Sales in 2025 were… weird. And this isn’t just a “vibe,” Google actually researched it and is calling it the Messy Middle. So what does that mean for your 2026 content plan?

In this episode I talk about:

• what the Messy Middle looks like in real buying behavior

• why people are taking longer, circling offers, and lurking before they decide

• why trendy content and old funnel templates aren’t pulling their weight anymore

• how to shift your content toward more connection and actual conversations

• the changes I’m making in my own marketing for 2026, including in-person connection

• how to think about “slow” buying without assuming something is wrong with your offer

If you’re planning Q1 and want a strategy that matches how people are actually making decisions right now, this episode walks you through it.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Content to Client Club

Buyer Journey Content Plan

planning things out for quarter one is on your to-do list somewhere.

and knowing that buyers are taking longer, knowing that that linear kind of funnel structure isn't nearly as effective as it used to be, and knowing that people want more conversation and connection before they're ready to buy, how is that going to impact your marketing? If this isn't something you've thought about,

Let's do that now, shall we?

So last week's episode was that conversation with Stacey Braga. If you haven't listened to it, go listen to it because it was so good about kind of all the shady tactics and things we're seeing in the online marketing space. And one of the things we talked about was outdated tactics, outdated strategies.

that are being shared and sold as solutions to online businesses and service providers who want to make more money.

And at one point I mentioned.

A big flag for me of an online business coach is when someone doesn't acknowledge that things have changed, if they're still peddling the same framework or blueprint or whatever that they did three or four years ago and expect and saying it's going to get the same results.

And this is also something that is talked about on the podcast duped. So if you enjoyed that episode or interested in this topic, definitely check out duped. But basically we know that people aren't buying on normal timelines anymore. We know that. There was this whole article published by Google about the messy middle is what they're calling it.

and how people aren't moving in that same predictable staircase where you have the.

So this week I want to talk about.

basically how to plan your content going into the new year knowing that those funnels and the things that we were all taught are not as effective and not as accurate as they used to be.

All right, so it used to be someone could come into your world. Maybe they found you on social media. Maybe you did paid ads. However they did, they found you, your blog, your podcast, whatever. They get a lead magnet, right? They download your free resource and now they're on your email list. And now you use your emails and the rest of your marketing to educate, to nurture, and to bring awareness to a problem and show why you are the person to solve that problem with your offer.

pitch them, pitch them your offer so they buy.

It was a pretty linear process. And we're finding now, and like I said, that article I mentioned about the messy middle that Google put out.

really gets deeper into the why of it, but

That's not a thing anymore. Buyer behavior has changed. They're circling around.

those same funnels and those tactics with the urgency, they're not as effective anymore because buyer behavior has changed. Now there's more skepticism and more choices. So these old strategies assumed fast movement with less evaluation. Now we are seeing.

more exploring of these topics, more evaluating, pausing before they buy. Maybe they come back to your offer and think about it and they can go in another circle like that, like a couple times before they're ready to invest. So it's not that they're not watching and paying attention to what businesses are sharing, but they're more lurking and taking their time when deciding.

And because so many people are so burnt out on these hypey marketing schemes that we kind of, we saw for the last couple of years, they want more proof, more transparency, more real stories, more connection and conversation before they're ready to buy.

and knowing that buyers are taking longer, knowing that that linear kind of funnel structure isn't nearly as effective as it used to be, and knowing that people want more conversation and connection before they're ready to buy, how is that going to impact your marketing? If this isn't something you've thought about,

Let's do that now, shall we? So this is kind of things I've been saying the last couple months, mean years, honestly, just relying on trendy reels and viral hooks and clever edits is not necessarily going to be the thing that gets you a sale. They're great for reach and engagement, but there has to be, that's like a tactic for attention on Instagram, but not.

a strategy for the connection and conversations that we need.

they don't necessarily move buyers through that longer, more thoughtful decision-making process. So if your performance kind of content like that supports your bigger strategy, cool. If you enjoy creating that content, awesome, love that. But that alone cannot be your content strategy.

I also think only relying on those kinds of funnels that we are all used to is also not the strategy. A strategy, yes, but don't do it expecting the same results, especially if you are a newer business owner that doesn't have like the same...

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kind of like audience that has been around and bought from you before, or lots of social proof to share, things like that. It's gonna look different for everyone based on your business and your offers and everything.

So when it comes to social media.

You might have noticed for me personally, I have not been sharing much there at all lately. And that's fine. It honestly hasn't made a big difference. So if you want to post less there, spend less time on that.

