Should you Sell on Social Media?
Social media can feel like a confusing place as a small business owner. You signed up to Instagram/Linked In/TikTok/etc to help build awareness about your business - and yet, anytime you post anything even vaguely salesy, talking about your services or your offer, you’re met with tumbleweed. So what should you do?
Most people are on social media looking to laugh, learn or feel less alone. They’re not in a buying mindset. That’s why your feed shouldn’t feel like a 24/7 sales pitch. BUT if you never talk about what you offer, people won’t know how to buy from you.
Selling your services on social media doesn’t have to mean cheesy captions or hard-sell tactics. You can sell in a way that feels natural to you and your audience and you can make sales content a part of your social strategy, without letting it dominate.
Here’s how:
💬 What is a CTA (and why does it matter)?
CTA stands for Call to Action. It’s just a fancy way of saying “what do you want your audience to do next?” It can be super simple, like:
"Book a free call"
"DM me for more info"
"Grab your spot before the deadline"
Sales CTAs clearly guide people to work with you. But not every post has to include one. You might also use softer CTAs like:
"Save this for later"
"Tag a friend who needs to hear this"
"Tell me your thoughts in the comments"
Mixing up your CTAs to include sales-focused actions and social actions helps to build connection and remind people that you’re running a business.
🎯 Inventive Ways to Sell on Social (That Don’t Feel Salesy)
Here are a few ways to sell your services without sounding like a broken record:
Tell a client story – Share a before-and-after or a surprising win.
Drop a casual mention – “This came up with a client the other day…” sharing real insights shows that you’re working and helps others see themselves in the scenario.
Use a testimonial post – Let your happy clients do the selling for you.
Share your "why now" – What makes your offer perfect for this moment?
Bust a myth – Take something your audience wrongly believes and flip it.
Make it playful – Try something like: “You thought marketing mentoring was out of your budget… until you saw the price of my power hour.”
Show behind-the-scenes – A peek into how you work helps people feel more connected to your process.
Selling doesn’t have to feel stiff. When it’s infused with personality, proof, and playfulness, it becomes part of the conversation - not an interruption.
📅 How often should I share sales content on social media?
There are no hard and fast rules, but I find sharing one sales message for every five non-salesy messages is a good balance. Share value, insights, relatable content and storytelling first, and then use sales posts to remind your followers how they can make further use of your expertise.
📌 Remember:
Salesy posts might not always get big engagement.
You might not be flooded with DMs overnight.
But you will be planting seeds.
When your audience is ready, they’ll know where to go - because you’ve made it easy and obvious.
So give yourself permission to show up and sell.
