 How not to feel salesy when posting on social media about your business? So to introduce this topic, first of all, you might be wondering, well, do we even need to post on social media about our business, about our services? Wouldn't it be nice if people just discovered us somehow, word of mouth, and then decide to work with us? Wouldn't it be great to not have to post at all on social media? And I think that is a huge missed opportunity. If you think of social media simply, which it is, it's simply a way to keep up with the updates of the people and the brands that are important to you. That's why we serve social media. That and to be entertained, right? But we're doing it to keep up with updates of friends, colleagues, family, and companies and organizations that we care about, causes that matter to us. That's why people, lots and lots of people serve social media. And so you might be saying, well, George, I have tried to post about my services on social media and every time I post about it, you know, it doesn't get any engagement or barely any engagement compared to when I post a picture of my cat or dog, or just simply a picture of myself, then I get tons of likes and engagement. Why is that George? I mean, is that people don't like my business? No, it's not that. It's because your friends are much more likely to connect with your personal updates than about your business, because most of your friends are not your ideal client. Right. I mean, go and take a look at like go to your Facebook friends, for example, scroll through like, which one of these people are really my ideal clients, very few of them are. Most of them don't even have the problem that you like to help people solve or the goal that you like to help people achieve. Now there's a problem if you say, well, my thing helps everyone. Okay, that's a separate video that we need to talk about. No, your thing does not help everyone, not sure your thing might help everyone, but not in the equal amount of impact. There are some people that your thing has way bigger impact than other people who couldn't care less about your modality methodology, even if they think they, even if you think they need help. They don't think they need help, but some people do think they need help, and they are interested in your modality or your method, and it would be way more likely to get benefit from your work and so those people are your ideal clients and the rest of your friends are not. The rest of your colleagues are not. Now, just because a small minority of your friends are your ideal clients and most are not doesn't mean you shouldn't post about your services on social media because let's say out of your, let's just say we have 300 Facebook friends right out of 300 Facebook friends. I don't know, maybe 15 of them are ideal clients for you, you know and 285 are not. But out of the 285 who are not ideal clients for you. There's probably 50 of them who know others who are ideal clients for you and if you post about your services and business on a regular basis. It not only reminds the 15 that you're still there and when they're ready to work with you they should contact you, because you're you're their friend, why wouldn't they, of course they would contact you more than somebody else they barely know. I'm reminding the other 85 or sorry the other maybe 85 but yeah probably let's say the other other 85 people who have a friend or a family member who need what you have, but the timing has to be right, meaning, this is important to say I don't emphasize this enough. When you post about your services on social media, we your friends remember your services for like the rest of the day, maybe if you're lucky, will remember your services. So if, if, like if I'm your friend and you post about your thing. And I don't need your thing but like I'm talking to my brother later who needs your thing or I'm talking to another friend who needs your thing. The same day I'm like oh yeah, that's right let me let me send you her info you know your info. But if you post it today on social and then like five days later, I have a friend talking to me, saying that they need this thing that you offer. I probably have forgotten about because within the next five days I have seen so many other social media posts. I've had so many other emails I've talked to so many other people or message with other people you see what I mean so it is so important for you to do it on a regular basis now you might say George that mean I just post on my about my services every five days. Well, that might be that might be a little too often. So let me give you a simple ratio that you can think about the good old 8020 rule is good for application here. When you post on social media, 80% of the time, or for 80% of your posts. Don't try to sell people your services. You know just an 80% of your posts make it something that is helpful inspirational interesting current. And some of it, maybe a lot of it is related to your business not like hey reminder that I sell this thing no no no it's sort of like you're you're giving educational or inspirational content that helps people understand your field even better. Maybe it helps them understand the root causes of the issues that you help people solve, or maybe it helps them understand the overall map for if they're here right now, and they would like this kind of life or to solve the problem in this kind of way. Here's the overall map for how to get there. It's kind of like the heroes journey. They are starting out from where they are with a discontent, maybe with a with a, you know with a problem with a challenge or with a dream. They want to go from where they are to all the way across the land to the top of the mountain over there. And you understand the whole journey because you have taken people there or you have been there yourself. And you know that oh they have to get they have to understand that there's a, there's a dark forest with some, you know, dangerous creatures in there that they need to be prepared to battle or to avoid, you know, and then they'll get into the swamp where you know alligators that might eat them and they need to have proper equipment and to traverse the swamp. And then they need to then they have to be careful of this giant pit that they don't want to fall