Is Your Expertise Getting in the Way of Your Marketing?

Let’s get brutally honest for a sec. You’re the expert. You’ve done the hard yards. You know your stuff. But… could that very expertise be the reason your marketing isn’t hitting the mark?

Before you throw your laptop across the room (or cancel that Canva subscription out of frustration), hear me out.

This blog is for the small business owner who’s doing all the things—posting, emailing, showing up—and still wondering why it’s not converting into leads, bookings or sales.

It might not be your offer. It might not be the algorithm. It might be your messaging.

Yep—your expert voice could be confusing your audience.

When “Expert” Becomes a Barrier

Here’s the thing: when you’re knee-deep in your own industry, it’s easy to speak from your head and not your heart—or worse, not from your customer’s shoes.

You start crafting captions like: 👉 “Sustainably handcrafted homewares to elevate your everyday.”

It sounds lovely. But it’s not what your audience is thinking at 3am.

They’re not lying awake wishing their space was “elevated.”
They’re Googling “How do I make my lounge room not look like a uni share house?”
See the gap?

As experts, we often sell features instead of feelings. We talk in jargon. We write for our peers instead of the person who’s just looking for a simple solution to a very real problem.

And when that happens, your marketing falls flat—not because you’re not brilliant, but because your message is landing in the wrong language.

The Shift: From Expert to Empath

Let’s flip the script.

Instead of thinking about what you offer, start with what your customer feels.

Here’s a mini cheat sheet:

It’s about translating your expert knowledge into empathy-rich messaging that speaks to your client’s pain, desire, and dream outcome—before they even realise what they need.

4 Steps to Customer-Centric Copy

If you want to fix your messaging (and finally start converting), start here:

1. Identify Their 3am Thought

What’s keeping them awake? What’s their biggest pain point? It’s rarely “my copy lacks conversion optimisations” and more like “why aren’t people buying from me?”

2. Challenge Their Limiting Belief

What do they think the problem is—and how can you gently reframe that? Show them a new way of looking at their issue.

3. Offer the Simple Next Step

Don’t overwhelm them with a 12-week system. Show them the next step—something low-effort, high-trust, and achievable.

4. Speak Like a Human

Lose the lingo. Write how you talk. If it wouldn’t show up in a DMs convo, group chat or voice note, scrap it.

Bonus Tip: Try the “So What?” Test

Read your copy and ask “So what?” to every sentence. If it doesn’t lead to a clear benefit, emotional connection, or reason to care—rewrite it.

Want Help Reworking Your Messaging?

I unpack this whole concept (with real-life examples and actionable tips) in Episode 338 of the Small Business Made Simple Podcast. Pop in your earbuds, hit play, and let’s shift your marketing back into momentum.

🎧 Listen to Episode 338 now: www.socialmediaandmarketing.com.au/338

💡 FREEBIE: The Messaging Rework Checklist

Want to audit your own messaging like a pro? Download the Customer-Centric Messaging Checklist—a quick, printable guide to reworking your homepage, social media bios, and even your Instagram captions.

✨ Perfect for:
✔️ Website rewrites
✔️ Instagram bios
✔️ Lead magnet landing pages
✔️ About pages

📥 [Download the checklist here – COMING SOON!]