Do you hate to talk about yourself?
But you own a business so you feel like you HAVE to talk about yourself?
Maybe you don’t like to put yourself out there.
It’s uncomfortable. Maybe you feel vulnerable, or even exposed!
You don’t like being seen.
I get it! I’ve had similar hesitations and concerns.
BUT if you are marketing your business online - via social media, email marketing, video, blogging… it’s important to include yourself in the content.
When you bring yourself into your content, you make it personal, and that connects with your audience. What you share will resonate more with them.
They’ll know they aren’t hearing from your business; they’re hearing from YOU.
Now don’t get me wrong. You don't have to share your passwords or your secret dreams. You have boundaries for a reason and you should abide by them.
In fact, if you share too much, it can be… too much!
So… how much should you share? And how can you share it in a way that will engage your audience and resonate with them?
Think about it this way… let’s say you meet someone new.
Maybe you meet them at a bookstore or at a small gathering or online. Maybe your friend introduced you to someone, or you belong to a running club. However you manage to meet people.
What would you say to them?
You would NOT say, “Here are 10 things you don’t know about me.”
Woah! Too much and way too soon! And also… out of context!
When we do meet people, how do we typically get to know each other?
We share how our day went. We talk about pop culture.
We talk about our hobbies and figure out what we have in common.
Over time we share more and more. Maybe we do stuff together.
That’s how we get to know each other.
So here are some examples:
I could say, “I have a twin!” but it is less abrupt if I say, “I went to visit my twin this weekend,” followed by few more details as I build to the actual message: that my sister does a really nice job with her Instagram account and three things I think she does that make it work.
Or I could say, “I was sick early last year.” But it is more interesting and engaging to say, “I feel like I have a lot of catching up to do. I was sick last year and so I’m way behind.” And then I could go on and talk about how as much as I may feel like I’m behind, I need to remember that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
Does that sound less forceful and less exposed? Maybe a little more purposeful and possible?
In both of these examples, this is what I’m doing:
- Telling you a little story and that makes it engaging. Maybe it’ll make you think of your own story and it might even spark some conversation between us.
- Creating context by taking a personal fact and connecting it to a point I’m trying to make.
- Promoting a sense of purpose in what I’m saying so that anything I share about me is not self-serving but rather in support of the larger goal, which is to help my audience.
This is about helping your audience connect with the real you. Here are some ways that you can put this into action:
- Talk about something you did this week. Take them into your daily life - just one thing you did (that others have likely done as well.)
- Talk about pop culture. You're sharing your taste without divulging your innermost thoughts. Star Trek or Star Wars? What type of music do you like & why?
- Talk about your pets, or your hobby, or how you spend your downtime.
No matter what you decide to talk about, do it authentically. You’re talking about yourself… so be you.
One last thought…
As an introvert, you probably don’t like small talk. I’ve heard many introverts complain that social media is all small talk.
This is your opportunity to take your conversation with your audience away from small talk and into a deeper place.
This is absolutely authentic!
And when you share yourself with your audience, it invites them to share themselves with you.
So try it. And let me know how it goes - I’d love to hear!
This topic first appeared as a Facebook Live: