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You’ve been thinking about conversions all wrong

When most people hear “conversion,” they think sale. Someone pulled out their card, signed a contract, clicked “buy.”

But in marketing reality, a conversion is any step that moves someone forward. Every single thing you write has a job. Sometimes the job is to close. More often, it’s to nudge someone one step closer: subscribe, follow, share, book a call.

And bear with me here. I know it sounds like ChatGPT threw up on this section with the “everything has a job” trope. But it works. It’s the cleanest way to say it so we’re rolling with it.

Because if you don’t know the job of what you are writing, how can your reader know what to do next?

When you don’t know the goal

One of the questions I ask on calls is: What’s the number one goal of your website? What’s the main action you want people to take there?

Most people freeze. They’ve never thought about it.

And that’s why so many websites feel disjointed. The content is trying to do too many things at once and ends up doing none of them well. That shows up in ways like:

• creating friction that makes people drop off before they ever get to the good stuff
• making your business look less credible than it actually is
• confusing the very people who came looking for clarity

Which leads to the real problem: visitors who click in, get frustrated, and leave.

if you can’t name the goal of your site, your visitors sure as hell can’t either. And that confusion is costing you clients. The same thing happens across your marketing.

Proof doesn’t always equal purchase

Take LinkedIn. I wrote a post about social proof that included a testimonial for this newsletter. Someone commented:

And they’re right. One testimonial rarely closes a sale (although they do often seal the deal).

But that wasn’t the job. The point was to build credibility, spark curiosity, and get more people into my world. That one post brought me five new subscribers. It also picked up extra proof in the comments.

So no, nobody’s going to read a testimonial about my newsletter and hire me to define their positioning or write their website copy today. But those new subscribers are now in my ecosystem. Some will buy later. Some will refer me. Some will amplify my work. Because that post (yes, you guessed it) did its job.

“This wouldn’t make me buy”

On Saturdays on LinkedIn, I often break down ads. I share what I think about the strategy behind them and start conversations about whether they resonate. And without fail, someone comments: “This wouldn’t make me buy.”

Fair. Nobody looks at a single billboard and whips out their AmEx. That’s not the role of an ad.

Ads are awareness plays. They make you familiar. They keep you top of mind. See it once and you shrug. See it again (and again and again) and it becomes familiar. See it twenty times and you finally decide, alright, I’ll check it out.

(Yes, that sounds like a lot, but it can realistically take 7 to 50 touch points before someone buys, depending on how cold or warm the lead is Direct Marketing Partners, Instantly.ai).

The goal isn’t “just show up.” The goal is to show up with purpose.

When the sale isn’t the ultimate conversion (but happens anyway)

Here's how that might work. A while back, I hopped on a coffee chat with someone another copywriter thought I’d click with. She wasn’t a potential client. She was never going to hire me.

But over time she started to trust my expertise, she eventually referred me to two people who did.

I worked on positioning and messaging work for one, full messaging and website copy for the other. That second project turned into a collaboration with a mutual friend. Now we’re already talking about working together again.

That first chat wasn’t a sale. But it created a snowball effect of revenue, referrals, and collaborations.

Different channels, different jobs

This is why treating all marketing like it has the same role backfires. Each channel plays a different part:

• LinkedIn posts can do all the things: awareness, trust, nurture, even sell. But you’ve got to know which role you’re writing for, otherwise it flops.
• Emails can nurture (like this one) or sell (like a launch). Both matter, but mixing them up? Total buzzkill.
• Websites bridge the gap. Your homepage builds trust, your services page guides the next step.
• Sales pages are the closer. They’re for people already weighing a decision.
• Networking isn’t about walking out with a client that night. It’s about planting the seed and showing up again later.

Expecting everything to close the deal is the fastest way to set yourself up for disappointment.

A meta moment

This is one of the things we dig into inside Content Circle: different posts have different purposes. They can build authority, demonstrate expertise, create connection… but only if you know why you’re writing them.

And no, this isn’t me sneaking in a sales pitch. When I mention Content Circle here, my intention isn’t to convert you on the spot. If you join eventually, great. If not, that’s fine too.

The point is awareness. A reminder that it exists. Another touch point in case you’re curious later.

It also helps connect the dots. It wouldn’t make much sense if I was out here talking about websites and messaging while running a membership about, say, gardening. Part of marketing is showing people how the pieces fit together so they understand why what you offer is relevant.

That’s the whole point: not every message is designed to sell. Some are designed to keep you in the conversation. So when the timing is right, the decision feels easy.

Plot twist

We’ve been talking about how not every piece of content is meant to sell. Which makes this the perfect time for… an actual sales pitch.

Because in two days, Thursday, August 28 at 11am ET, we’re hosting Audience Accelerator with Adriana Tica inside Content Circle.

You’ll learn how to stop feeding the algorithm and start building an audience that’s primed to buy—and how to move people off LinkedIn into an email list you actually own.

💡And right now is the perfect time to jump on this. Summer’s winding down and your ideal clients are paying attention again.

Most of what I write here is about awareness, trust, and nurture. But this section? Let’s be clear: its job is to convert.

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​Action step

Look at your last three marketing pieces. Ask yourself:

• What job was this meant to do: awareness, trust, nurture, or sell?
• Did the content, format, and CTA match that goal?
• Or was it trying to do everything at once (and doing none of it well)?

If you can’t name the purpose, your audience can’t either. And that means they’ll move on instead of moving forward.

Wrapping it up

The thread through all of this is simple: if you’re not clear on what you want a piece of content to do, your audience won’t be either.

Not everything you create is meant to convert on the spot. Some things build awareness. Some build trust. Some simply keep you in the room long enough for people to remember you when they’re ready.

But some pieces are designed to close. And when you use them in the right place, they can do the heavy lifting that an ad, a post, or a testimonial never will.

That’s where we’re headed next week.

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Until next time,

Stacy

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P.S. If you forgot to register for Adriana's workshop, here's that link again.

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​When you're ready, here's how I can help:

✍️ Copy Audit: Get a fresh set of eyes (mine 🙃) on your website, sales page, or key asset. You’ll walk away with clarity, confidence, and easy-to-implement fixes.

🧠 Strategy Session: Not sure what’s working, what’s not, or where to start? Let’s dig in. A past client said it felt like "therapy for her brand".

🤝 Let’s Talk: Thinking bigger? If you’re looking for done-for-you support or a more comprehensive project, let’s hop on a free discovery call and talk about what that could look like. I'm booking for October so now's a great time to chat.

👀 COMING SOON: my first digital product!

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