A: Insights and explanations provided by industry experts, such as “What Are the Benefits of Online Learning?”
Trend Insights: Insights into current trends and developments across different industries, such as “Future Trends in Technology.”
Market Analysis: Data-driven analysis and forecasts, for example, “Growth Opportunities in Renewable Energy.”
Client Success Stories: Sharing stories of real clients who have benefited from your products or services, demonstrating tangible results.
Industry Studies: Analyzing successful projects or implementations within your industry, showcasing expertise and outcomes.
Visual Guides: Using visuals to simplify complex concepts or processes related to your offerings, making information easier to understand.
Infographics: Providing visual representations of data, statistics, or processes relevant to your audience’s interests.
Local Recommendations: Information and recommendations tailored to specific regions or localities, like “Best Parks in [City Name].”
Community Highlights: Highlights of local events, initiatives, and activities, such as “Community Festivals in [Local Area].”
3. Original Perspectives: Leading Conversations
Your owned media platforms are where you transition from being a participant in your industry to being a driving force within it. This pillar is about looking beyond the day-to-day operations of your business and considering the bigger picture of your industry and its future.
Elevating Your Brand’s Status and Influence
Thought leadership content influences buying decisions for 58% of decision-makers (Edelman-LinkedIn, 2020). By consistently offering valuable insights, you’re directly influencing your potential customers’ choices.
By consistently contributing meaningful ideas to your industry’s discourse, you elevate your brand’s status and influence, attracting not just customers, but also partnerships, media attention, and other opportunities for growth.
Remember, the key is to offer genuine, valuable insights across all these mediums. Your Organic Perspectives content should influence industry perceptions, spark meaningful conversations, drive high-quality traffic to your website, attract partnerships and media attention, and create opportunities for business growth.
In Action: GreenFuture Foundation’s Thought Leadership Implementation
GreenFuture Foundation, a mid-sized environmental non-profit, implemented a comprehensive Thought Leadership strategy to increase awareness of climate issues, influence policy discussions, and drive donations and volunteer engagement.
- Content Creation:
- Developed monthly blog posts on regional environmental issues
- Produced quarterly reports on local sustainability practices
- Launched a bi-monthly webinar series on ecological conservation
- Executive Branding:
- Increased the Executive Director’s visibility through local speaking engagements
- Created a monthly “Director’s Insights” email to subscribers
- Collaborative Initiatives:
- Initiated partnerships with two local community colleges for small research projects
- Organized an annual “Green Community” workshop
- Digital Engagement:
- Implemented a more consistent posting schedule on social media
- Created educational infographics on environmental challenges
- Brand Visibility:
- Media mentions increased from 2 to 3 per month (50% increase)
- Social media following grew from 4,283 to 4,768 (11.3% increase)
- Engagement:
- Webinar attendance averaged 38 participants (new initiative, no baseline for comparison)
- Report downloads increased from 76 to 93 per quarter (22.4% increase)
- Email newsletter subscribers increased from 1,872 to 2,104 (12.4% increase)
- Website Traffic:
- Unique monthly visitors increased from 2,731 to 3,087 (13% increase)
- Average time on site improved from 1:18 to 1:29 minutes (14.1% increase)
- Supporter Growth:
- Monthly donations increased from $27,450 to $30,058 (9.5% increase)
- Active volunteers grew from 48 to 53 (10.4% increase)
- Community Impact:
- Invited to present at one city council meeting (new achievement, no baseline for comparison)
- Research cited in one local sustainability initiative (new achievement, no baseline for comparison)
“We don’t have any groundbreaking insights to share.”
Thought Leadership isn’t about reinventing the wheel. It’s about offering your unique perspective on industry trends and challenges. Your experience and expertise, combined with thorough research, can provide valuable insights to your audience.
“Our executives don’t have time for content creation.”
Their involvement is crucial, but a savvy content marketing agency can make a lot out of a little. One option: Start small with monthly articles or quarterly reports. You can also leverage your existing staff or volunteers to draft pieces based on the organization’s work. The key is consistency and quality, not quantity.
“We’re a small organization. Can we really be thought leaders?”
Size doesn’t determine thought leadership. Your specialized knowledge and experience in your field can provide valuable insights. Focus on your niche expertise and local impact to establish thought leadership within your community or specific area of focus.
