At its best, social media is a tool to get people to know, like, and trust you.

When you’re constantly selling people, you’re more likely to scare them away than you are to earn their trust.

It’s not that you shouldn’t ever sell on social media—it’s just that you should focus more on offering value than on closing deals.

Here’s the truth: when you lead with value and share your authentic self, you’ll end up closing those deals anyway.

Share your journey

When you’re a service-based salesperson, people don’t want to see an overly slick version of you. They want to see the real, authentic person behind the business.

I’ve seen this play out firsthand. While I post plenty of sales, marketing, and motivational content on my social media, my most engaging photos are of my wife and I traveling.

My top-performing posts have nothing to do with my business!

As David Meltzer says, all good salespeople need to establish likability and credibility. When you’re likable and credible, people will know you have their best interests at heart.

Follow the 80/20 Rule

Leading with value isn’t just a way to build trust—it’s the best way to avoid scaring off potential customers.

Nobody likes to be explicitly sold to over and over again. Even if your message is going out to someone who believes in what you sell, they won’t want to be hit over the head with constant sales pitches.

That’s why it’s important to follow the 80/20 rule.

When 80 percent of your content is devoted to educating and entertaining your audience, they’ll be a lot more willing to listen to your sales pitch.

So, what is the 80 percent made up of?

• Your daily activities
• Your hobbies and interests
• Lifestyle content and recipes
• Market analysis
• Professional expertise and tips

Your content can run the gamut from the very personal to the professional. The key is to give value without constantly asking for something in return.

Not only will people be more likely to stick around, they’ll also be more likely to see your content! Value-driven content gets higher engagement, which means it will show up more often in people’s feeds.

Plus, as you offer so much value, you’re subconsciously building trust and creating mindshare. Once you’ve built a sufficient amount of trust, you can expect better engagement on posts that relate directly to your business.

If you’re in real estate, share a short video of you getting ready for an open house. Thank a client for working with you on a recently closed listing.

Get people invested in what you do. Subtly nudge them closer to wanting to work with you without explicitly asking.

Make it personal

When you reach the right person with the right content at the right time, it’s like catching lightning in a bottle.

Don’t shy away from using social media to interact with people one-on-one. Yes, you should have a professional business page, but that doesn’t mean you can’t post directly to someone’s timeline or send them a direct message. If you’re posting to your business page, you might even tag someone in the comments section of your post.

The important thing is to reach out when it’s appropriate. Leverage content that speaks to someone on a personal level.

For example, my wife likes health and wellness content. Someone trying to build a business relationship with her would benefit from sharing healthy recipes or fitness tips. That kind of content is relevant to her—and the key to marketing is relevancy.

Curate quality content

You might not have enough original content to engage with every single one of your clients—and that’s okay!

You can still create those same great feelings around you and your business by sharing quality content made by someone else.

Of course, it helps if the content ties back to your business in some way. That’s why ReminderMedia offers Social Media Shares.

Social Media Shares allows you to share hundreds of amazing blogs, articles, and recipes that are branded with your photo and contact info. That means anyone who views this content will remember exactly who gave it to them.

What’s even more powerful is that your branding stays on the content when your followers share or repost it. It’s like a business card, but with way more value.

Learn More About Social Media Shares

At the end of the day, you need to figure out what works best for your business. Determine your ideal client, and then offer content that speaks to them.

When you lead with value and focus on what’s best for your clients, people will look forward to your posts. And, when the time comes to send some business your way, they’ll be more than happy to do it.