Have you been turned off by people and companies being too salesy and promotional on social media? I know I have. On social media as in real life, it’s important to remember that people want to be entertained, inspired, and informed. They don’t want to be sold something.
Marketing via websites, billboards, brochures, and other traditional types of tools involve pushing information at people. However, on social media sites, people “pull” the information they want, meaning they only pull what interests them. They don’t want anyone pushing anything else at them.
Take some time and review everything you’ve posted on your Facebook business page, your updates on LinkedIn, tweets on Twitter, and any other activity on social media for the past two weeks.
What is the percentage of information you put out that promoted yourself and/or your business? What is the percentage of information you shared that was simply entertaining, inspiring, or informational – with no reference to yourself or your business? To make sure that people, especially potential customers, don’t tune you out, the first number should be 20 percent or less.
OK, so you don’t want to turn people off by being too salesy, but now you’re wondering you can put in the other 80 percent of your posts. Here are some answers.
Things to Share on Social Media That Are Not Too Promotional
- Funny videos and other entertaining items that will bring a smile to someone’s face. Just be sure they are in good taste.
- News clips, blog posts, and other information related to your industry. Recently I shared a link regarding the downside of answering those Facebook quizzes which was subsequently shared by many others.
- Updates and posts from your clients, referral partners, and people in your business. Be sure to “tag” the originators of these posts when you do this so they know you have shared their news.
- Uplifting or funny quotes that can brighten a person’s day. When I share these on LinkedIn (a more business-oriented social site), they get more views than anything else I share.
- Your own blog posts, which are surely full of useful tips and insights on topics related to your area of expertise.
Where to Find Your Recent Activity on Facebook and LinkedIn
- To review what you have posted recently on your Facebook Business Page, go to your page, click on the Settings tab, and then click on Activity Log (at the bottom of the list of settings on the left side of your screen).
- To review what you have posted recently on LinkedIn, go to your profile, click on the arrow to the right of the blue button that says “View profile as,” then click on the drop down option “View recent activity.”
How About You?
How are you filling the 80 percent of your outgoing social media communication that should not be promotional? Have you seen any of these types of posts, updates, or tweets that you really liked? Did you share them? Who (or which business) that you receive communication from does this the best? What makes you think they’re the best?
About Joyce
Joyce Feustel helps people, especially those age 50 and up, to become more comfortable using social media, especially Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter.
She works with business owners, business development professionals, leaders of nonprofit organizations, job seekers, retired people, consultants, and many others. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com.
Leave A Comment