011. Social Shift: Finding the Confidence to Show Up on Social Media

Episode Transcript

011. Social Shift: Finding the Confidence to Show Up on Social Media

You might be in business for yourself, but you don't have to be by yourself. My name is Kelly Lauerman and I'm here to help you stand out in a crowded market, work smarter, not harder, and build a profitable business that lasts a lifetime. Whether you're feeling a little in over your head, stuck on the same old way of doing things that you have been for years, or you hope it to do list a mile long and just don't know where to start. You're in the right place. Marketing strategy, getting leads, money management, growing your team, the build it like a business podcast is your one-stop shop for everything you need to ditch the side hustle mindset and truly build it like a business let's dive in. I know that there's no,

No one right way to do things. And so with that, I often try to avoid polarizing statements where I say, this is the right way. This is the one way you have to do it like this. Cause I just don't believe that that's the case in most scenarios. I think that there's often multiple ways to do one thing. I think there's a lot of different perspectives that need to be considered, but when it comes to building a business in 2021, I do like showing up on social media is absolutely necessary. And I really don't think there's a way around it if you want to grow your business. So there it is. I said it a polarizing statement, but let me tell you a little bit about why, unless your business is in-person your online presence is your brand even more so than a nice logo or a color scheme or a website.

And even if you're in person, it doesn't matter right now because in-person doesn't really exist these days. At least not in the same capacity that it has for so long. And so in person, businesses are in a position where they have to become online businesses, at least for the time being. And so that social media presence is what bridges the gap between you in your audience and your products or services, whether you're an online business, whether you're in network marketing or direct sales business, whether you are an in-person business that is new and exploring this crazy online space, whoever you are, your social media is the bridge between your audience and your products or services because that's where most people are hanging out. I might even venture to say that social is the number

One lead generation source. And I would challenge you to look around and see, is there anyone that you

No of who is getting consistent and high quality leads from another source, even if you're building an email list, even if you have some kind of private

Community on something like mighty networks, even if you have an in-person business or you're getting referrals, primarily leads come from social media. And that happens because social media is the community where people want to hang out. Even if social media, isn't something that you personally use in your personal life. That is still where most people are hanging out. It's still aware most people are. And so if you want to find your audience, if you want to find leads, then you need to show up where the people are. It really wouldn't make sense to say, well, I don't have enough followers. I don't have enough people following my business. If you're not also showing up where they are, it's like saying you missed the parade, but you went to a different town that the parade wasn't even in. Well, why did you expect to see the parade? You weren't where the parade was going

To be. The people are telling you, this is where we are. They're saying,

Or hanging out on social media. This is the best way for us to be together right now. And so your job as a business owner is to look at that and say,

Okay, that's where everybody is. That's where I'm going to show up. That is going to give me the best return on investment for my time, my marketing and my energy. It almost doesn't matter if social media is something you personally love. It

Almost doesn't matter. If this is something that you enjoy in your personal time. This is a business decision you are deciding what is the best way to market your business. And you've got to go to the one. That's going to be the biggest return on investment. If you want to make the most of your time and money

And energy. So if you

Don't personally love social media, you don't personally want to hang out on Facebook,

But that's fine, but make sure that you're making the right decision for your business. And in 2021, I stand by what I said, social media is necessary to thrive. It doesn't matter how much of an impact

Expert you are or how supportive you are or how much you care about the people in your audience. If you don't show up

For them and they're on social media. So it's time to show up. But the truth is is that this is easier said than done for a lot of people we often get yeah,

In our own heads. And we get in our own way. We feel like we don't have time. We're not ready. We don't know enough. We make all of

These excuses. And the truth is, is that we,

We are our own biggest obstacle. We are what stands in our own way.

