Mastering The Art of Selfless Social Media Posts

It’s a scary thought for most business owners to imagine that their efforts online are not only ineffective but also potentially working against them. You could be really business savvy and recognize the necessity for a social media strategy but that doesn’t change the fact you have little to no time, nor interest in adding another task on to your plate.

That’s reasonable.

The problem is everyone tells you that you have to get on this social media thing and you know it’s true, so you break down and decide to give it a try. You don’t like to read instruction manuals, you prefer to dive in and test the waters for yourself. Trial and error is the best approach, right?

That might work at IKEA, but it likely won’t get you very far using social media marketing for your business. If you aren’t getting results using social media, there might be a deeper story that needs to be uncovered and it’s your job to get to the bottom of it before it gets to your bottom line.

Related: 9 LinkedIn Mistakes That Are Making You Look Bad

What Are You Doing To Repel People?

Social media has made it wonderfully simple to promote your business, but it is too easy to over do it and detract potential customers. I know what you are wondering, “How am I supposed to know if I’m turning people off?”

There are a few obvious ways businesses get themselves blocked by existing or potential customers on social media, such as:

1. Over promotion or blatantly self-serving posts
2. Posts that are overly controversial, political or religious
3. Insensitive or rude comments
4. Posts that simple provide no value

Mastering The Art of Selfless Posting

If you want to be a social media superstar, you need to master the art of selfless posts. Always remember that your followers know you want to sell stuff – that’s why you’re online…clearly!

The average social media user can get annoyed when all they ever hear about from you is your latest promotion. This might be tough to wrap your head around but once you do, a whole new understanding opens up.

It’s Never About You

The average social media user doesn’t care about you. They care about themselves. They even liked your page because they identified with your brand, meaning they did it for themselves, not you.

Really let this sink in for a moment. Does it make sense to post about your crazzzzzzzy deals every other day? What does it mean to your customers’ lives and who they are as a person?

I know, I know. These questions are probably a little too deep for a modest social media blog, but they are questions that must be asked. People don’t really buy cameras because they are new and shiny – they buy them because they can see all the memories they will preserve of their friends, family and fun times. They see all their best times forever encapsulated for their eternal pleasure.

You’re just selling a camera but they are buying a dream that fulfills them in some way. How’s that for overdramatizing to make a point?

Related: Why Your Social Media Strategy NEEDS A Face

More Harm Than Good

Yes, your social media strategy can do your business more harm than good if done incorrectly, but it’s truly so simple to do it right. If it all fell down on one golden rule, it would have to be to always add value. Seems simple enough, right?

Go and look at your last 10 social media posts and ask yourself who is getting value from them. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes and wonder if you feel drawn in by the undeniable value. Say that dirty “V” word over and over again until you can’t take it anymore. Your social media strategy depends on it.

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