If you’re not making money with your social media posts, this is why…

If you’re posting on social media, trying to get customers for your business, but your posts aren’t actually resulting in people buying from you, booking in with you, or DM’ing you to enquire, it’s probably because of the following things…

(I’ve been using social media to get clients and make money for my businesses since 2006 *myspace days* and have absolutely found a pattern / code / strategy that works).

1. You don’t have a large enough audience OR the people who are following you are not your ideal clients / your target market / your existing customers.
   
   In order to make social media work for your business you need an audience that is always growing (even if it’s slow and steady) but most importantly you need those people to be actually interested in what your business sells.
   
   Family and friends and random strangers will maybe *support you* but they aren’t going to buy.
   
   

    

2. If you have an audience / following of the right kind of people; including existing customers and people who are interested in what you do, but they are still not engaging or buying: it’s because your posts aren’t speaking to them.
   
   What many small businesses do on social media is just share their work.
   They share what they have done or what they are doing.
   
   And while this can work sporadically to get followers and likes (if your pics are great) you can find yourself stuck in this cycle of putting in heaps of effort to post a nice pic, to only get a couple of likes on it, and leaving you feeling like “what’s the point.”
   
   What you need to start doing: is actually thinking about one real client or follower when you create your next post and imagine you are sharing it just with them, with the intention of either helping them with something, telling them about something you know they are interested in, or asking them a question and getting them to respond to you.
   
   Social Media is designed to be social, you need to *include* your audience in your posts, and create all your content in a way that it benefits, entertains, or educates your audience.

    

    

3. You don’t have an offer or call to action attached to your posts, and if you do, it’s not what your audience actually wants to do.

   If you end every post with a “buy now” or “book now” link, but it’s not working, and people aren’t clicking the link or following through with a booking or a purchase, it’s because that might not be the path they need to take in order to become a customer.

   You might need to start trying other call to actions and sales strategies, such as:

   Drop some love on this post if you like this look.
   Say “I need this” and I can send you some info.
   Would you try this? Y/N
   Want a free quote? Just send me a quick DM and say “quote plz”
   Say YES PLZ below if you want info and prices

   It’s also important to know that your audience is only going to start engaging with your posts if they feel comfortable & connected with you. 

   If they have been used to either not seeing your posts at all (algorithm isn’t showing your stuff to them) or seeing your posts but not liking or commenting on them because there has been no reason for them to, just starting this strategy out of nowhere might not work.
   
   A cold, un-engaged audience is like a stranger, it’s awkward just going up to them and asking them to do something for you or if they are interested in you.
   
   A *WARM* engaged audience is like a friend, they will get into a conversation with you and share their opinions and ask questions and talk about themselves.
   
   In order to get a warm audience, they need to feel like they know who they are talking to.
   
   You need to introduce yourself, share about yourself, but also ask about them and get to know them.
   
   You need to share some of your personality, your sense of humour, your lifestyle, your likes and dislikes – strategically – through your social media posts.
   
   If you make EVERYTHING YOU SHARE about your business, your products, your services, the results you get for others… people can’t possibly connect with your brand because you are trying to be a *business* and not a *person*.
   
   The next time you post on your Instagram or Facebook, try this little visualisation.
   
   Picture yourself standing in a room – your shop, salon, office, a networking event, whatever… and there are a few of your favourite clients there.
   
   If you were to walk up to one of them and start a conversation, how would it go?
   
   What would your energy be like?
   What would you want to share with them?
   What would you want to know about them?
   What questions might they have about what you do?
   And what kind of tone / personality / enthusiasm would you use to talk with them?
   
   You’ll have so much greater success on social media with your business when you stop thinking about numbers (followers / likes) and you start thinking about the people who are seeing what you’re sharing.
   
   And you’ll have even better success when you start thinking about them BEFORE you even share anything, and make sure you know you are sharing photos and stories and information they are interested in.
   
   Talk TO your people, not just about yourself and your work.
   
   If you enjoyed this article come say hi or ask more business growth questions in my Facebook Group.