How to Create High Performing Content: Focus on Solutions, Not Features

When someone makes a purchase, they’re not just buying a product—they’re seeking a solution. This principle is the foundation of solutions-based content, a content marketing strategy that focuses on addressing the specific problems your audience faces.

This principle applies whether your audience consists of consumers buying for personal use or employees making a purchase on behalf of their business. A consumer might be searching for convenience, time savings, or a lifestyle improvement. An employee making a purchase for their company might be focused on streamlining processes, reducing costs, or mitigating risks. Regardless of the situation, the end goal is the same: solving a problem.

Many problems are simple and straightforward. For example, a paperclip solves the simple problem of keeping papers together. An eraser enables a mistake made with a pencil to be corrected. Dental floss cleans food stuck between your teeth. For these situations, the need is simple and the decision is quick.

But when it comes to more complex problems, buyers don’t always fully understand the challenges they’re facing. They could be attributing their symptoms to something other than the real problem because they don’t have the knowledge or experience to recognize the actual cause.

When this happens, promoting product features will likely fall on deaf ears. If buyers don’t see how your offer directly relates to solving their problem, they’ll move on—no matter how impressive your product’s features might be.

This is why understanding what problem(s) your audience is trying to solve and positioning your offer as the solution is crucial when selling high-ticket products or services.

Understanding Buyer Motivations: Solving Health, Wealth, and Relationship Problems

For high-ticket products and services, creating high-performing content starts with understanding the problem(s) your target audience is trying to solve. A solutions-based content approach helps capture attention by addressing their core needs.

What are they expecting to change for the better in their life, how will they measure success, and how will that success make them feel?

Generally speaking, there are three areas of life people generally want to improve upon—health, wealth, or relationships—because these are the three key areas that contribute most significantly to a person’s overall well-being and happiness. This applies whether it’s a consumer making a personal purchase or an employee buying on behalf of their business.

Example: Consumer Purchase

On the surface, a vehicle purchase might seem a straightforward need—getting from point A to point B. However, vehicle choice will be heavily influenced not only by what someone can afford (wealth), but also by the social status it conveys (relationships).

For example, someone choosing between a modest sedan and a luxury SUV isn’t just considering vehicle cost and features—they’re also weighing how their choice reflects on their status among peers.

If they have a lengthy commute or otherwise spend multiple hours in their vehicle, comfort and ergonomics may take on greater importance during the decision making process (health).

Example: Business Purchase

Business purchasing decisions often prioritize wealth—specifically, achieving the best return on investment (ROI). When selecting customer relationship management (CRM) software, corporate buyers will consider things like improving lead management, sales efficiency, and cost savings through streamlined processes and better data insights.

However, buyers may also consider health factors such as automation features that eliminate repetitive tasks and reduce stress and burnout among sales and marketing teams. They might also consider how investing in a top-tier CRM will enhance their corporate image and project a professional reputation.

While most consumer purchase decisions are made by a single individual (or perhaps jointly with a spouse), there’s an additional layer of complexity in business decision making: multiple stakeholders that represent different functions within the organization. In many cases, decisions are made collaboratively, with each stakeholder looking to solve problems from their department’s perspective. This invariably leads to conflicting priorities that further complicate and slow the decision-making process.

In addition, corporate buyers can be considerably risk-averse. A poor decision could not only cost the company money but also harm the decision-maker’s reputation and career progression. That’s one reason why business decision-making tends to be a lengthy, drawn out process where corporate buyers want to be absolutely sure they choose the best solution and that it (and the vendor) will deliver as promised.

Focus on Problem Solving Benefits Instead of Product Features

When crafting content for high-ticket products or services, consider the health, wealth or relationship factors that may drive your audience’s purchase decision.

Addressing audience problems from this perspective will capture their attention and get them interested in learning more about your solution. Then once you have their attention, you can explain the specifics of your offer.

Your content will be most relevant to your audience if it first speaks directly to their wants and then leads them to believe that your solution is what they need to get what they want. Before anyone can become excited about investing in your solution, they must believe they need it.

Practical Example

A small business owner notices a decline in sales and assume the issue is insufficient advertising. They attribute their symptoms—low website traffic and poor conversion rates—to a lack of visibility and decide they need to spend more on ads.

However, the real problem might be something entirely different, such as:

• A poorly designed website that deters visitors from staying.

• A lack of compelling calls-to-action or unclear value propositions.

• Ineffective audience targeting that brings in the wrong traffic.

