One of the common issues my clients come to me with is putting themselves out there on social media. They know they should be using social media as a marketing tool and see the value that it can bring to their businesses but something is holding them back.  

More often than not, that something is the fear of being seen. They are all too often worried about what people might think, worried that they are not good enough or important enough to have an opinion.  

Overcoming this fear can be a huge step and I should know! I spent many years not being present on social media (despite being a social media manager) because I was scared of what others thought. I was scared that I wasn’t good enough and imposter syndrome was constantly making an appearance. So what did I do?  

I worked on my mindset and shifted my thought process, and by following these steps you can too.  

  1. Put yourself in your client’s shoes. What would you like to know before buying or signing up to work with someone? By thinking of it this way round, it takes the pressure off you and puts the focus on them. You are meant to be unique, you are meant to be different and so is your business. This is your unique selling point and people want to see it.  
  2. Focus on your ‘why’, your passion and on your end goal. Remembering and focussing on your purpose and goals can really help you overcome the barriers of visibility. Be stronger than your excuses. When you have thoughts such as ‘I’m not good enough’ or ‘I’m no expert, I don’t know what to say’, be prepared. Spending 10-15 minutes preparing what you are going to say, particularly if you are going to go live can make all the difference to your confidence. Finding facts and having them to hand along with remembering your passion and your goal can make all the difference to how you come across. 
  3. Work on your mindset. Mindset plays a massive role in pretty much everything we do and there are so many tips and tricks we can use to help improve the way we feel. One strategy is to flip the negative thoughts and the what ifs. For example, “what if no-one listens to me”, change the thought to “what if they need to hear what I have to say”, or “I’m not good enough to be talking about this”, flip it to “I’m more than good enough”.   
  4. Accountability. A really easy way to ensure that you take action is by getting yourself an accountability partner. Let them know your plans and ask them to check in with you make sure you have taken action. Set yourself some goals such as going live once a week, ensuring that you have at least 3 posts a week planned or sending an email to your list and write it in your diary. Then, share these plans. Once others know your intentions, you are far more likely to action them. 
  5. Give yourself time to build relationships. Building relationships on social media is just the same as building them in real life. In showing up and being visible you are creating the opportunity to build and nurture relationships. Let your clients and customers get to know, ask them questions, find out about what they find hard and offer solutions.  

 

These tips really helped me and although my fear hasn’t totally gone away, I am much more comfortable talking about myself and even manage to do some lives! I really hope they help you too but as with everything, give yourself time and don’t be too hard on yourself. Making small changes and working on your mindset everyday goes a long way to making the tricky tasks easier.

This article was written by  Ella Biggs,  one of our partner coaches who specialises in helping women, particularly mothers, develop practical strategies and gain clarity, confidence and control, enabling them to run their businesses, lives and families effortlessly together. You can get in touch via her profile page.

July 30, 2023