Research-Based Insights: Detailed analyses and findings on industry trends, challenges, and innovations.
Whitepapers: Comprehensive reports or studies offering thought-provoking insights and solutions to industry-specific issues.
Industry Leader Interviews: Conversations with prominent figures in your field, sharing their perspectives and expertise.
Opinion Editorials: Thoughtful commentary and analysis on current industry topics, providing a unique viewpoint or approach.
C-Suite Messages: Thoughtful reflections from company leadership on strategic initiatives, industry challenges, or corporate values.
Position Papers: Authoritative documents outlining your organization’s stance on critical issues or proposing innovative solutions.
Educational Webinars: Live or recorded sessions addressing complex topics or emerging trends in your industry.
Panel Discussions: Multi-speaker forums exploring diverse perspectives on key industry issues or innovations.
Visual Insights: Engaging infographics and data visualizations simplifying industry trends.
Expert Tips: Short, actionable advice from industry leaders.
Behind-the-Scenes: Exclusive glimpses into daily operations or events.
Interactive Polls/Surveys: Engage audience with industry-related polls and surveys.
Customer Stories: Showcase how products/services benefit customers.
Quick Videos: Short expert advice, insights, or tutorials.
Live Q&A: Real-time sessions with industry experts or leaders.
User-Generated Content: Share customer-generated content.
News Updates: Brief updates on industry news, trends, or changes.
Infographic Summaries: Visual summaries of key insights or findings.
Impact on Your Bottom Line
How does this affect your bottom line? Every new person who discovers your content represents a fresh opportunity to capture a lead, make a sale, or build brand loyalty. This isn’t just about views or likes – it’s about creating multiple entry points that guide potential customers through your sales funnel. Each piece of content becomes a tireless salesperson, working 24/7 to educate prospects, overcome objections, and nudge visitors closer to a purchasing decision.
The numbers back this up: businesses using video grow revenue 49% faster year-over-year than those who don’t (Aberdeen Group, 2015). Your content isn’t just informing—it’s driving real business growth.
The Amplification Effect
Once your website content is created to effectively engage visitors using the Three Sisters Framework, you can then amplify your message through collaborative works with your peers and social media posting.
For example, a well-produced video explaining a complex process or a creative partnership can become a cornerstone piece of content on your website. From this video, you can create multiple blog posts, social media updates, and even a podcast episode. Each of these pieces then expands the reach of your message, attracting new audiences to your original video (and your other content).
This strategy isn’t just effective—it’s efficient. Content marketing generates 3 times as many leads as traditional outbound marketing, but costs 62% less (DemandMetric, 2020). You’re not just reaching more people; you’re doing it more cost-effectively.
Shifting How We View Content Creation
The Three Sisters Framework represents a true paradigm shift in how businesses engage with their audience and shape their market presence. Its true potential lies in creating a self-sustaining ecosystem of content that continuously builds upon itself:
Synergistic Growth
Each pillar strengthens the others, creating a flywheel effect where improvements in one area accelerate growth across all three.
Cumulative Authority
With each piece of content, your brand’s authority grows exponentially. Over time, this accumulated credibility becomes a formidable asset.
Expanding Reach
As your content library grows across all three pillars, your digital footprint expands, amplifying your visibility in search results and social media.
Deepening Audience Relationships
The diverse content mix allows you to connect with your audience at multiple touchpoints throughout their journey, building familiarity and trust.
Compound SEO Benefits
Consistently producing high-quality content across the three pillars creates a web of interlinked, relevant content, improving search engine rankings and increasing the likelihood of earning backlinks.
Phase Two: Promote and Collaborate
While the Three Sisters Framework provides a solid foundation for content creation, it’s just the first step. In Part Two of our strategy, we’ll explore how to effectively promote your content and collaborate with others to maximize its impact. Learn more about our promotion and collaboration strategies.
Close Your Content Gap to Become Discoverable
When implemented strategically, this framework can yield a consistent 2-3x ROI, unlock new market opportunities, and drive sustainable business growth. It’s not just about creating content; it’s about creating connections, answering needs, and leading conversations in your industry – all of which contribute to attracting and converting new business.
Unlock your business’s true potential in attracting and converting new customers.
Start closing your content gaps today by making introductions with our team.
