Social Media is not Sales Media

By T.E. Cunningham

A common mistake that many businesses make in their social media is pushing too much content out on product or services for sale. Our company has turned down business from potential clients who were adamant that all they wanted to do was to sell. Why? Because they will fail if all they push is sales.
Engagement is what it is all about, and who wants to be pitched endlessly? No one does, which is why so many salespersons are avoided in the business world! What followers do want is to be engaged. So keep it social: educate them, entertain them, scare them and so forth. Get a reaction.

Think about these straightforward tips when you are creating or sharing social media content:

• Does the potential reader care about what you are putting up? Don’t be selfish, make it about them.
• Plan on a ratio of 75%-80% engaging content and 20%-25% product/service content. When you do post content that is about a product or service, work hard to make it creative and engaging.
• Pictures & video are infinitely better than a plain, typeface post.
• Share content from non-competitive industry experts. For example, if you are in the home improvement business, share videos from DIY Network and HGTV that are relevant to your audience.
• Create your own content. Write a blog or share tips based on your experience in your business.
• Create your own videos. You don’t need professional video equipment for social media. Add an external mic to your smartphone and share helpful tips or customer stories via video.
• Go live! Facebook Live is a great tool to use to share special events.
• Listen to your feedback and respond to it – even if they have a bad experience; remember the followers who feel “wronged” will be far more vocal than those who you satisfied.
• Post regularly. There is no point to having social media if you are not going to use it; in fact, it’s better to not have it at all than to let it sit untouched.

For tips on managing your social media log-ins, visit our blog Control Measures for Your Small Business Social Media Accounts