You’ve started social media to sell your coaching or counselling services and attract new clients. So why not only share lots of business-related content? It’s because promotional content on social media won’t attract clients. Or, at least, it won’t if all you post is promotional content.
Even if you have the best-created content in the world, lovingly crafted and perfectly executed, it’s still about selling your business. And that poses a few problems:
1. You appear spammy
And, urgh, nobody likes spam. You want to sell, but you don’t want to make it in-your-face salesy. It’s surprisingly easy to be spammy even with the best of intentions, as Social Media Today explains. You may have the best service ever, and it might have the power to change your prospective customers’ lives. Naturally, you want to tell everyone – but those on the receiving end might view it as spam.
2. It takes a lot of precious time.
It is very time-consuming to post only created content. Social media gobbles content, and the demand for it can be overwhelming – and you have a business to run. Sharing curated content means that your social media accounts are full of relevant and engaging links. And you don’t need to forego sleep for a week to do it.
3. Your social media starts to look repetitive, out of date and boring.
After all, if you share nothing but created content, your accounts can begin to look a bit samey. You can share those blogs and memes on repeat – and you should! But if that’s ALL you share then your audience gets nothing new.
4. You appear self-absorbed.
No matter how excellent your created content is, it is all about you and your business. Your audience knows that. But by sharing curated content, you make it about your followers. When you share content that they will find interesting and relevant, it adds value to their life.
5. There are limited opportunities to engage with your followers.
Third-party content is a great conversation-starter, and you’re missing out on that if you only share promotional posts. The more relevant content you share, the more likely your audience will engage. And, when they do, that exposes your brand to all of their followers and connections too.
6. It makes you seem like you’re all about generating the next lead.
If all you post is promotional content on social media, it’s obvious that it’s all about securing new clients. You’ll get much more from social media if you see it as brand awareness. You’re still communicating your brand values when you share curated content – it’s just more subtle. Even if people are on social media to consume news or get informed about specific subjects, they still want to be entertained. And being hit over the head with a promotional sledgehammer isn’t all that much fun.
7. It looks as though you are unaware of trends & topics in your industry if you never share others’ content.
When you share third-party content, you give the impression of having your finger on the pulse and up to speed. It’s hard to be seen as a thought leader when your social media gives the impression that you operate within a business bubble.
8. You’re trying to grow your brand with one hand tied behind your back if you only ever post created content.
Sharing third-party content can help you make connections because you come onto the radar of influencers and potential clients. That happens less when it’s your created content alone that you’re posting.
9. You’re at risk of losing followers because you’re bombarded them with too many sales messages.
It’s off-putting. People don’t stick with it, they hit the unfollow button, as a 2016 survey found. It revealed that 46% of respondents unfollowed brands for posting too many promotional messages.
10. Lack of diversity
Your posts should be relevant but diverse enough to capture a range of topics. It’s easier to achieve that diversity when you use curated content alongside promotional material.
There you have it – 10 reasons why only posting your promotional content has limited scope for your business’s success on social media. By curating relevant articles for your audience, and posting that alongside your created content, you will achieve much more. Need help with that? Sixty Second Social can do that quickly and easily, with excellent results.
Take a look at my bespoke services or Sixty Second Social
Sixty Second Social is tailor-made for coaches, counsellors, psychotherapists, and anyone working in the mental health sphere. It provides you with fresh content, curated from around the globe, each month. From £27 per month, you get links to relevant articles, together with the ready-written posts. All you have to do is upload it. In under 30 minutes each month – or 60 seconds a day, hence the name – you’ll schedule content on your social media accounts for the month ahead. Or, if you prefer, I can do it for you, saving you even more time. Yay!