More than ever, social media holds huge potential for coaches and consultants who want to build their brand, authority and grow their business online. BUT…social media also has the potential to waste your time, hurt your reputation, and quite frankly – make you look desperate. We can help!

If you’re not getting the ROI you want from social media, it’s not because social media doesn’t work. It’s because you may be using it wrong. Here are five types of social media users who don’t get results and what you should be doing instead.

#1) GHOSTS

The first user is “ghosts.” These are the people who set up a profile ages ago but have done nothing with it. Their bio has little, if any, information on it. The last post was months (or even years) ago. Maybe they accepted connection requests and sent requests to people here and there, but they never had conversations with anybody.

They don’t get results because their ideal client won’t see their content because there isn’t any. And if they happened to stumble on their profile, they can’t tell that you are the expert who can potentially help them.

What you should be doing instead: If you’re going to use social media, use it. Check your social profiles to ensure they have current headshots, bios, and updated links. Post consistently, join conversations and tell people what you do and how you can help them.

#2) BROADCASTERS

The second user is what I call the “broadcasters.” These are people who post updates constantly but never interact with anybody. It’s all about them. Me, me, me or everything is a salesy business post. They might get a few likes here and there, but they’re not building relationships with anybody.

They don’t get results because their ideal clients won’t see their content as valuable. And even if they did see it, they wouldn’t think that this person is somebody they want to work with.

What you should be doing instead:

• Talk less about yourself and more about your ideal client. Ask WIFTM!
• What are their biggest challenges? How can you help them?
• What types of content can you share for the different stages of awareness?

If you missed the stages of awareness in previous posts, they include:

• Unaware – your target audience doesn’t know they have a problem to solve so posting general content that appeals to anyone is helpful.
• Problem aware – your audience knows they have a problem so they will begin searching for ways to solve it.
• Solution aware – this person recognizes solutions available but is not sure which one they will choose and when.
• You aware – this individual sees you as the expert that can help them solve their problem. 

 When you create content that speaks to people at all stages and seek to provide value first, people will be more likely to want to work with you.

#3) LURKERS

The third user I call the “lurkers”. These are people who never post anything but consume content constantly. They read every blog post, watch every video, and listen to every podcast. But they’re never commenting, liking, or sharing anything.

They don’t get results because while they may be learning a lot, their ideal clients have no idea they exist. And even if they did, they wouldn’t think of them as an expert. I’m all about education, but the goal of social is to build an authority brand and develop relationships that can lead to business opportunities.

What you should be doing instead:

• Comment and like posts to give them the maximum amount of social love
• Share other’s content that you found value in, and be sure to @ mention them
• Send connection requests to expand your circle of influence
• Join the conversations.

When you do this, people will start to see you as an expert in your field. Then make sure your profile looks like someone worth connecting to.

#4) PITCHERS

You connect with them, and immediately they give you the sales pitch. You’ve probably been on the receiving end of a pitch at an in-person networking event, as well as on social media via messages. No matter if it’s LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram – you get a connection request, and a pitch follows. My immediate reaction is to delete (and potentially block the connection).

I’ve had clients tell me their former coaches told them to do this. Here’s the thing, if you want to use social media to build your business, then this is not the way.

Nobody wants to be sold to all the time, especially on social media. We’re there to connect with people and build relationships. If you’re constantly trying to sell something, people are going to tune you out.

Instead, you should seek first to understand, then be understood. When you add value first and focus on helping people, they will be more likely to want to work with you when they’re ready.

#5) SOCIAL BUTTERFLIES

These people love using social media – but they do all their engaging online. Online networking is great, but your conversations can’t all be happening behind a screen: “Social butterflies are spending all their time online, never moving those conversations or those relationships forward.”

While there’s nothing wrong with making connections online, the goal is to have a conversation or, if your clients are local then meet these people in person eventually. You can’t build strong relationships if you’re only talking to someone via posts and DMs.

What you should be doing instead: Make sure you’re taking your relationships offline as well. Schedule calls, coffee dates, and lunch meetings. Get to know the people you want to work with on a personal level. When you do this, they’ll be more likely to want to work with you because they’ll know, like and trust you.

The moral of the story is that social media can be a powerful tool for coaches and consultants when used correctly. However, you need to avoid being one of the five types of users who don’t get results.

Instead, focus on creating valuable content, building relationships, and engaging with your audience. If you do that, you’ll start seeing better results from your social media efforts in no time! 

When used correctly, social media can be a powerful tool for coaches and consultants. However, you need to avoid being one of the five types of users who don’t get results. Instead, focus on creating valuable content, building relationships, and engaging with your audience. If you do that, you’ll start seeing better results from your social media efforts in no time! 

P.S. I mentioned my favorite Social Bio hack in the live training. It takes a few minutes to set up and once done you can add it to any social platform and your website too. Drop me a note HERE, and I’ll send it your way!