Many organisations today are producing content without a clear direction and it shows

You’ve likely seen it: brands pushing out bland, corporate messaging, teams posting the same thing on LinkedIn in unison, and marketing campaigns that feel like tired echoes of each other

 This is more than just uninspired work; it’s a symptom of what I call directionless content

Or posting and hoping!

Spotting the Signs of Directionless Content

Here are the most common red flags:

Spray and Pray: Despite protestations to the contrary, many companies are still playing the numbers game, encouraging their teams to flood LinkedIn with the same generic message in hopes it will stick

This isn't amplification. It's noise

The Parrot Cage: A brilliant term coined by Tom Miner, this is where brands fall into the trap of mimicking others, often copying creators who are copying other creators

The result? A wall of content that looks, feels, and sounds exactly the same

Originality is drowned in the echo chamber

It's common to see sales kick off (SKO) content shared in this format

The antidote isn’t complicated

It just requires a shift in mindset, from broadcasting to listening, and from copying to creating

Where Great Content Ideas Really Come From

If you're in sales or marketing, your best content ideas aren't hidden in a social media trends report, they're right in front of you, if you’re willing to look and listen:

Team Meetings: What’s being said behind closed doors often holds the raw, human insight your audience craves

Win/Loss Reviews: These are goldmines of real stories, what worked, what didn’t, and why

Customer Conversations: The voice of the customer is your most honest content brief

Coffee Chats with Colleagues: Informal conversations can spark the most surprising and relatable content ideas

Engaging on Social Media: Not just posting, really talking, listening, and learning from the community

Conclusion: Listen first, create second

If content is meant to build connection, then it can’t begin with a megaphone

It must begin with curiosity

As salespeople and marketers, we have access to the raw material of powerful stories every day, we just need to tune in and pay attention

Great content doesn’t come from the parrot cage

It comes from the real world, from your people, your customers, and your conversations

Stop parroting

Start listening

That’s how you find direction