Will the real you please stand up?
We know that to create engaging social media content and engaging marketing content, we need to be authentic and we need to be transparent, as the buzzword goes. But, yeah, let's be honest, 99.99% of us fail to do this.
We intentionally or unintentionally edit ourselves, from how we show up to what we say to how we interact. Because we're scared, our audience won't like us. We're scared that it's not politically correct because, because, because. There's a fear that we may be rejected, may not like us, may cause a lawsuit, or it could just cause some negative juju on social media.
But whatever it is, it scares us to stop. It scares us to stop being authentic. It scares us not to truly show up. It scares us to just simply checklist off the to-do list or do a Facebook Live, or create a post, but not fully give it our all. And in the end, our business suffers, our brands suffer, and so in the world do our audiences.
How can we rid ourselves of not truly showing up?
Well, not giving a damn is a good way to start. And yes, that's so much easier said than done, depending upon if you're a people pleaser, depending on the social stories you have, but the truth is that when you just tell like it is to your bestie, that's really what your audience wants.
They want that rawness. They want that truth. Just like you're going to tell your girlfriend not to go back with that man. How can you begin to do this in a way that is you but yet, won't make you feel like you're going out naked? The easiest way is to simply talk to the wall as if they are your best friend.
Whatever it is, getting those expressions, getting that tone, getting that energy, is a great way to then translate that into social media content, into the marketing content. And yes, no matter what you say or do, someone will not like you, and that's A-okay.
It's better to be not liked for what you believe in than to be not liked for what you don't believe in. Make sure you show up as fully as possible and realize it's not a jump into the deep situation. It's a toe in the water, foot, ankles in the water, calves in the water, a slow-going process.
Because in this day and age, where everyone has a voice, everyone has a platform, ironically, no one has anything you need to say. When you have a unique message and way of saying it, guess what? Your audience is craving to listen to it.