“We’re posting on social, but we’re not getting anything from it.” I hear that one a lot. Usually the brand is posting plenty. The problem is that it’s all one-way: product, promo, product, promo.
Why one-way posting doesn’t work
People don’t follow brands to see ads. When every post is about you, people scroll past, your communities stop growing, and the ads built on top of that audience get more and more expensive.
A vitamin and supplement brand came to us with exactly that problem. Their communities weren’t growing, their ads kept delivering worse returns, and competitors were starting to pass them. Their social was mostly buy-one-get-one ads. We helped them shift to a lifestyle brand that encouraged healthy living, with great content and a lot of real engagement. Within six months their communities grew fast, and the first ad campaign to that engaged audience hit a 14:1 return on ad spend.
Use the 80/20 content mix
Aim for at least 80% lifestyle and engagement content, and 20% or less about your product. Figure out who your audience is and what life they’re trying to live, then post things that help with that.
Test different formats: photos, short videos, carousels. When in doubt, make a video. Then watch what people respond to and make more of that.
One shortcut we use a lot: record one good conversation and turn it into everything. A single recorded interview with an expert can become a full episode, a handful of short social clips, and five or six blog posts from the transcript.
Not sure what to post? Start here
When a team is stuck in product, promo, product, promo, these are the posts I’d try first:
- Show the people. Faces build trust faster than logos. We made a short video of our team for our virtual meeting waiting room so people get to know us before the call even starts. The same idea works on social.
- Behind the scenes. The office candy bowl, the new equipment, setting up for an event. Small and real beats polished and generic.
- Answer real customer questions. Every question your front desk or sales team hears more than twice is a post.
- Teach one quick thing. A tip your audience can use today, tied to the life they’re trying to live.
- Celebrate other people. Customers, partners, and local businesses you love. They’re likely to share it, which puts you in front of their audience.
- Clip what you already have. Webinars, interviews, and talks are full of 30-second moments.
Set an engagement routine you can keep
| Type | What it is | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Inbound | Replying to comments, DMs, reviews, and mentions. Your audience is talking to you. | Daily, even if it’s just a few minutes |
| Outbound | Jumping into conversations and engaging with partners and your target audience | 2 to 3 times a week |
Inbound isn’t optional. Outbound is where you grow, if you have the time for it.
Turn followers into customers
Put money behind what’s already working. If a post is getting way more engagement than everything else, put a few bucks behind it. Your audience already told you it works.
Before you boost a post, check four things:
- It’s already outperforming your other recent posts on its own.
- It links to the exact page you want people on.
- That page loads fast on a phone and makes the next step obvious.
- You can track what happens after the click, like a signup, lead, or sale.
Plan the follow-up before the promo. Here’s where I see most businesses fail: they run a promo, maybe a deal on a coupon site, people come in once, and then nothing. The key is the follow-up and the next thing. Get the email address, give them a great first experience, and tell them what’s coming up next.
Tell people what else you do. My sister-in-law took me to a head spa recently. Cool space. When we asked what else they offered, the answer was basically, “Oh, we do tons of stuff, I couldn’t even tell you.” They’d been so busy with one popular service that nobody was telling customers about anything else. What a missed opportunity. Every new customer is a chance to show them the next thing.
Don’t discount the thing you want full price for. If you run a deal on memberships, all your members will just wait for the Black Friday deal to renew. Try a gifting angle instead, like a deal on a gift for someone’s mom.
Make the next step obvious. Link to the exact product or page, every time.
Local businesses: don’t forget Google Business Profile. Post something about once a week: specials, events, photos, a spooky-season bowl of candy in the office. Every little bit helps.
Be careful with AI on social
AI can help you brainstorm, draft captions, and pull clips from video. But audiences are quick to call out brands that post AI art or obviously AI-written posts, and in our own testing, AI content got negative reactions. Social is the one place people come specifically for something human. Keep a person’s voice on everything you post.
What about LinkedIn and B2B?
On LinkedIn, a brand page can only do so much. Your leaders’ personal profiles should be a big part of the plan. And when you reach out to someone new, share something useful first instead of asking them to buy on the very first message.
Measure what ties to the business
| Goal | What to watch |
|---|---|
| Awareness | Followers, shares, reach |
| Engagement | Comments, DMs, saves |
| Consideration | Email signups, downloads, visits from social |
| Conversions | Leads, purchases, ad clicks |
| Advocacy | Reviews, mentions, customer posts |
Test, measure, and adjust every month, and absolutely every quarter. For a sense of which platforms your audience actually uses, Pew’s social media fact sheet is a good place to start.
A 90-day reset
- Month 1: Audit your last 30 posts. How many were about you? Shift the mix toward 80/20, and start the daily inbound routine.
- Month 2: Add outbound engagement two or three times a week. Boost your two best-performing posts.
- Month 3: Run one promo with the follow-up planned first: email capture, a great first experience, and a clear next offer. Then compare leads and sales from social against month 1.
FAQ
How often should a business post on social media? Consistency beats volume. Pick a pace you can keep, and spend as much time engaging as you do posting.
Should we just run more ads? Ads work much better on an audience that already likes you. Build the community first, then put money behind what’s already working.
Is organic social worth it anymore? Yes, when it’s two-way. Organic builds the trust that makes your ads, promos, and email work better.
What should B2B brands focus on? Leaders’ personal LinkedIn profiles, useful posts, and outreach that gives before it asks.
Want your audience to hear this live? See Social Media That Drives Conversions on the Topics page.