Forget about how many likes your blog posts gets on Facebook. Heck, you don’t even need to worry about how many comments you’ve received.
The true measure of successful social content is how many of your clients, friends, and fans are sharing that content with their networks.
Social content can only make a big splash when it’s shared by others. As a coach or trainer, it’s crucial to get your network to advocate for you online, sharing your content with friends and in turn helping you expand your reach.
Here are 7 common reasons social content isn’t shared (and what to do about it!):
- It’s too controversial
As a wellness coach, chances are you have strong opinions about how your clients can achieve an optimal state of health and well-being.
But if your social content is opinionated to the point of controversy, it’s highly unlikely you’ll get a lot of shares.
Keep in mind that your clients and fans are most likely connected to a variety of different people on social media, including family members, bosses, students, and acquaintances. If they couldn’t discuss your content at the water cooler without offending someone, chances are they won’t share it.
What to do about it: In most cases it’s a good idea to stay away from religion, politics, and any topic you wouldn’t talk about with strangers over dinner.
- It doesn’t fit your target market identity
Getting more training clients is easy when you have a strong understanding of who your clients are: what makes them tick, what they’re afraid of, and what they value most.
If your social content doesn’t resonate with that identity, your content won’t get shared.
What to do about it: Make sure you have a deep understanding of your clients and other social connections. If in doubt, look at what they tend to post and share on Facebook and Twitter. What values can you assume from analyzing their content?
If most of your fans are sharing inspirational quotes with each other, rest assured that inspirational content from you will be a shoe-in for sharing.
- It’s too short (or too long)
Finding that sweet spot in terms of length is crucial for increasing the shareabiltiy of your social content.
While you may encounter character limits on sites like Twitter, it’s important to experiment and see if shorter or longer tweets and posts tend to get shared most.
For instance, let’s say you post a link to your latest blog on Facebook. You write nothing in the description but simply copy and paste the URL.
Take note of how many shares you receive using this method, then test by posting again with an engaging description accompanying the link.
What to do about it: Some audiences will respond better to super short posts, while others want to read more in-depth content. If in doubt about your audience, check again to see what kind of social content they share most on Twitter, LinkedIn, G+, and their Facebook pages.
- It’s not future-focused
At your gym, do you dwell on the past with your clients, or focus on the future?
If I had to bet, I’d say you probably focus on moving forward, setting goals, and helping your clients make lasting changes in their lives.
In short, your work is future-focused. Your social content should be no different.
People share content when it’s in alignment with their life’s goals. Because of this, it’s crucial to know what kinds of goals your clients have and help them reach those goals through the social content you share.
What to do about it: Identify specific goals that many of your clients have. If weight loss is a common goal, for instance, your social content should not only reflect that goal, but show people exactly how to reach that goal through targeted action steps.
- It’s not helpful
Because you serve your coaching and training clients so well in ‘real life’, it’s important to create online content that is just as helpful.
People respond to social content that can improve their lives in some way. If your content isn’t helpful, engaging, and beneficial, your fans will have no reason to share it with their friends.
What to do about it: Remember that just as you want to help your clients, your clients want to help themselves and help their friends and family.
Create social content that shows them how to make a tangible change in their lives. Doing so will not only build brand trust between you and prospective clients; it will dramatically increase the shareability of your content.
- It has a boring image
Have you ever shared a stunning photo, funny meme, or unexpected image online?
If you’re like most people, the answer is a resounding yes.
Pictures are worth 1000 words, and on many social platforms they are displayed more prominently than text. If your image is a dud, your chances of getting shared plummet.
What to do about it: Invest in royalty-free images on sites like iStockPhoto.com or Stockfresh.com. Take time to choose an image that supports your content and resonates with your client’s values and passions.
- It’s all about you
Great social content is all about the end user, not all about the content creator.
Even if you have a great story to tell, it must be framed in such a way that benefits the person reading it. There must be a tangible takeaway, a strong call to action, and a deep emotional resonance that inspires the reader to share your content with others.
What to do about it: Feel free to create content you’re passionate about, but remember that the content isn’t for you – it’s for your clients and prospective clients, and should therefore be presented with their needs, wants, and problems in mind.
The best way to get your social content shared is to get to know your clients, fans, and prospective customers as intimately as possible.
- Research their social accounts and see what kind of content they share the most
- Stay clean, positive, and “office cooler-friendly” with your content
- Experiment with different content lengths, images, and descriptions
- Create helpful content that is user-focused and that makes their lives better in some way
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