Let’s Talk About Fear
As business owners, we all want the same thing - more customers (which translates to more revenue)! Not only that, we want to get those customers with the smallest amount of effort possible. We also want them to come to us time and time again - and we want them to tell their friends and family about us, too, so our network of loyal customers will grow exponentially.
In my opinion and experience, the key to acquiring new website visitors, email list subscribers, and customers (and keeping them around for the long haul) is to know exactly who you are, who your audience is, and how to connect with the people in your audience on a deeper, more human level so you can build more trust and loyalty over time.
What’s the best way to build trusting relationships with new and returning customers? I think it’s pretty straightforward - tell your story! Tell it OUT LOUD wherever and whenever you can. Take the time to figure out who you are, what you believe, why you do what you do, and what your business REALLY delivers, then share the moments in your day that reflect your values and the stories of your business to a few, specific social media channels where your target audiences are hanging out.
Sounds simple, right? (Just kidding - that sounds HUGE!)
Why is this so huge, you ask?
Here is what I have seen: many of us, as business owners, do not feel we are adequately trained on how to do things on social media, and as a result, we are all full of fears that we’re going to do it wrong and mess things up. We are hesitant to be visible - and I mean REALLY being seen - because putting it on the line and expressing exactly who we are is very vulnerable. I mean - what will they say? What if I do this wrong? Will I lose business if I post this? This is about a fear of visibility.
Visibility = appearance, vision, perception, seeing, viewing, exposure
Being visible (seen) isn’t always comfortable for us. But here’s the thing we need to learn as business owners; visibility has incredible value. Visibility leads to more PR, more website visitors, more customers, and more money. Marketing is all about visibility - that’s the point, after all! (And that’s why some people cringe at the thought of saying the phrase “marketing my business.”) Marketing is about exposing your stories and who you are, what you have to offer, and what you value - in a public, visible way. Visibility makes us feel vulnerable and absolutely icky. So icky in fact that we often stop ourselves in our tracks.
Think about it - how many times have you held your finger over the “post” button, practically sweating through the armpits of your shirt, thinking about all the things they’ll say about you when they read this post?
Hello, fear.
How many times have you had that perfect, creative idea, only to talk yourself out of it because you don't have the time or support to get it done?
Hi there again, fear.
The more I speak with my clients, the more I am convinced we need to talk more openly with each other about these types of fears and LET THEM GO so we can take the steps we need to take to get more visible and make more money!
I’ve been collecting notes about what business owners “hear” in their heads when they’re contemplating “putting themselves out there” or making a bold or creative move in their business. I have a friend who refers to these voices as “gremlins,” and I think it’s a wonderful title for these pesky little buggers that always seem to gum up the works when we’re just tryin’ to get visible.
Here’s what your “gremlins” might be telling you:
The competition is too intense - everyone else is so much cooler than you. (worthiness)
You’re not good enough. (worthiness)
You’re not going to be safe. (safety)
You’re going to disappoint people. (pain)
People are going to judge you. (judgment)
You’re always going to be alone. (loneliness)
It's always going to be this hard. (struggle)
You’re not providing enough value. (greed)
You’re not doing enough. (laziness)
You’re a fraud. (inauthenticity)
Ugh, right? I know. (It’s no wonder you don’t want to post anything!)
But there is good news - your fears are just like everyone else's. Most of us are not great at expressing those fears, so we think we're alone in feeling how we're feeling. (I hope now you see, my friend, that you are not alone!) When you are able to identify and articulate your fears, you take away their power and return it to where it needs to be - within you. When you are powerful, you have less fear and are more able to allow yourself to be creative (which includes failing - sometimes publicly - and picking yourself right back up again). THAT is courage. And I know you have it in you.
Getting into the Social Media Scrapbook Mindset
Okay, so. What do we do with these fears, these vulnerabilities, and all of these complicated questions we have about social media? How do we let go of these feelings and begin to embrace the power of social media?
I believe the first step to “letting go” begins with checking in on our mindset - essentially, how we THINK about social media. No matter how you feel about social media at this very moment (we’ll talk more about your Social Media State of Mind in the next chapter), I want to encourage you to begin to think about social media in a different way - as a scrapbook!
A scrapbook, you say? Have you gone loopy? Bear with me here…
What if amazing social media is really just about creating and collecting pieces of content (photos, quotes, articles, etc.) that tell your stories and keep your audiences engaged? What if you could begin to think about social media as a digital scrapbook of your business’ life, its inspirations, and its stories?
Close your eyes and imagine it... your ideal customer walks into your office and she’s handed a beautiful scrapbook full of images, articles, and memories that represent your brand. She skims through the pages, noticing the things you have in common and admiring the many different components that make up the story of your business. How’s THAT for building trust?
Your business’ social media feeds ARE that scrapbook - they give your audiences a glimpse into your business’ personality and values, and they give your business LIFE. They encourage the trust you're looking to create with your target audiences.
So now what? How do we know what to put into our “social media scrapbook”? How do we design the contents of our scrapbook to be engaging for our potential customers? How do we organize all of the things that need to go into the scrapbook and keep ourselves motivated to create content on a regular basis?
Stay tuned to this blog for more tips and tricks. Next week I’ll be talking about how to give yourself a social media audit… oh, that’s gonna be FUN!
Ready to jump from the nest right now? Grab my book, Scrapbook Social Media, to learn how to overcome your marketing fears and start building your “social media scrapbook”, or sign up for a Social Media Guidance Session or Coaching Package today to get the one-on-one support you need.