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 motto.
Just as with other aspects of life (anyone heard this endlessly repeated in dating advice?!) 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.
My top tip on this Insta post was to promote each other. Come and join in!
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.
You Don't Need To Be The Loudest
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 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.
Every business has to make their own decision on paid ads for social media, but I personally don't do them for my clients. I can recommend other people who can help you with paid ads alongside my content posts, but I don't do them myself. To me, they feel like spilling out effort and energy with very little return. The alternative? Stay in your lane and your people will find you.
Linking back to the point above, the best thing is if accounts organically share your content because they LOVE it. This is an indirect word-of-mouth recommendation from a warm contact. So much nicer than a cold hard sell.
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, half the work is already done. 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!) The goal is not to make the most contact, the goal is to be visible. 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
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