into or whatever and then finally they get up the mountain and they need they need this kind of gear they need this kind of skill to be able to get to the top none. Like you can give them the overall understanding that there's a forest there's a swamp. There's a giant pit. There's, you know, buzzing bees over here that they should probably not anger and they need this kind of thing. But you're in your content you're not going to go well, let me explain to you. The skills of the forest and how to, how to develop the skills I mean, I've, you can Google this free versus premium content I have a whole other blog post that gives you a better understanding of the difference between how to content, which should be courses that you're coaching and in your services, don't give away the how to for free. So George you do do that all the time you give us how to for free. Well, I have a certain size of an audience and I'm, I'm at a, I'm at a very lucky point in my business now where I'm kind of batting away perspective because there I get too many inquiries to work with me and I can't. I'm by the way I'm already, I've already have enough of my network to refer people to because they're part of my client program and I refer people to them but I'm already at a lucky stage where I have a large enough audience where I can post some how to stuff for free, because you know I have enough. But if you don't how are you have a waiting list and you say I would love some more clients George do not post how to stuff for free. Except once in a while, if you think some kind of how to thing that you've got a post will probably go viral on YouTube or something like that where it's like okay this is this is perfect for my deal client. This is not too long of a how to video or blog post and this is probably going to be great for keywords or then okay then once in a while you can do that but most of your content should just be, you know anyway you can you can Google free versus premium content Google it, and you'll find my article about that. But basically, 80% of your content, your free is free content, 80% of your contents free content that aims to inspire educate people about the overall path from where they are to where you are good at taking people educate people generally tell stories that give them hope that give them the optimism that it's possible and give them the better understanding of the root causes so that by the time they work with you. Then they understand that oh yes I've heard about you told me about the forest before oh yes I you've also mentioned the swamp oh yes I understand I need to develop these skills to go up a mountain. I understand that you're the person to help me with that right so 80% of the time post content that isn't directly selling it's not maybe you can you might mention your services every now and then but it's really more for like they should feel satisfied after watching that video or or you know reading that blog post now you might say George isn't this very video a how to video no. If you think this is how to video wait until you take my courses it's way more detailed and like step by step. This is this is to me a very generic free content that's very overview like it doesn't tell you how to get through the swamp and and how to battle the monsters in the forest just tells you that there's a forest under a swamp right so that's I'm demonstrating this to you right now so so 80% of your content that it be educational and inspirational. Entertaining or engaging in whatever way feels natural and authentic to you, which by the way doesn't mean you have to talk fast like me. Yes talking fast tend to be more engaging entertaining on video, but there are people that can talk very slowly. That is also quite engaging. So it's your style, it's your style your authentic style where you feel alive and connected to the person, whether it's in writing or on video or it's okay so 80% of your posts should be that kind of educational uplift that kind of content, and then 20% of your posts. Exactly announcing or reminding your audience about your services about your products you know your programs etc. So let's say you make 10 posts every two weeks. And just be on Facebook or Instagram or somewhere every two weeks you make about 10 posts, let's say, well, eight of those posts, right. Let's let's even be more more clear. Every week you make five posts on social media, four of those posts 80% for those posts are educational uplifting. And then one of those posts is, Hey, I want to remind you about this is the service I provide I love providing etc. Now you might say George back to the original question. How do I not feel salesy. When I do that 20% of the sales related posts where I'm announcing. This is how you do it. You post as if you're talking to friends. Not as if you are in a commercial that's trying to like convince strangers who couldn't care less about you to suddenly fall in love and work with you. And like I see so much of this is like, it's, you know, marketing. Well, let me say this authentic marketing is not about trying to get strangers to come and sleep with you. Authentic marketing is building genuine friendships at scale where people feel like they know you they feel like they trust you. They feel like you care, because you do. And how do you care how do you demonstrate that you care through your consistent content. Right that's how that's how I demonstrate I mean you notice I show up every single week, don't I, except for the 10 weeks in a year when I'm when I when I have, you know, sabbatical. I like take 10 tiny sabbaticals a year or weeks where I don't necessarily create content. But most of the year you show me you see week after week after week why, because I care. I care about two people. I care about you, and I care about me. I grew up with content because I genuinely hope that this gives you more hope and optimism and energy and possibility that you can help you see your potential, right and help you take overall, you know, understanding what the steps are to get there. I also care about me meaning I care about the what I call creativity fitness to stay fit creatively to keep showing up week after week because I know it's good for my brain. It's good for my field. It's good for my understanding of what I do and