Promotional content makes a lot of small business owners uncomfortable. There’s a fine line between letting people know what you offer and feeling like you’re showing off – but if you don’t tell people what you do, how will they know? The truth is, you’re the best person to talk about your business. You just need the right way to do it.
So, how do you create promotional content that actually works without feeling pushy or making you cringe when you hit publish? The good news is there are plenty of ways to do it — and done right, you might even find yourself enjoying the process.
This post is part of a series of blog posts on the four key types of social media content for small business owners. The others are educational content, engaging content and entertaining content. You can get an overview in this post exploring all four content types.
Contents:
Testimonials, reviews, case studies, before-and-after examples
Team members, partnerships and collaborations
Behind-the-scenes (premises and commute)
Services, products, latest offers and specials
Linking to your website (and not just the homepage!)
Awards and press coverage
Public speaking and trade shows
Current client projects, client wins and milestones
Process, approach, FAQs, rates
Company news
“Why we built this” backstory posts
Objection handling posts
Blog posts, podcast episodes and vlogs
Testimonials, reviews, case studies and before-and-after examples
Struggling to find the words to big up your own products or services? Let your happy clients or customers do it for you!
Reviews and testimonials are a brilliant way to build trust with potential customers. They are a great form of “social proof” – people want to hear that others have had a good experience with a brand before investing their time and money. In fact, research shows that up to 98% of consumers report reading online reviews before making a purchase. Yes, you read that right – 98%!
Case studies and before-and-after posts are also really useful for building that trust and showing real, concrete examples of what your products or services can do for people. It’s a case of “show, don’t tell” here, and it can be hugely effective.
I have a whole post dedicated to exploring 6 ways to use customer reviews in your marketing.
Team members, partnerships and collaborations
Don’t underestimate the value of talking about your staff in your content. If you work with a team, it can be a great way to promote your business. “Get to know us” posts are a form of promotional content that feels more personal. It allows you to show customers what an expert bunch of people you’ve brought together, exploring their backgrounds, experience and what they do day to day!
The same goes for sharing about partnerships you’ve formed or collaborations with other brands. Posting about these relationships highlights that other people in your industry/similar industries see value in being associated with your brand. In what can be a cut-throat world filled with competition, that says a lot!
Behind-the-scenes (premises and commute)
Behind-the-scenes content is always popular on social media. It’s that feeling of getting a peek behind the curtain, seeing what goes on beneath the shiny surface! It’s a great opportunity to inject a bit of humanity into your promotional content.
Ever thought about sharing your commute? It might sound like a strange way of promoting your business, but particularly if you’re based in a specific local area, it can be a great opportunity to remind people where they can find you.
The same goes for your premises! If you work from an office, working it into your content can be really effective. It allows people to expand the picture they have in their mind of your brand. It becomes a fully fledged entity when they see the place and the person behind it! And it’s an easy call to action – ask people to come and visit your space or book an appointment.
Fancy some examples? Here are a few social media accounts that do a great job with their content!
Services, products, latest offers and specials
Sharing your products and services themselves can feel daunting, but it is a no-brainer when it comes to promotional content! People need to understand what they can get from you, and you are the ideal person to tell them!
Start with the basics: what do you offer, what does it include, and what does it look like to work with you? Walk people through it and be clear about what’s included and what isn’t. The more specific you are, the easier it is for the right people to make an informed buying decision.
Offers and promotions are a natural fit here, too – especially introductory offers for new clients. You don’t need to hard-sell; simply letting people know something is available is often enough.
Another option is to go back to why you started. What problem were you solving? What did you see that others were missing? That’s where the most compelling product and service content usually comes from.
I have a post dedicated to starting a service-based business and another to starting a product-based business. Remember the features and benefits of what you have to offer, and use that to craft content that pushes your products in a way that connects.
Linking to your website (and not just the homepage!)
You would think this was an obvious one, but you’d be surprised how many times I find myself reminding clients of this! Your website is (in most cases!) far more than just a home page.
So, when you’re creating posts for social media, or even your blog or newsletter, keep that in mind. Rather than just posting a basic link to your main URL, get specific. If you create a post about your rates, share a link to your pricing page on your website. Or if you’re sharing a little bit about your business backstory, be sure to link to your About Me/Us page.
Helping people get straight to the information they want from your promotional content is key. The fewer clicks they have to go through to find what they need, the better. And you’ve gone to all that effort building out your site – make the most of it!
