People buy people
It is a cliché but it is true, But are you being personal enough in your online content? It may be the perception that you make your business sound bigger if you say ‘we’ even if you are a one man/woman band working in your garage, but is it actually an advantage?
I think people like to see the person behind the business as much as the business itself. As that is what drives and ultimately shapes the business and its values.
For example...
The best way to talk about this is to give you an example, James Watt is the CEO of BrewDog and they are a very successful brand of beer with bars across the world. Their brand is unbelievably strong, and they are known for very tongue-in-cheek names on their beers, being relatively small they can get ideas on the shelves fairly fast. The lockdown brought out some crackers. They are also a carbon neutral company and run all their bars as carbon neutral as this is something that James is passionate about. He posts on LinkedIn and Twitter and has a clear message and personality that aligns with his BrewDog brand and in fact clearly drives everything about the company.
Part of the success I believe is this strong personality behind the brand and as small business owners I think we can learn a lot from this! But some people seem intent on promoting a faceless brand and therefore struggle to stand out and struggle to engage a strong following on or offline (although these days you need to prioritise online).
I think many people are afraid to share personal details or feelings and I am not suggesting you start crying on Facebook lives to get an audience, but I have found the more I share and the more real it is the more my business and brand grows. It can be scary to be vulnerable in any way and there will be some who don’t like it. But the more people get to know the real you the closer you are to your ideal clients. And generally speaking, the more ideal they are, the higher the ticket price you can command.
For example, if you are a coach, you need to build up a strong amount of trust with your clients and it is far easier to do that by letting people get to know you. Using social media to not only share valuable and helpful content, but to also inject some personality and vulnerability. Sharing part of your own journey will always help people relate to you.
But where do you start?
Well it can be as simple as sharing things you find funny, but more powerful content tends to come when sharing something we struggled with. If you have overcome a situation or illness and come out the other side this can be a compelling story to tell. Because storytelling is one of the best forms of marketing there is. It works. And authentic stories work best of all. Being able to connect to others on a deep level and engage their emotions is a powerful tool to possess.
I am not suggesting an X factor style sob story by the way, but a glimpse into why you started your business or sharing your journey with mental health issues, can really engage others and start them on the Know – Like – Trust cycle that should be the underlying theme of your sales pipeline.
They reckon it takes 8 touchpoints before a customer signs up and that can be through email or personal message, but it also includes social media. So, mixing those posts between personal, entertaining, value and social proof is really important.
Marketing can be hard work at times, as there is so much noise online but the ONE thing you have that is unique is YOU! So, don’t be afraid to tell us who that is.
