Help, I don't just want to make "salesy" posts!

Many business owners (especially women) are often afraid of sounding too "salesy" or they think they are talking about their offers too much on social media. In this blog post, I'll break down what you could do if you don't want to post content that screams "BUY THIS!" all the time.

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Being "salesy"

Let's first talk about being “salesy”.

A lot of times, and, correct me if I'm wrong, we women are afraid of being too salesy or that we talk too much about our business, our products, or our services. Often, women are afraid of being too promotional on social media because they don't want to scare away people by talking about their offers. I totally understand that nobody likes a 24/7 TV commercial vibe on anyone's Instagram but the thing is, when people follow your business account, they expect you to talk about your business. If I follow a food account on Instagram, I expect them to post recipes and things about food and if they don't do that, I will probably unfollow.

When people follow your business account, they shouldn't be surprised to hear about your products and/or your services.

A first mindset shift that I want you to make is telling yourself that you are not a nuisance when you talk about your products or your services. You are helping your ideal client solve a specific problem with your offer. Your ideal client needs to hear from you because they might not know of your offer and they might be looking for it. Instead of thinking of all the people who might be annoyed when you talk about your products or your services, focus on your ideal client who is currently having a specific problem that you solve with your offer and imagine how they will react when they hear about it. I know it's easier said than done and I would be lying if I said that I never felt uncomfortable talking about my offers online BUT this is something that you'll get better at when you practice regularly.

By now you're probably thinking: “...but people will start unfollowing me if I talk more about my offer…” Yeah, hopefully! Because they were not going to buy from you anyways. Talking about your products is actually the best way to sort out the people who are just lurking around on your profile and aren't going to buy. You're better off without them on your profile.

Alternatives to traditional promotional posts:

Let me show you a few content ideas that don't scream “Hey! This is what I'm selling. Please buy it!” all the time:

Social media as a support channel:

Something that works really well is establishing your Instagram page or your Facebook page as a support channel for your customers. This means posting content that acts as a support next to your products. Think of questions that your customers might have before they purchase your product but especially also afterwards.

For a skincare brand, the Instagram page could be full of tips on how to use the products correctly and what other products would complement them well. You could give more general tips on skincare and self-care and help your customers make the most of the products.

For a clothing brand, you could think of a few tips on how to make your items last longer (how to correctly wash and store your clothing,...) or you could show some outfit inspiration.

Showing your customers WHY they should buy:

Another idea for content could be showing your potential customers WHY they should be buying your products. You could either highlight problems that they might have and that your product solves or make them envision what their life would look like after they purchase your products.

If you're interested in working on these ideas for your own brand and translate them into content, let's do that in a coaching session!

Showcase the benefits of your products:

This idea is quite similar to “the why” but it just acts as a different way of convincing the customer that your product can help them solve their problem and that your product is better than a competitor’s. You could make a post where you compare your product to others in the market and where you highlight what the differences are. You could either list all of your benefits in one post or spread them out through multiple posts so that you make sure you don't run out of content and that you frequently highlight the advantages.

Show your process:

This idea is perfect for all product-based businesses that create their own products by hand, for example, a clothing brand or candle business.

You could film yourself sewing and then use that as a background for a reel or even actually showcase what goes into making one of your pieces in a video. This makes for authentic content that lets your audience have a special insight into your business.

Show the behind-the-scenes:

You could also give your customers insights into the behind-the-scenes of your business.

Something that might seem really boring or ordinary to you, could actually be really special for someone else to see. Don't underestimate how nosy people are and how curious they are to see what goes into running your business.

For example:

Each week, we get a fresh vegetable box delivered to our house. The night before the boxes are sent out, the business sometimes posts a story or reel where they show how they pack the boxes. As a customer, this makes me even more excited to receive my box the next day and I get a little sneak peek already beforehand!

Good luck with your posts - have fun brainstorming!

Talk soon,

Hanna