There's a big difference between a confident creative that loves promoting their work on social media and a creative that hates it so much they would rather deep clean their carpets and file their tax return than share a story on Instagram. Do you feel good about promoting your business on social media?
Now don't quote us on this, but off the record, we believe that audiences can tell if you're not feeling good when you share your content. Whether you're subconsciously putting out a bad 'vibe' with your content or are vibrationally out of alignment with how your audience feels, your funky mindset will likely put them off engaging with your post.
Let's explore what it looks like when you're not feeling good about your social media presence:
You have no idea what to share, so you share any old random crap for the sake of it.
You look back over your old posts and don't like them.
You avoid giving people your profile handles because you don't want them to see your content.
You feel a lot of anxiety when it's time to post something to your profile.
You overthink everything and are never 100% sure if what you are posting is any good. You change your mind about what to share multiple times when writing captions.
You avoid going on your social media feeds because all you do is compare your content with what everyone else is sharing.
Managing your social media pages feels like a chore.
You feel inhibited, as if a barrier prevents you from putting yourself out there.
What does it look like on the opposite side of the social media emotional spectrum? (That's not a real thing, we just made that up.)
Checking your page, replying to messages and looking at your insights is something you enjoy doing, so you do it daily.
You feel relaxed when you share content on your pages. You're happy to throw a quick post together while waiting for a delivery or while you're on hold with the water company.
You feel excited about ways to offer more value to your growing audience and look forward to connecting with them.
You love sharing content to your pages - you never have a problem thinking of things to post about, and you'll often have to stop yourself from oversharing.
You like trying different things and playing with new features.
You don't feel dismayed if you include a spelling mistake in your caption and your audience spots it. You correct the error and carry on with your day like the pro you are.
You're not too bothered if you share a post and your audience doesn't engage with it. You know it's probably down to an algorithm change, or you've shared your content at the wrong time rather than immediately assuming your audience doesn't like it.
When you're feeling confident, and in alignment with your social media profiles, you have the freedom to express your creativity, try new things, and have fun with your online content. You automatically have a focused, comfortable, self-assured approach online that your followers naturally love and respond to. Just like that, there's no fear; there are no emotional blocks – it flows, and you feel good doing it!
How to change the way you feel about your social media profiles:
Human emotions are complex, and it's impossible to identify the actual problem without sitting down with you and talking things over. We've helped so many small business owners and creatives to work through their emotional blocks and begin sharing content with confidence, so here are some of the genuine concerns and challenges we've come across that have held people back:
Not being clear on who their target audience is, and the content they are interested in.
Worried about trolls commenting on their content
Worried about trolls commenting on their customer's comments
Their business is moving in a direction they don't like anymore and they don't like the content they are now sharing.
Worried about an ex-partner seeing their business content and judging them.
They have ADHD and can't concentrate on social media for long enough to share anything.
Worried friends and family will think they're boasting about their work
They panic because the social media platform they like using is different and they don't like the new updates.
Worried about being too visible on their business page.
They feel like they are too old to use a social media platform.
Worried about how they look, their appearance, weight gain etc.
Worried that other people will realise they know nothing and are a big, lying fraud (imposter syndrone).
The good news is that all of these problems were fixable, and we're 99.9% confident that the things holding you back from growing your business online are fixable, too.
The first step is to get into a self-awareness headspace and explore the reasons that are holding you back. Thinking this through and pinpointing the exact challenges, no matter what they are, is key to findign the solution.
Next, devise a solid, easy-to-implement strategy to overcome your unique challenges and barriers. Perhaps you need to change some security settings on your Facebook page, or you need to put a content strategy in place. Maybe you need to arrange some social media training for yourself to imprive your confidence, or hire someone to reply to all your messages for you. Set a deadline in place to make changes, so you don't procrastinate or self-sabotage, and ask a business partner or friend to hold you accounrable.
Once you've made all your identified changes and put the right structures and support in place for yourself, the only thing that's left to do is give yourself a big kick up the backside and drive your business forwards in the right direction. Go on, the world is waiting to see your content!