You’ve learnt that you have to get REALLY good at marketing in order to grow a successful business. Of course you do! You’re already an awesome {insert your job here} but if you don’t know how to sell your products and/or services, it’s kind of pointless being good at what you do, because if you can’t sell it, you won’t make money!
The key to successful marketing is being visible.
Showing up as you!
Being you, authentically in your social media posts, in blogs, at networking events, on video, on stage – wherever your audience hangs out most.
But… that sounds terrifying doesn’t it!
You’re worried you look fat and ugly.
You’re anxious, you sound like an idiot and your accent is awful.
You fear you make words up, hesitate too much and lose your point.
You’re totally out of your comfort zone. You don’t understand tech.
You don’t know how to be at ease on camera and need a script. But the script is too long and then makes you look uptight.
You’re worried about trolls, that you’ll be laughed at and judged.
You’re scared people who know you will see your stuff and that makes you cringe.
You’re nervous no-one will see it, that you’re not interesting and have nothing new to add.
That does sound terrifying doesn’t it!? No wonder you’re putting it off!
When you are YOU, unapologetically, people relate to you and connect to you.
We’re all totally obsessed with being seen as successful, confident and clever, that we end up totally threatened by things that may bring it into question. We can’t tell our employees we’re having a bad day because our cat just died – they might see us as unprofessional. We must always look immaculate for meetings because even looking remotely scruffy might deem us incompetent. We can’t be seen to not know the answer in the presentation or… the list goes on.
Wow! Do we set the bar high?! In The School Of Life’s book On Confidence, the author shares that we actually have a skewed picture of how dignified a normal person might be. We almost believe it’s actually possible to live a life where things don’t go wrong, where we always look perfect and everyone likes us. How wrong we are! The thing is EVERYONE has faults, everyone makes bad judgements, everyone accidently snorts when they laugh. Everyone is stupid, everyone is faulty and everyone has fear. Let’s remember we are all mad, we all make mistakes.
Here’s some quick tips to help get your visibility mojo…
COURAGE
It takes guts to put yourself out there. Being vulnerable shows strength. When you get out there and be you, making mistakes and sharing your passion and enthusiasm for what you do, that is infectious. I want to buy from someone who has guts to get out there and talk about it. So, feel the fear, acknowledge the fear (it’s a normal human emotion) and start to tolerate the fear. Train your brain to accept that being visible is scary, but you’re able to walk through the fear and doing it anyway. It will get easier and easier and easier.
BE YOU
Everyone else is already taken. No, seriously, people buy people! I want to see what you look like, I want to know about your kids, I love hearing what books you’re reading, I want to know how you can help me. I want to see the kinds of clothes you wear. Not so I can judge you – so I CONNECT with you. Being you builds connection. We’re all naturally nosy – it’s in our nature! You develop rapport with people when you are being genuine. Think about the people you buy from – I bet it’s because you like them!Practice, practice, practice!
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
The first blogs I ever wrote are SO BAD! My first ever Facebook Live didn’t even record the first 5 mins so I’m making no sense when it actually starts! I have loads of conversations with my clients about perfection. Your first blog isn’t supposed to be as good as my 150th one. Likewise, my first podcast won’t be as good as someone who’s been doing it for 2 years. The only way to get better is to start now.
TAKE ACTION
Record that video and get it out there. You can change it in a few months if you want to. Write your first blog, send your first newsletter, go live on Facebook. Just do it! You have to start somewhere, so start right now. You will grow and learn and develop. So will your business. You’re not born knowing how to run a successful business, you have to learn how. Being visible is the same thing. To learn how to be visible successfully you have to at least start!
Get out there any just do it!
Stop procrastinating! Stop thinking of every little reason why you can’t get visible. Yep, it’s scary. Yep, it can go wrong. Yep, people may judge you.
But you owe it to yourself and your future customers, to show them what you’re made of. Get out there and do it. Take action. Grow your business. That’s what you’re here for isn’t it?!
Taking action might include hiring a Performance Coach like me, it might include reading books on how to improve your blog writing skills. Taking action might include doing a course, listening to some podcasts or buying a book.
There’s no value in reflecting that you want to grow your business and be more visible if you’re then not willing to put your time, effort, energy and money where your mouth is and learn the skills you need to do that!
So, if you needed a butt kick, a friendly hug or a sign from the universe that you need to step up your visibility… this is it!! Your business, your customers, your confidence and your bank balance will thank you for it!
Hayley Gillard teaches women in business how to be confident. She prides herself on being real, authentic and totally herself (warts and all), and shows you how to believe in, and accept yourself, so you can be more visible in your business.
She is accredited in performance coaching, leadership management and business enterprise and is a trainee psychologist.
Her signature course Fear of Facebook Live, has helped entrepreneurs round the world build their businesses and connect with customers. She works internationally through her online one to one coaching and group programmes. You can join her free, private, Facebook community Self-Belief School here. Find out more at www.hayleygillard.com .