How to promote yourself (or your products) on social media without being a jerk
Learning how to promote the businesses you work for, without being a jerk, is an important skill for social media marketers. It has been said many times that social media is like a cocktail party. There is great potential to promote your products within social media but it must be done the right way. You wouldn’t enter a room and immediately start talking about yourself and pushing your products. You can’t enter the online world and expect everyone to be immediately fascinated with your message.
Time and time again I see people posting photo after photo of their product. Or photos of them behind a computer pitching their services. And every single post goes straight for the sale. 'Buy this'. 'Sale on now'. 'This product is amazing it does this we've sold so many'. 'I do this and I'm great at it'.
Nobody cares.
Consumers no longer sit and watch commercials on tv, they pull out their phones. When scrolling through social media if they come across something that looks like an ad they will skip over it straight away, possibly getting annoyed at your product in the process.
I am going to share a few tips and tricks to help you get some traction on social media.
First and foremost offer value.
Sometimes the best approach is to NOT talk about your product. Tell a story, use great imagery, be real and relatable. Creating amazing content such as videos, tutorials and blog posts are a great way to build trust with your audience.
Be a person not a business
There's nothing wrong with showing personality. The more you act human, the more people will pay attention on social media. This goes back to people being awesome at filtering out advertising. Be funny. Be relatable. Have an opinion. Create content that DOESN'T look like an ad.
I always say to my clients, people recognise faces faster than they recognise brands and logos. If you're a small business, put your face out there.
A business I truly admire on social media is Go-To Skincare. They have absolutely nailed the messaging and being human!
Here's a classic example:
Here, they are offering a valuable piece of content backed up by a caption that could have come out of the mouth of your best friend.
And I bet some of you are saying 'I can't talk like that, we are a very professional company. That's fine. But that doesn't mean you have to use every cliche in the book like 'holistic approach' and ' integrated blah blah'. That means nothing to no one. Make it absolutely unique to your business and your customers. And maybe it's time to loosen the tie a bit and speak like a person?
Collaborate with others
If you show up and just start blabbing on about your products and services, you're like that guy at the party who only talks about himself. Don't be that guy. Reach out to influencers, mention other products and services that are popular within your niche. Share other people's content. The general rule I like to follow is 80% talking about others and entertaining events/content and 20% talking about you and your services/products.
Make sure all your social profiles are up-to-date and unique!
Have all your profiles eyeball ready. Do not exaggerate or lie in your profiles. But present yourself in a unique and fun way. You can balance a “fake it until you make it” presence as long as you are not overselling what you can deliver.
Writing a really good bio is one of the hardest things to accomplish. You need to spend time on this and get opinions from people who you respect. Have a friend help you out if possible. This might need updating from time to time. Keep it fresh, interesting and unique.
Network and create a receptive community
Consider setting up your own Facebook group. This is especially effective if you're creating a movement and have a strong message to share.
Blog/Vlog regularly and in the process start collecting email addresses for a newsletter right away
Find people who do something similar to you or your target audience for your product