Test it out, see if it works for you. Like I just said, everything is gonna be different for everyone. But if you are on social media, I would focus more on stories and conversations, like DMs, rather than just putting out endless reels.

It's not so much that you want to just broadcast, it's that you kind of want to, like I said, have conversations and connect with people and kind of be a participant in the social space. Like, put the social back in social media. Please, pretty please, I am actually begging you.

Instead of focusing on putting out more content to fill your feed, I would focus on more touch points. that doesn't necessarily mean posting more. It could be more conversations. It should be more conversations, replying to stories, sharing your own stories that people can reply to so you can start conversations there and foster that connection by showing how you work, what you do, some of your values, all kinds of things happen in stories.

it's really going to be more about creating more opportunities for interaction.

to kind of start that messy middle buyer journey that we are seeing now. So, because that's really done by small repeated contacts, not one perfect Instagram reel, right?

Now that all my kids are in school, I'm rethinking a lot of things in my business and I think that is one that I am going to be highlighting. if you're in the Northern Virginia area or the DMV area and you know of any, let me know.

I just think in-person interactions can cut through a lot of the skepticism. You can show who you are and in a really authentic way and have real conversations that people are not necessarily having online in comment sections.

kind of constant connection and conversation rather than perfecting automated sequences like the first pitch with like the nurture sequence and then the pitch sequence and then up cells and down cells and all of those things. That's not something I'm going to be focusing on nearly as much as just sharing.

I mean, still sharing the five steps to sales that I teach and following that, but because there is still like a buyer journey where you have to show the problem and show, bring awareness to it and, you know, call out objections, show why you're the person to help with that problem. Like that's all still there, but I think a big part of it is going to be understanding.

that you're either going to have to be ready to make that a lot longer or and or understand that people are going to say no but that doesn't mean it's a forever no they could just come back later when they're ready to.

just because someone didn't buy during that one campaign you ran doesn't mean they never will. It just means maybe they're currently looping, they're evaluating, they're learning, comparing, waiting for maybe timing or capacity or the funds. So the consistency in your messaging, the way you talk about things, constantly showing how you are different from other people in your industry, how you

work in a way that is uniquely helpful to your target audience is gonna be more important than ever. So more connection, more conversations, less trends to fill a feed, less random AI content that gets words on a page but doesn't show off the you of your business. And hopefully, for me personally, some in-person events.

So if your...

So if your current content strategy has felt really weird and not as fruitful as it has been in the past, that is probably why. This is like a documented thing. It's not just people saying it. People are buying differently. That linear timeline is not quite accurate anymore. So we need to change our tactics and also keep in mind, like have this mindset of we're not failing. We just need to make some adjustments and expect that.

people are going to take longer. So maybe that means more open cart windows. Maybe that means more evergreen offers instead of like short promo periods of sales and launches and things.

But if you have an engaged audience where you are talking to them, like that could still work for you. It really depends on you, your abilities, your capabilities, your offer and your audience. There's no one magic solution to any of this. It would be really cool if there was, but there's just not. So thinking about how engaged your audience currently is and...

and kind of evaluating like which content is doing the most for you right now, you could probably take some stuff off your plate.

and focus more on the connection and conversations.

So remember, slow movement does not necessarily mean no interest or disinterest. Don't rely too heavily on content volume instead of connection building. Not all of that happens just from an Instagram post. It's conversations. And make sure you're giving plenty of opportunities for conversations and for building trust and sharing stories so people can have the clarity they need before they're ready to buy.

So knowing that buyer journey is still a thing, but maybe spreading it out or being ready to share, go through it multiple times.

Repeating your core messages so they trust that you are doing what you say you're doing that you are who you say you are Lots of storytelling and lots of proof to foster that connection and trust Connection driven content wherever you are showing up if you are on multiple platforms You know doing it strategically in that you're not spending time on things that are not very connection based

considering longer pre-launch or launch windows and always keeping your messaging clear and honest and kind of grounded instead of relying on hacks and tricks so that you are getting that connection piece from your content.

If this is something you want help with going into the new year, I would love for you to join Content to Clients Club where I help you with your messaging. We work one-on-one to...

once a month to plan all of your content. And there's also a Slack channel for content feedback and just general questions. I'll put the link for that in the show notes.

and I will not be in your earbuds next week because I'm not sharing anything for two weeks because it's the holidays. So I will be back in your earbuds next year.