Showing up authentically is more important online than ever before. More and more celebs and influencers are showing themselves in more real light (insta vs reality), talking about the struggles, the reality of being in the spotlight and themselves in their real bodies. No airbrushing and poses! And a movement is happening.
Especially on social media like Instagram where young girls and boys are seeing what they think is a reality…
When in fact, it’s not.
It’s a snapshot of what someone WANTS you to see.
It’s the highlight reel.
And I think it’s safe to say we’ve all been guilty of doing it before.
But how does showing up authentically really make a difference - especially to your business?
When you’re growing a personal brand which is the case for most solo entrepreneurs like me. The brand is Me. The brand is YOU not what you sell.
And so it’s so important to show who YOU are.
My show is called Brilliantly You Business Show because I realised after a few years how important it is to be your awesome self.
To embrace YOU and not worry about trying to be what you think you ought to be.
About growing your business authentically and that’s what this episode is all about!
If you struggle to know how to be truly yourself online.
If you fear being your weird and wacky self out of fear of what others will think, this episode will help you!
Watch the full episode with all the details, or read on for the summary.
Each week I provide a resources section to accompany each episode with tools, products and training that I feel would help you take the next step into conquering this topic in your own business.
Why Showing Up Authentically Online Is More Important Than Ever
What does being authentic mean?
The dictionary defines the word “authentic” as
of undisputed origin and not a copy; genuine.
What this means for your business and your brand… is be yourself!
Show up as yourself. Embrace your personality and don’t pretend to be anyone else.
There is only one YOU and people will follow you and love you for exactly as you are.
Too often in the beginning of our business journeys, we follow leaders, gurus, stars as we see them who are mentors, role models we aspire to become.
But that often leads to us trying to emulate them.
To copy them.
To do what they do.
And whilst part of that may be useful…
What you want to avoid is trying to BE them.
Because you're not them.
And you don’t need to try to be anyone else except yourself.
This is where the imposter syndrome can creep in. And fear of being rejected or judged because we don’t feel like we’re anything special.
Like who would listen to me?
The truth is - the more authentic you are, the more attractive you’ll become.
People can smell fake, they can sense when we’re not being authentic.
Even down to when you don’t fully align with what you’re doing - the energy of that oozes out invisibly and your results will show.
Alignment is another form of authenticity.
Because if you’re not in alignment with what you’re doing, what you’re selling, then the universe will pick up on that and then you’ll be pissed off because you’re not making any sales and thinking it’s you…
When actually in fact it’s that the alignment isn’t quite there.
If you’re not really feeling it, you won’t feel authentic in your delivery.
For too long I ignored that feeling of misalignment.
Tried to fight it as it was easier to stick with what I knew and what people knew me for.
But eventually, I had to be true to myself and say, you know what, this isn’t the direction I want to go in anymore.
And that’s when last year I made a shift in who I talk to, who my audience I want to be around changed, what types of content I wanted to talk about.
And it felt so much better.
So I want you to think about a few things when it comes to how YOU show up authentically.
1. Don’t Be Afraid To Be Yourself
If you asked your friends what they love most about you, or how they’d describe you - what would they say?
Would they say they love your sense of humour?
Would they say they love how real and honest you are?
Would they say you swear like a trooper?
Would they say you take care of everyone you come across?
Whatever that is, I want you to lean into that and show more of that online.
Using social media is a powerful tool to get your message in front of so many people.
And I now look at it as our duty to be real.
To be authentic.
To not hide reality.
Now don’t get me wrong, there will be times when it’s appropriate to keep things to yourself, or how much you share of your personal life…
There are boundaries of course - but if you ever say to yourself, “Oh I better not swear”, or “I better not show that part of me because what will people think…”
THAT’S the sign!
How come you don’t want to show it?
Everyone who knows me knows I swear quite a lot.
I used to feel like I shouldn’t swear on Facebook lives or videos, or in emails to my list etc because it wasn’t professional.
Well you know what.. Fuck it! That isn’t me.
And I’m not a Gary Vaynerchuck who is every other word is “Fuck”, and I don’t do it just for the sake of it.
But if I'm passionate about what I’m talking about, or if I’m doing an impromptu Facebook Live and some van drives past me way too close (this happened once) I am going to scream out what I want lol!
I encourage you and challenge you if you’re trying to be perfect or how you think you “should” be online, to take the walls down a notch and show up as you would with your friends.
See how different it feels to you and how it comes across to your audience.
I bet you watch videos or read posts and when someone is authentic, you feel more comfortable, you feel like you can relate more?
That’s what you want for your people.
2. Share More of Your Story & Vulnerability
Sharing stories online is an incredibly powerful way to connect to your audience and it helps to make sales too.
They say that Facts tell, stories sell.
So bring out more stories in your marketing.
An easy way to do this is to share parts of your own journey.
Share a story with your audience about something that happened that relates to your business and what you offer.
Bring the vulnerability into it to make more impact.
Every week, I work with a community of entrepreneurs who are learning about attraction marketing and using social media to build their brands, create content and tell stories to promote their freebies or products in social media posts and paid ads.
Part of what me and the other mentors do is to help people bring a level deeper of emotion and vulnerability to their posts.
