I Spent $12K on Career Coaches Because of Their Social Media — 5 Things Their Profiles Had in Common

Almost daily, I see folks making a declaration about leaving social media.

“It takes up too much of my time and focus.”

“I’m not seeing any sales from Instagram.”

“I don’t know how to do social media.”

“I’m not gonna dance and point – that’s not for me!”

Yet one of the easiest ways to make social media your friend is to reframe your relationship. Instead of thinking of social media as “how to make sales” or “how to show people what I’m up to,” you can think of social media as a tool to build relationships.

In the same way we’d go to a conference for our area of expertise, how can you put out a signal that acts as a beacon to help folks find you?

1. Use your face in your profile picture.

I can tell you from personal experience (and anecdotal evidence from several business groups that I belong to) that if I go to check out a business or somebody’s profile, and I can’t see them anywhere, I’ll leave.

Now, something really important to remember is that there may be reasons (safety being one of them) why somebody might not want to have their face on social media. But generally, if you’re building a business or trying to direct folks to your Instagram or LinkedIn page, we want to know who you are.

2. Like and comment.

I can’t count the times I see folks, especially small businesses, posting about their business. Coaches giving tips and tricks, product-based businesses showing their wares, and never engaging in anybody else’s posts. Social media is about interaction.

One of the best ways to build this up is to ask questions in your posts. “What’s your favorite necklace?” “Have you ever felt this way? What did you do?” “What’s your go-to take-out restaurant?”
There is never any reason to be stingy with your engagement or your likes.

3. Update your bio.

If you’ve got something important you’re working on or selling, allude to it in your bio and make sure your website is updated. If you’re looking for a job within your industry, let folks know. If you’re a service-based business, be as descriptive as possible.

This is especially true in your LinkedIn profile if you’re looking for a job. Make sure the info is updated and accurate, check that your links work, and engage with companies and people you want to connect with to build relationships.

4. Be real.

Don’t fake it, and don’t slide into peoples’ DMs trying to sell your stuff. As daunting as social media can seem at first, if you’re inauthentically trying to connect with somebody with the sole purpose of telling them about what you sell, that’s likely not going to work. How many times has somebody followed you only to pop a “Hey, can I ask you a question?” in your DMs, and then proceed to talk about what they sell, and then you actually buy what they’re offering? It rarely works.

Comment on posts that you genuinely enjoy. Ask real questions to start a conversation. Use open-ended questions in your posts to invite engagement. And here’s something really important: interact with the folks who interact with you. If somebody likes every one of your posts, they are helping to signal boost your account – head over to their account and like a few posts back.

5. Be your true, passionate self.

Talk about what is important to you. We look for folks who have similar values to ourselves. This can feel scary, especially if you are expressing contentious opinions about something. I see a lot of social media experts suggesting that being political on social is a no-no. I couldn’t agree less.

I have spent over $12,000 in coaching over an 18-month period, and it was all because I had followed each of the four coaches on social media and knew that our values aligned. They were easy sales for them, some of them bought within minutes of seeing an offer. I knew I trusted them, I knew I could interact with them, and I knew I could be myself with them. Because they were themselves publicly. So take out the jargon and industry talk and speak as yourself.

It's not that we want to share all aspects of our lives online (unless that’s your brand!), but we do deserve to work with folks who will appreciate us and work in places where we can be ourselves. We want to weed out the possibilities of difficulty or of finding ourselves stuck working with people where we have to hide who we really are. 

We deserve to dream big and to live a life aligned with what we believe in. And one of the best ways to find like-minded folks is to be upfront about who we are publicly, build relationships and swim in circles where we’ll be respected and appreciated.

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This article reflects the views of the author and not necessarily those of Fairygodboss.

Megan Hamilton is a speaking, visibility and confidence coach for women and nonbinary people. She used her classical theatre training and 25+ years of performance to build a step-by-step speaking system that not only allows you to deliver incredible speeches, but also provides you with a framework to have difficult conversations, build your confidence and increase your visibility. She uses shadow work to help you tune in to your intuition and discover the root of what contributes to fear. She's the host of ubu pod and can be found online at www.ubuskills.com. She's also a musician, has recorded 5 albums of original music and has toured across Canada from Newfoundland to BC, as well as into the US.

What’s your no. 1 piece of social media branding advice? Share your answer in the comments to help other Fairygodboss members!