Which content stage are you accidentally skipping?

Most of us create content in whatever order feels right. A case study here. A how-to post there. A product demo when we launch something new.

But we never build a complete education library that serves prospects at every stage of understanding. The result? When a farmer discovers your content, it's either way over their head or way too basic. Either way, we lose them.

So today, I'm going to show you the 5 types of educational content your company needs to have ready, so no matter where someone discovers you, you can move them forward.

Let's dig in.

Think of these as five content buckets your company needs to fill. Once you have content in all five buckets, you can serve prospects no matter where they are in their journey.

Type 1: Problem awareness content

This content surfaces problems your customers don't know they have. Or problems they think are "just part of farming."

The goal is to make the invisible visible.

How to create it: Take the problem your product solves and show farmers what it's actually costing them. Use numbers. Use specifics. Make it personal to their operation. For example, instead of saying "soil compaction is bad," show them "Why soil compaction is costing you $47 per acre and you don't even know it.”

Why you need it: If farmers don't know the problem exists, they'll never look for your solution. This content is your entry point.

Type 2: Solution education content

This content teaches the solution category without pitching your specific product. You're explaining what's possible and how people address this problem.

How to create it: Explain the concept, the mechanism, and the benefit. Use analogies. Break down how it works. This is pure education, zero pitch. Teach how precision agriculture reduces input waste or why real-time soil monitoring beats annual testing.

Why you need it: Even if farmers know they have a problem, they often don't know solutions exist or how they work. This content positions the category so they can start evaluating options.

Type 3: Approach comparison content

This content helps farmers compare different ways to solve the problem. Not competitor comparison. Approach comparison.

How to create it: List the main approaches. Explain what each one does well and where it falls short. Show the tradeoffs honestly. For example, compare soil sensors versus visual assessment versus lab testing and explain what each one actually tells you and when each makes sense.

Why you need it: Potential customers need to understand the landscape before they can evaluate. This content helps them make an informed decision about what type of solution they need.

Type 4: Differentiation content

This is where you finally talk about what makes your approach different. But you're still educating, not pitching.

How to create it: Identify what your product does that others don't. Then explain why that difference matters for the operation. Focus on the outcome, not the feature. You might explain why real-time data beats point-in-time snapshots for making in-season nitrogen decisions.

Why you need it: Once farmers understand the solution category and the different approaches, they need to know why yours is the right choice. This content shows your unique value without trashing competitors.

Type 5: Implementation content

This content removes the final objection: "Will this actually work for me? What's the process? What if I mess it up?"

How to create it: Walk through the implementation process step by step. Share customer stories with specifics. Address common fears about setup, learning curve, and disruption. Show what happens in the first 30 days with your system or tell the story of how a specific operation got up and running.

Why you need it: Even when farmers are convinced your solution is right, they're scared of the transition. This content gives them confidence that you'll help them succeed.

Most of us already have some content. The problem is that we don't know what's missing.

Here's how to figure out your gaps:

Step 1: Create 5 folders or columns. Label them: Problem awareness, Solution education, Approach comparison, Differentiation, Implementation.

Step 2: Sort some content you've created. Blog posts, LinkedIn posts, case studies, videos, webinars. Drop each piece into the folder that matches its primary purpose.

Step 3: Count what's in each folder. You'll likely see a pattern. From what I’ve seen, most ag companies have tons of Differentiation and Implementation content (product features, case studies, demos) and very little in Problem awareness and Solution education.

Step 4: Identify your biggest gap. Which folder is emptiest? That's where you start creating.

The biggest mistake is creating more of what you already have. If you have 10 case studies but zero problem awareness content, creating an 11th case study won't make much difference.

Once you have content in all five buckets, here's how to deploy it:

On your website: Organize content by stage, not by format. Create clear paths like "New to precision ag?" or "Evaluating solutions?" that lead to the right content type.

In sales conversations: When a prospect reaches out, ask questions to understand where they are. Then share content from the matching bucket. If they don't know they have a problem, show Problem awareness content. If they're comparing approaches, send Approach comparison content.

On LinkedIn: Post from all five buckets regularly. But lean toward the early stages (Problem awareness and Solution education) because that's where most of your audience probably is.

In email nurture: Use the content types as a sequence. Send problem awareness content first. If they engage, send Solution education next. Walk them through the buckets over time.

In paid ads: Target early-stage content (Problem awareness and Solution education) to cold audiences. Target late-stage content (Differentiation and Implementation) to warm audiences who've already engaged.

The key here is that you're not creating content to post on a schedule. You're building a library so you can serve the right content to the right person at the right time.

List out the last 10 pieces of content you created. Put each one in a bucket:

You'll immediately see which bucket is empty. That's your gap.

Create one piece of content for that empty bucket this week. That's it.

P.S. If you need help creating content for you company, hit reply and let me know!