If a marketing agency promotes its web services by emphasizing features like "sleek website templates," "action-oriented messaging," or "audience targeting," it’s not likely to resonate with the small business owner. These features are valuable, but they don’t directly address the business owner’s concern of declining sales (wealth). Without framing the web service features as part of the solution to the business owner’s wealth problem, the agency sounds like every other provider.

In this situation, the marketing agency would be better served to frame its services as a solution to the business owner’s declining sales problem. Instead of leading with features like "sleek templates" or "audience targeting," the agency should focus on outcomes that directly address the business owner’s declining sales concerns.

To capture attention from business owners who share this problem, the agency could incorporate the following messaging on its website home or services page, as a social media post, or as part of an email campaign:

We understand the frustration of declining sales and the temptation to think more advertising is the solution. But if your website isn’t designed to engage visitors and convert them into customers, all the ads in the world won’t deliver the results you’re looking for. That’s why we go beyond aesthetics to create websites that attract the right audience, keep visitors engaged, and guide them toward taking action. Whether it’s fixing a confusing layout, crafting a compelling call-to-action, or ensuring your traffic aligns with your target market, we provide tailored solutions to help your business grow.

This approach speaks directly to the problem these business owners are facing and presents the features of its service as a solution for business owners to get what they want (increase sales-wealth). Then it positions its features (fixing a confusing layout, crafting a compelling call-to-action, ensuring your traffic aligns with your target market) as problem solving benefits that business owners need to get what they want.

Steps for Creating Solutions-Based Content That Converts

Solutions-based content addresses the specific problems, challenges, or needs of your target audience. Rather than focus on product features, solutions-based content emphasizes product benefits—specifically, how your product or service helps your audience solve pain points and achieve their desired outcomes.

1) Understand Your Audience on a Deeper Level

Developing solutions-based content requires in-depth, thoughtful research that goes beyond surface-level observations to identify the deeper motivation behind your audience’s decision-making. Central to any purchase decision is a health, wealth, or relationship factor. Understanding which of these is motivating the purchase decision is key to crafting a solutions-based messaging strategy that demonstrates you understand the true nature of your audience’s problem better than anyone else.

This level of insight will show your audience that you “get” them. As a result, they’ll want to learn more about how you can help them. Feeling heard and understood builds trust and inspires action.

Of course, not every individual’s situation is identical. Depending on your product or service, different segments of your audience may face different challenges or have unique motivations. You’ll need to create a variety of content that speaks to each of the known pain points and motivating factors.

A Buyer Mindset Analysis is a useful tool for researching your target audience to understand their underlying motivations. You can learn more about a Buyer Mindset Analysis from my recent blog post and download my free Buyer Mindset Analysis template from my Resources page.

2) Reposition Product Features as Benefits

A simple yet effective way to develop solutions-based content is to reposition product features as benefits. To turn a feature into a benefit, ask yourself how it addresses the health, wealth or relationship problem your audience is looking to solve. (Tip: If your benefit doesn’t specifically address one or more of these factors, most likely it is still only a feature.)

This solutions-based approach is a powerful content strategy for capturing audience attention and creating curiosity to learn more. Your audience is busy with conflicting demands, priorities, and other distractions, which means they need to quickly see what’s in it for them to pay attention. Often, you have only a few seconds to show how your solution has the potential to make their life better in some way.

For example, consider these two headlines for a blog about creating a funnel strategy:

• Learn How to Create a Sales Funnel Strategy Driven by Content

• Triple Your Sales Leads with This Sales Funnel Strategy Driven by Content

The first explains what the blog is about, while the second tells the audience why it matters to them. By focusing on how the sales funnel improves their wealth potential, the second headline becomes much more relevant and compelling.

Once you’ve hooked your audience with a benefit-driven headline, you need to keep their attention throughout your content. Incorporate problem-solving benefits throughout your content to ensure it remains relevant and interesting to the end. This ensures your message is viewed in full and achieves its intended purpose, building trust and credibility, creating stronger connections, and enhancing lead generation potential in the process.

3) Open With a Clear Problem Definition

To create high-performing content, start by defining the specific problem(s) your audience faces to show that you truly understand the challenges they’re struggling with on a deeper level.

Consider what health, wealth or relationship factor might be affecting their overall happiness and wellbeing.

• What’s causing their frustration or challenge?

• Why does this problem matter to them?

• What outcome are they hoping to achieve?

Is your audience dealing with stress or burnout (health)? Are they worried about lost revenue or missed opportunities (wealth)? Do they need to improve their professional reputation or personal connections (relationships)?

When your audience sees their deeper concerns reflected in your content, they will think, OMG, that’s me, and want to know more. Your content has just become ultra-relevant for them, and they’ll want to consume every bit of it.