You see, I could easily tell a story about how I was bored and needed to find something in my life that could be for me, as a hobby and to give me a bit of extra income to take the pressure off.
That’s how I got started in business back in 2014.
If you read that, it’s very matter of fact and kinda leaves you feeling, “ok so what?”
But when I go a level deeper and say that actually, the reason I was so bored and unfulfilled was because my husband and I had been trying for a baby for a few years and I felt empty.
Watching friends get pregnant, start their families, my husband and I would only ever argue or bicker about money and I was in a job that was so unfulfilling but as I wanted to be a Mum, didn’t see much point in changing yet
So I felt trapped in this rut of going to work, coming home, cooking, cleaning, eating, watching TV and going to bed.
Waiting for payday constantly and felt like I was getting left behind in life.
Now, let me ask you - does that make you feel like you could connect with me easier?
Like you got to know the real me a little more?
Like you wanted to keep reading more?
That’s the power of authentic stories!
I actually never shared parts of that story until recently, when I worked on my own authenticity blocks and whilst I was 95% there of being myself, my real version including my fertility is something I didn’t feel I wanted to share yet.
But I also knew that there was this whole side of me and my business that people didn’t know about.
This really personal piece isn't something that you have to share in order to be authentic, but what I’m trying to show you is that by adding in the emotion of how you really felt, what was the impact of things staying the same etc can make a huge difference into your authenticity and in your marketing.
Telling stories is a great way to share your experiences that got you here.
To share how you came to start your business or what you were suffering with before you found your product that changed things for you and the solution you now offer.
Don’t be afraid to get a little vulnerable and share the real you.
Because selling products (whether physical or digital) is about connecting with people’s before state.
To talk to the problems and feelings that they are having RIGHT NOW!
Those people are feeling those things.
So the best way for you to sell your product is to share your (or a customer’s) problems.
And then you can talk about you came across something that now makes you feel _______ (fill in the blank of your transformation)
It takes practice to get used to writing this way, or to talk in videos this way, but trust me, your audience will love you so much more when you open up what’s appropriate and share more of the real you.
3. Keep Your Authenticity In Your Conversations
Last week I talked about rejection proofing your business and how a big part of that is to not look at your audience as just numbers of sales.
Instead, look at them as people and be a human first.
Having conversations with potential customers or clients can often start with a hidden agenda because you’re focused on the sale.
You might be taught to go into groups and add friends in order to get new leads.
Growing an audience and talking to people when you’re in a relationship business is vital.
But rather than going in with an agenda, and looking at what you can get from them…
Instead keep the authenticity and focus on building relationships.
Make your agenda as purely growing your network.
Surround yourself and your Facebook list with likeminded people who you can get to know.
You never know when they might see a post of yours and want to talk to you or vice versa, when you might need something they can help with.
Having conversations in Messenger can sometimes be a pitch fest.
How might you be more authentic in your conversations?
Firstly, ask questions.
Take an interest in them.
If you reached out because you saw a post they were saying they were suffering with something or looking for suggestions…
OK great, but don't go in with “Hey, I saw your post, here’s a great product I use and sell, here’s the link to buy!”
That won’t work and will be a quick way to someone ignoring you or hitting the unfriend button!
Instead, ask questions.
“Hey I saw your post and just wanted to reach out and say I totally get it. I too had a similar problem. What has that been like for you?”
Or if someone reaches out to you first, ask questions “Tell me more about what made you want to reach out?”
Now you’re being more authentic and genuine, and actually giving a shit!
Plus, they will be more likely to open up with what’s going on right now and it can lead into a sale IF it’s right.
If they talk about their problem and you know that your product or service is a genuine solution for them, great, you can easily mention you have something that you think will really help and would they like you to send them the link for more details?
But equally, if it’s not quite a fit for them, don’t try and force a square box into a round hole!
Don’t try to make something work if it’s not quite what they need.
This is where they will appreciate you and your authenticity and honesty, and will help build that relationship even more.
They will see that you aren’t just out for a quick buck and a sale and actually care about them getting a solution.
Authenticity comes in many forms.
To recap:-
- Be yourself and embrace your personality and quirks!
- Open up a bit and share your journey and vulnerability
- Keep the authenticity and integrity in your conversations.
Stepping into more of your authentic self can be difficult and a journey in itself.
Like I mentioned, I wasn’t there in the beginning but now after 6 years I’m more myself online and with my audience than ever before.
The most recent shift was working on what was causing me to not be fully myself and show up authentically and I discovered an extra layer of limiting beliefs and mindset blocks.
It takes doing a little digging but is amazing when you do so that you can clear those paths and allow yourself to feel confident to be more authentic and visible online.
A big part of that is fearing rejection and being judged for being yourself and this is what this workshop is all about.
If you’d like to dig into what’s causing you to avoid showing up online as your true self, or keeping some things hidden because you’re worried what people will think and you’re ready to step out of the shadows and live a more authentic and fearless life…
Sign up for this transformational workshop and together, lets rid your rejection fear and help you show up confidently and brilliantly you to help propel your business forwards even more.
Get all the details and save your spot below.
Resources Mentioned:
1. RID YOUR REJECTION FEAR WORKSHOP
jennystevenscoaching.com/rejection
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