Linking to a variety of website pages is also really good for your SEO – something that is not to be underestimated, even in the age of AI.
Awards and press coverage
Have you been nominated for or won an award? Shout about it!
Whether it’s a small local contest or a national award, it’s an important achievement, and your existing and potential customers will want to hear about it. Again, being in the running for an award creates a sense of prestige, and people can trust that you know what you’re talking about.
Promotional content around awards could look like a photo of your team at the event, a picture of your trophy or certificate, or a video of your category being announced. It could even just be a screenshot of your business name on the list of nominees! It’s easy but effective content.
This also goes for any press coverage – interviews on blogs, in industry magazines or local newspapers are great promotional content.
Public speaking and trade shows
Public speaking can feel daunting, but it’s absolutely something you can gain confidence in. I’ve got a post all about growing your business with public speaking to help you get started!
Think about volunteering to speak at a networking event you enjoy to ease you in. If you already know some of the people, it can help! Offer to do a short talk on your area of expertise, sticking to one topic, free of jargon. Once you’ve done one, it will get so much easier, and you can build up to longer talks!
You could also apply to be a speaker or panellist at relevant conferences or trade shows. This can get your name out to so many potential customers and potential collaborators!
Current client projects, client wins and milestones
If you work with clients, why not share some of their recent wins and milestones? Their successes are a great reflection on you and can instil further trust, much like a testimonial.
If, for example, you’re an SEO strategist and your client’s website stats have skyrocketed, shout about that (with their permission, of course – though you don’t necessarily have to name names!).
Sharing current client projects is another great example of promotional content that doesn’t feel too salesy. If they have an Instagram account, sharing the content as a collaborative post so you are publicly tagged together is a great option!
Process, approach, FAQs, rates
Don’t assume that your followers will find content about your processes boring. It’s actually crucial! Sharing how you approach your work is really helpful for customers in deciding if you’re the right fit for them.
Perhaps you have a more casual approach than other experts in your industry. Share that! It’s the ultimate way to showcase your unique selling proposition (USP) and get people to notice you.
Similarly, creating answers to your more frequently asked questions and sharing them can be really useful. Customers often like to know as much as possible before contacting you, as it takes the pressure off. I’ll link my own marketing consultant FAQs blog post here as an example!
A controversial one is publicly sharing your pricing/rates, but it’s something I choose to do. That transparency is, again, a great way of building trust. Here, you’re creating promotional content that lets customers know straight away if your products or services are in their price range. People really appreciate that honesty!
Company news
Simple but effective, company news is a common type of promotional content that does what it says on the tin!
Whether you’ve hired a new staff member, moved to a new office, created a new service or celebrated a business anniversary, tell people! Especially when it’s a positive bit of news, let people celebrate with you.
I have a whole post around planning a business anniversary celebration – check it out!
“Why we built this” backstory posts
Think back to why you started your business. Revisiting those memories can be really powerful and can help you create really impactful content.
Why did you create the product or products you sell? What about offering this service brings you satisfaction? What gap in the market did you spot, and how did you come up with the idea for how to fill it?
Go even further back – talk about your qualifications or hobbies, whatever first brought you to this industry. People love to hear about the journey.
Sharing your products with a nod to your backstory can turn a promotional post into something that really connects with people.
Objection handling posts
Not everything is going to run smoothly all the time – and that’s okay. The important thing is how you react to problems.
If the thought of a less-than-positive review or bad comment sends shivers down your spine, check out my post on responding to negative reviews. It’ll guide you through this process and, hopefully, reduce the dread!
It can be hard to imagine, but these moments can actually become very valuable learning curves. Sharing about them and showing how well you handled them can be another great way to show customers they can trust you to do the right thing, under all circumstances.
Blog posts, podcast episodes, vlogs
If you have a blog, a podcast or a YouTube channel, sharing that content is excellent promotional content! Not only are these platforms great opportunities to share your expertise, but they also have an interactive element in the form of comments.
This type of content is, therefore, at the intersection of promotional and engaging content. What could be better! It enables you to shout about your business but in a way that allows customers, viewers and listeners to feel involved.
And the best part? Much of this will be evergreen content, meaning you can share it over and over again in different ways, through short clips, quotes, and even sharing popular comments.
KEEP READING:
To read more about this topic, have a look at these:
How to Add Personality to your Social Media Marketing
9 Ways to Turn your Social Media Followers into Paying Customers
Social Media Timing: An Alternative Guide for Small Businesses
How to Create a Social Media Content Plan for your Small Business