Practical Example

Let’s assume a key product feature of a new software program is that it streamlines processes.

Here are three ways a software vendor could begin a social post using a problem definition question and follow up statement that addresses health, wealth or relationship challenges their audience could be experiencing.

Feeling overwhelmed by inefficiencies that drain your energy and productivity? Our software will simplify your workflow to reduce stress and give you back your time. (Health)

Are you losing potential revenue because your team spends too much time on manual processes? We can fix that. (Wealth)

Struggling to maintain strong client relationships because of communication breakdowns? Here’s how our solution can help. (Relationships)

4) Share Case Studies or Testimonials

Once you’ve established you understand your audience’s problem(s), back this up with social proof.

Case studies and customer testimonials are a cornerstone of high-performing content. They illustrate how your solution solves a specific problem, which makes your solution more relatable and builds additional confidence and trust that your solution will deliver as promised.

If you don’t have case studies or customer testimonials to share, talk about how your solution helped you solve a similar problem. Alternatively, present a hypothetical scenario about how your solution would solve one or more audience problems.

This type of storytelling helps illustrate how your solution works and makes it more relatable to your audience.

Practical Example

Let’s look at how a marketing agency might leverage client testimonials to show how their solution solves specific health, wealth and relationship problems.

One of our clients, a boutique fitness studio owner, was stressed about their outdated website and how it was impacting customer bookings. After we redesigned their site with a user-friendly interface and integrated scheduling system, they saw a 50% increase in online bookings within three months. They told us, “It’s like a weight has been lifted—our website finally works for us, not against us.” (Health)

A small e-commerce business came to us frustrated by low sales despite steady website traffic. After optimizing their website for conversions, adding clear calls-to-action, and streamlining the checkout process, their sales increased by 40% in six months. “It was the best investment we’ve ever made for our business,” the owner shared. (Wealth)

A mid-sized B2B company struggled with their website failing to convey professionalism and trust to potential clients. We revamped their site with modern design and compelling messaging, resulting in a 30% increase in inquiries from high-value prospects. One of their team members said, “Now our website reflects who we really are—credible and trustworthy professionals clients want to work with.” (Relationships)

5) Address Common Objections Up Front

Addressing common objections up front helps overcome any hesitation or doubt your audience may have about your product or service. When available, use trust-building elements like testimonials, results data, and guarantees.

However, focus on only the most commonly raised objections that are established roadblocks, because the last thing you want to do is have your audience dwell on something negative they hadn’t previously thought about.

Practical Example

Here’s how our marketing agency might address specific health, wealth or relationship oriented objections.

We understand that transitioning to a new vendor can feel overwhelming. That’s why we handle every detail of the process for you, ensuring a smooth and stress-free transition. (Health)

Some people worry about the cost of a website redesign. We show how ROI-focused design can pay for itself in increased leads and sales. (Wealth)

We collaborate closely with your existing team, respecting their expertise and ensuring they feel included and valued throughout the process. (Relationships)

The Bottom Line

Solutions-based content is a proven content marketing strategy that helps businesses engage their audience more effectively.

Focusing on solutions instead of product features is key to creating high-performing content that resonates with your audience. By understanding the health, wealth, and relationship factors driving their decisions, you can craft messaging that connects on a deeper level, builds trust, and inspires action. Whether it’s defining their problem clearly, repositioning product features as benefits, or sharing relatable case studies, solutions-based content positions your offer as the answer your audience is searching for.

Start by identifying your audience’s true needs, and use every piece of content as an opportunity to show how your product or service can transform their lives or businesses. The result will be stronger connections, more meaningful engagement, and a higher likelihood of converting leads into loyal customers.

FAQ: Common Questions About Solutions-Based Content

What Is Solutions-Based Content?

Solutions-based content focuses on addressing the specific problems, challenges, or needs of your audience, rather than highlighting product features. It emphasizes the benefits your product or service provides and how it helps your audience solve their pain points or achieve their desired outcomes.

How Do I Identify the Problems My Audience Is Trying to Solve?

Start by conducting a Buyer Mindset Analysis. Look for underlying motivators related to health (stress, burnout, productivity), wealth (cost savings, revenue growth), or relationships (building trust, enhancing reputation). Reposition your product features as benefits that address your audience's health, wealth or relationship problems.

Why Should I Focus on Benefits Instead of Features in My Content?

Benefits show your audience how your product or service solves their specific problem, making it more relatable and compelling. Features, while important, don’t create an emotional connection or answer the critical question, “What’s in it for me?” Focusing on benefits helps you capture attention, build trust, and inspire action.