Content that Sells on Social

5 Things to consider

Let’s be honest,  as online service-based business providers the reason we are posting to our social media platforms is to eventually get a conversion. Sure, we want to help our audience by providing valuable services and information, but the end goal is to convert some of these followers into actual customers who are paying you for your time and your expertise. Right?

The first step to creating content that sells is to understand your ideal clients (knowing their needs and desires), this we know. If you’re struggling to create content that attracts quality clients and increases your sales, here are the five missing pieces of the puzzle to help you to make sales from awesome content.

It’s not about QUANTITY.

Let’s start by throwing away the number one misconception that you need to be posting several times a day to make an impact. Too often, small businesses are pressed trying to produce multiple posts daily to get attention or to beat the algorithm. 

Internet Live Stats shows that over 1,000 instagram posts are uploaded each second. While publishing more content may get you seen more on the timeline, it’s very easy to get lost in this frenzy of activity. Trying to keep up will result in either you producing low-quality content or you burning out trying to produce impactful content several times a day. Either way sounds like a loss to me. 

It’s definitely not about quantity but more so the quality of your content. 

Instead of trying to produce more vapid posts, focus on consistently producing quality content that is actually of value to your audience and connects them with your business services. This will lead to increased engagement and actually get more people to “click the link in your bio” and buy your services. 

If you still feel like you need to post more (and have the bandwidth to do so), try using the different features of the platform to wisely distribute your content. For example, use IG stories to post several times a day to showcase new products/services, a sneak peek into your personal life or your daily routine etc, or use IGTV to share long-form videos (maybe discussing how to use products or services). You may also use Stories Templates, Reels, and Guides. This gives your profile a more organized and cohesive look/feel and doesn’t bog down your timeline with irrelevant content that by themselves are not enough to create any kind of conversion.

Elevate your images with GOOD copywriting.

Gone are the days when simply posting a nice image was sufficient to create traction and grow your following. Just being on social media isn’t enough to grow a following, much less to convert those followers into customers. Consumers have now evolved, becoming more aware of sales tactics and tricks used to lure them into an online purchase. They are now much more guarded with their wallets and wiser with their spending decisions. 

To combat this, you need to gain your audience’s trust; this is where great copywriting comes in. Great copy elevates mundane images by adding meaningful messages that will strike a change or thought in your audience, this may be informative, hilarious or nostalgic – all depending on what will resonate best with your target. This is where knowing your target is a must.

Now when I say write “good” copy, that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to jump through hoops trying to find the perfect words to say. It simply means you need to be in tune with your core audience and what they need PLUS really understand what it is you’re good at and how you can help them. That’s it. Whatever words you write from this place of knowledge, in addition to your simple strategy is bound to get you the right eyes.

These are the kind of things I work on with clients to help build the foundation for conversion-focused content creation.

Quick note:

Market research is literally your best friend. So doing the necessary research to better understand what type of copy works best for your audience is also important – whether it’s long copy, storytelling, factual, informative copy or light, funny copy. Find what works best and watch your conversions grow.

Call them to action.

Your content needs to have a purpose. Once you know why you’re posting, you’re able to understand what action you want your audience to take in order to create a “conversion”. That means being intentional about letting your people know what you want them to do. Call them to the action!

A CTA tells your audience what’s the next step after reading your post caption – whether that’s to leave a comment, send a direct message or visit the link in your bio – each post will require a different CTA. Informative, motivational or funny memes may ask  “What do you think of this?”- asking your audience to join the conversation by leaving a comment or engaging in some way with your content. 

CTA is a prompt or a nudge that evokes an immediate response, this works best when you’re already speaking with your ideal client whose trust you’ve gained by sharing great content so they’re ready to act – they just need to know what to do. Including CTA’s on all your posts increases the likelihood of someone taking action, therefore increasing engagement and conversions. 

Note: A CTA doesn’t always need to be “go buy my thing”. It all depends on the objective of the content piece or what your overall strategy is.

Prioritise creating content that connects

If you’re posting content simply because you “think” that’s the right thing to do, then chances are you’re missing the mark with connecting with your audience. Again, market research plays a vital role in understanding your ideal client needs and then providing them with the fitting content. 

When customers feel like the content was created specifically for them they feel seen and establish trust for you as a brand and an expert service provider. This makes it more likely for them to move down the sales funnel; it’s easier to convert someone who feels you’re listening to them and catering to their needs

When figuring out what type of content to post, simply listen to what your customers have to say. Conduct an audit of your current content, use analytics or simply ask your audience.

Grab my free guide, the Instagram Visibility Playbook for 20 reusable content ideas to help create genuine connections on Instagram!

Create a winning content strategy

If you’re trying to create content that sells without a documented strategy then you’re setting yourself up for failure. Having a strategy provides a holistic view of how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together. It makes the process of creating new “winning” converting content less stressful (since you already have a repeatable formula). 

Creating a strategy ties in all the things I mentioned above as well as considering things like – what is your goal for social media, what kind of feel do you want your brand to have and may also include some aspects of branding.

If you struggle with figuring out when to post or what to post – having a strategy will help to make the processes significantly easier because this creates a detailed guide from content creation to publishing and converting. It’s the most important part of your conversion funnel and the things I also help clients with in my 30-Day Consultation.

So basically…

In essence when creating content that sells starts with doing the necessary market research to help you to put together a strategy that will produce quality content that connects with your audience and gets them to act. 

Need help coming up with a strategy that feels amazing to execute and brings in awesome clients? Book a consult, let’s talk