I'm re-sharing this series of social media posts here to give you a flavour of how I approach content creation, both for my own business branding and for my clients. It's ethical, respectful, and uses 'I don't chase, I attract' as a key ethos.
Just as in other aspects of life, this energy feels so much more comfortable and rewarding than the old-school hustle culture where you have to push, push, push. If this sounds like something you'd like to learn more about, read on:
Find A Community Who Promote Each Other
If you find self-promotion challenging, it doesn't mean you're not cut out for business, it means that you're a sensitive, self-aware human being! You're aware of being 'too much' or 'too pushy' - which absolutely is a thing, whatever any of the boldest influencers tell you! The caveat is that it's too much 'for some people'. If you don't like brash self-promotion, you'll attract clients who don't like being brashly promoted to...
If your marketing is sensitive and aligned with your values, you will also attract clients and customers who are similarly sensitive and appreciate the same values.
In terms of getting the word out there, a great thing to do is connect with others who will share, recommend and gush about you, and vice-versa! This is much more comfortable for everyone involved and creates genuine interconnected brands and services, which makes a whole lot of sense in our communities (virtual or geographical).
Situate Yourself Within A Niche
Find a niche that works for you, and focus in on it. Marketing is so much easier if you know who you are speaking to, and can be direct and personal to them. Also, our cultural system is designed to value a niched specialist above a generalist. If you have heart problems, who would rather speak to, a cardiologist or a GP?
Usually, to have a niche is to be more highly skilled in a smaller area - and people value this highly. Yes, your potential market becomes smaller, but they become more aligned and more invested in what you're talking about.
If you need some help finding your niche, send me an email or keep your eyes open for my upcoming post...
You Don't Need To Be In Everyone's Face
Personally, I find paid ads really irritating. They've invaded my space (feed) without invitation (I didn't follow them) and most of the time I just want them to go away. More often than not, they've caused a negative association with the brand they represent. This is not what I want for my business, or my clients' businesses.
Of course, there are ways that paid ads can be hugely profitable - social media wouldn't be the billion-dollar industry it is if they didn't work. But my personal experience is that they only work with already warm, or extremely well-aligned potential customers.
For example, a clothing brand I already buy from often (or a very similar competitor) has a big sale? That works, I'll sometimes click on it. A local venue I visit regularly is promoting an event? Great, I've found out about something I could have missed. These are precision-target ads, narrowing into their niche.
For most self-employed entrepreneur brands, the best thing is when other accounts organically share your content because they LOVE it. This is word-of-mouth recommendation from a warm contact. So much nicer than a cold hard sell, and a lot more respectful too.
Don't Run Around Looking For Clients, Let Them Come To You
This saves you so much time and energy. The people who are most likely to actually buy from you are already looking for you, the process is already in motion, you just have to be easy to find.
Picture the crowds at Glastonbury. Three businesses are all selling peach flavoured water there.
Business A is running around shoving bottles at people saying 'will you buy this'?
Business B is standing still, in the middle of the crowd, with a crate.
Business C is standing in the middle of the crowd, with a tall banner that says 'Peach Water Here'.
Who do you want to be out of these three options? Not saying any of them are wrong, I just know which I would rather be doing! My goal is to be visible, but not waste energy approaching people individually (unless they look really, really thirsty and are wearing a t-shirt saying 'I love Peaches.')
That way, the people you do make contact with actually want to buy from you rather than want to run away. This feels much nicer for everyone involved.
If you'd like to work with me on your business content creation, this is the kind of ethos I will bring to the table. We can be creative, bold, fun, impactful, emotive and powerful, all within the ethical principles I've spoken about here.
To find out more about my specific packages and sessions, click here.
For any specific questions, just drop me an email!
Emily x