A lot of the time, it’s “easier” to stop doing something than to start doing something. Stopping eating late-night chocolate is arguably easier than starting to go to the gym every morning. So, to make creating content that converts even easier for you, I’m going to list some content mistakes you can STOP doing to START increasing your lead generation.
1. Scrolling Instead of Posting
Yes, spending your time scrolling through social media instead of posting on it counts as a content mistake. The mistake is that you’re not posting any content. Of course, consuming content is an important part of content creation but it’s also a slippery slope into doom scrolling.
Limiting your scrolling time/using it more effectively will make posting much easier. If you want to effectively scroll through social media, make sure you’re checking out what your prospects are posting. This is how you’ll learn more about them and their pains - all things you can include in your content creation strategy. And, of course, use the time to interact with your prospects' content as well.
2. Ignoring the Comments Section
This one goes for both your prospects' content and your own. When it comes to the content you’re posting, don’t just post and forget. The first fifteen/twenty minutes after you post is valuable engagement time. Why not tell people in the comments of your post that you’ll be replying to comments for the next thirty minutes to get the ball rolling?
Comments on your posts are going to increase their reach and replying to the ones your prospects leave specifically will increase reach in the right places. Commenting on your prospects' posts will achieve similar results. So many people overlook the comments section, not realising that comments are just another form of content. It’s going to be a place for you to showcase your expertise and get your profile in front of the right people.
3. Pushing an Aggressive Sell
Social media is a place people go to network, but it’s also a place they use to escape everyday life. So, it’s understandable that even your ideal prospects don’t want to be bombarded with posts trying to sell to them. Even if they did, posts that aggressively push services or products just aren’t as effective as those that create a story.
What do I mean by a story? I mean, taking your audience on the journey of what your product/service will achieve for them. Starting your content with a problem and leading your audience through to the outcome will always be more successful than listing the features of your product/service. And, never be afraid to share valuable insight that has nothing to do with selling an offer but instead establishing you as a trustworthy expert worth engaging with.
4. Posting Inconsistently
It’s the one that everyone hates hearing: “You need to post consistently to see results.” The reason people hate hearing it is because it’s true. However, the thing that most people won’t tell you is that “consistency” looks different for everyone. It’s not about consistently posting every day at the same time, it’s about keeping to a consistent schedule that your audience can follow.
If you know that you won’t be able to post a newsletter every Thursday, don’t promise your audience that you’re going to post a newsletter every Thursday. Figure out what you can keep up with and promise that instead. As long as you are consistently delivering for your audience, they usually don’t care when they get it. All you need to make sure you’re doing is posting often enough so that the algorithm and your audience don’t forget about you.
5. Posting For Your Peers and Not Your Audience
When it comes to selling online, you can’t get caught up in what your peers are thinking. Often, people don’t get serious about social selling because they’re worried about what other professionals or their friends/co-workers will think. If this is something holding you back, there’s just one question you need to ask yourself to overcome it…
Who is going to be buying your product/service? It’s not going to be your peers, it’s going to your prospects who want to see your content. That is who you need to worry about connecting with, that is who you need to provide value for.
These are all things you can stop doing right now to improve the content you’re posting on social media. It will give you more time and energy to focus on what you need to start doing to increase lead generation and successfully build sales relationships.
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