kind of get smarter in that way. Good for my communication skills, etc. So 80% of your posts that it be content only no selling 20% of your posts that it be selling. And then in the selling posts, talk as if you're talking to friends, not as if you're trying to get people who don't care about you to suddenly trust you and buy from you because that's a tall order and you have to use a lot of fancy persuasion techniques and really charming storytelling so that I don't know who I am but wow this is really interesting to read, or this is really interesting to watch. I wouldn't do that if you wish to if that feels authentic and energizing to you to me I'm too lazy to do that. I would rather build no like and trust over time with consistent content, knowing that it's a service to humanity. And it's a service to my creativity, and over time as I build no like and trust and of course the 20% that you see from me where I sell you something. I have the privilege of your attention. Right because you feel like you trust me at this by this point so it's like, okay well I trust George I'm willing to at least take a look at what he's trying to sell me even though I don't like spending money, but I'm going to willing to take a look and maybe I want to spend money with you know let me take a look. But it's like if it's a stranger you wouldn't take a look and you're like oh someone trying to sell to me again I don't want to spend money. So I'm not I'm going to ignore that advertisement. But it's with someone you trust a content creator that you see on a regular basis caring through their content then you're willing to take a look and you're willing to consider it. And it's the same thing with your audience and you, when you sell in that 20% of the time, sell as if you're talking to friends, just announcing. Hey friends. I mean you can literally say hey friends if you want to I feel like it's a little bit. I don't know. I see authentic marketing is like growing friendships at scale, but I am more honest than thinking that there were friends that we're not really friends, you know, there's a feeling of friendliness between us you know, yeah, I when I say hey friends I don't feel like that's authentic to me so instead of saying hey friends I don't even address you I just go right into selling to you I say pre launch sale. Here's my next course whatever. I might say I'm excited I might do a little preamble. Hey, I'm excited to announce that this thing is coming up. I care about this offer the service that I've created because I care about helping these kinds of people or have worked a long time on this one and I'm ready to bring this out. And this is how I would talk to friends and this is probably how you would talk to a friend or group of imagine you had a group of friends gathered to hear your announcement what would you say it's okay. I'm really excited to share this with you. I care about this why do I care about this product or service, and I need your help. If you have if you know someone who could benefit from this product who would like to buy this thing. So maybe please share it with them. Or if you feel like you have some feedback for me about how I just described this thing. I would love your feedback to. Now if you, by the way, if you are looking for like testimonials or examples of how your service is good, you can also say it say it in that in that 20% of time hey, if you, I am I am open to getting some testimonials for the service so if you're interested in giving me some honest feedback, maybe a testimonial. Let me know and I'd be happy to give you a really good sample of it, you know, maybe two sessions for free or something. And this is for those of you who are really open in your calendar to do that kind of thing but those of you further along, you could just simply announce it, like to a group of friends, inviting them to share it forward so I hope this is helpful for how do we not be salesy, but yet we still need to post. And remember I said in the beginning, you know, how many of us wish that we could just sit back, you know just do our good work with our clients, and somehow people discover us through word of mouth. Here's the thing. Has that worked for you. Oh, if it's working great for you if all you're getting all your business through word of mouth keep keep doing what you're doing obviously it's working. But for most of us, we're not that lucky. And for most of us myself included towards the first couple years of my business myself included I had to learn how to do good marketing. I had to learn authentic marketing. And by doing good marketing, and I always tell you this, see marketing, not as a chore, not as I do marketing, so that I can get clients, and that's really where I come alive working with clients yeah. Why does it have to be that way this is your life, why can't you transform marketing into something that's worth doing in and of itself, how I just told you, marketing serves two people. You serving your audience as a ministry of content. 80% of the time you're doing ministry of content, giving them hope, giving them positive feelings, giving them, you know, optimism about the journey you bring them on that you saw that's possible. And that's the overall understanding of your super cause all that stuff. So, your marketing serves humanity. Right, even more than the people who start to work with you serving humanity and secondly, you're serving your own creativity, and you're serving your own smarts about your field every time you do marketing you're like oh you understand yourself better, and you understand your field better so it's a wonderful exercise. Love marketing don't hate it. Love marketing because you understand it's in service to them and to you. I hope this is and by the way by doing that, you build true credibility. I really think of aiming for connection, rather than credibility. But by showing up consistently, you not only build connection, but you also build credibility because, anyway, that's how you get smarter in your field. I hope this is helpful. I hope this is inspiring and always I'm, I love seeing your comments below, and any kind of quick questions I might be able to quickly answer. So, be well, go for it, share of yourself on social media, and I'll see you in the next video. Take care.