Do you remember the early days of social media?
Come on……you know the days when people would post pictures of their food and announce that they were about to have lunch?
Well, I do and I must say, social media usage has come a very long way. As a business owner, you need to know how to use the medium to connect with your audience, and while announcing you’re about to have your favorite tuna fish sandwich for lunch might be considered a thing of the past, sharing aspects of your life and your journey as an entrepreneur can have tremendous influence on your followers.
Now let’s get one thing straight…..I’m not a brand developer nor am I a branding specialist, but I am a marketing expert and I can tell you how sharing pieces of yourself can help you effectively promote your business.
From a marketing perspective you need find ways to stand out in a noisy world. People are bombarded with message and images and they need to know that there’s someone out there who gets them and who truly understands the journey they’re on. Sharing your story will help them realize that you are just like them. You too have gone through the pain, heartache, disappointment, stress and came through.
You see, people aren’t looking for someone who’s perfect; they’re looking for someone who’s real. Someone relatable and who’s human just like them. So while you’re busy trying to come off as polished and pristine as possible, it’s going to work against you. People want to know that you too have bad days and good days. They want to be there during the celebration of your wins and get angry or sad with you when things don’t work out. They want to have an emotional connection with you. That’s how you get them to not only follow you, but buy from you. Cause, as I said before, you’re real!
Emotional connection with your audience is an extremely powerful marketing tool. People make decisions with their hearts and justify those decisions with logic. When you speak to their deepest desires it forms an unbreakable bond, especially when you show them that you have risen up against the odds and they can too with your help. Once they see the positive transformation in your life, they will be more than willing to pay you to help them transform their own. You see, money is no object when feelings are at play. They will want what you have……..because you are living proof that it works.
Lastly, sharing your story can help you not only attract the right audience but deter the ones who aren’t for you. If someone doesn’t resonate with or appreciate your journey, chances are they aren’t for you and will never be. Don’t be so worried that people won’t listen or might ‘opt out’, instead focus on the ones who do listen and will hang on your every word. Numbers don’t matter, what matters is the quality of the people who follow you and sharing your story will help. I had a call with my mentor the other day and she said “If people can’t handle you, then they’re not your people!” Don’t mute yourself for fear of offending or because you think people might not like you. Your people will stick by you, understand and appreciate you, and most of all pay you.
So maybe the early days of social media didn’t have it so wrong after all. Telling people about who you are, what you do and how you came to be is the best thing you can do for your business.
I discuss this and the other fundamental ways to build your brand in my free download The Four Pillars for Building a Successful Brand. Click the link and see how multibillion dollar companies built a solid foundation and keep their customers coming back for more. It’s yours and it’s free.
Also, once you sign up, over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing my incredible journey on how I came to be known as the friendly neighborhood marketer and why I’m so passionate about helping my people succeed. I do hope you stick around and keep up with free marketing training and advice on my Facebook business page at Carli Communications. (Don’t forget to click the follow button and set your notifications so you don’t miss a thing)