Those excuses

Of not enough time, not ready, not knowing enough, we make up those excuses because they keep us comfortable. They help us feel safe and secure. But the reality is is that those excuses don't serve any purpose other than to hold you back. And often those excuses that we tell ourselves, aren't exactly the truth. They don't really paint a real picture of reality. Usually they're just the tip of the iceberg of something

Bigger. Or on the flip side, there are mountain

That we've made out of a mole

Hill. So we've got to put our excuses into perspective. Are they a symptom of a bigger issue or are we actually just making something a bigger deal than it needs to be? And that's exactly what we're going to talk about today. The excuse

Uses the limiting beliefs that are holding you back from showing up online, where your audience is sitting, waiting for you to serve

Them. There are

So many people who need exactly what you have to offer, but you have to show up in order to give it to them. So let's go ahead and dive right in with the first limiting

Belief. And that is that you don't want the attention or the spotlight

Where you don't want to take up space that you feel is better occupied by somebody else.

This often shows up as avoiding showing your face online, feeling like

You don't want to share your personal story or your life with other people, not wanting to talk about yourself, avoiding bringing you to the online space, not wanting to make,

Take that digital footprint. And

That's something that you're feeling right now. If you're feeling like you don't want the attention, maybe you're undeserving of the attention,

Or you don't want to take up space on that

Line and you don't want to show your face or talk about yourself. I would encourage you to ask yourself why you're

Here. Why did you start your business in the first place? This might be

Your why as people talk about the reason that you do what you do, or it might not even be that deeper, complicated,

Not everything has to be you.

I just beat painfully aware of a problem and know that you have a solution that you can share,

Because if you're here

Right now as a business owner, you do know that you have something to give. Otherwise you wouldn't have taken that first step. You wouldn't have this thought that you're a business owner. Even if you haven't really started, even if you haven't sold anything yet. And you're somehow coming across this podcast, the fact that you're here right now means that in some way, shape or form, you understand that you have something to bring to the table. But when the fear creeps in, when the self doubt creeps in, when the imposter syndrome took over,

You just lost sight of it, but it's there, it's inside you. So

I'd encourage you to try digging deeper. What do you need in order to feel good,

Comfortable get to the root of it. Maybe

It's because you have an image of what you're supposed to look like. If you're in the spotlight, is it that you really don't feel like you deserve the spotlight or that you don't have anything to say? Or is it just that you don't feel like you look the part or sound the part based on the type of success that you're familiar with?

If that's the case, maybe. Yeah.

It's time to start changing the scenery and surrounding yourself with people that you truly see yourself in. Stop following the picture. Perfect influencers and multimillion dollar business owners that seem like they have it all together. Maybe it's time to follow more people who are showing that real raw, authentic side

Of their business, instead of the polished, perfectly imperfect side of their business. If you don't see

Yourself in the people that you currently aspire to be, and that you currently admire, don't be afraid to change the scenery. Success is not one size fits all. So if the definition of success that you're currently familiar with, doesn't feel right.

You change up who is telling you what success looks like. The next level

Belief that I want to talk about today is that you don't want to waste people's time by sharing content that isn't relevant. This often shows up as avoiding sharing your thoughts online, whether it's a video, a post, a story, whatever

Ever it is, it shows up as constantly

Leave feeling like you don't know what to talk about. Not because you're not an expert or because you don't have an opinion, but rather because you can't decide if people would like it,

Get, here's the thing. People

Won't follow you if you're wasting their time. So you really don't need to worry about whether or not you're wasting their time. Because the people who are following you are choosing to be there. They don't feel like you're wasting their time. So for you to spend time worrying about that for you to spend your energy on wondering if you're wasting their time,

Well, that's a waste

Of yours and it's limited.

So do not do not waste that precious resource worrying about whether or not you're wasting someone else's time share what you want to talk

About, what you want to talk about, give what you want to

Give and let your followers

Regulate their own social feed. You don't need to regulate it for them. You don't need to police their social media feed. You don't need to worry about whether your content is wasting their time, because they wouldn't be there.

Where if it was, they are literally choosing

To be there absorbing your information. So don't shop with someone else's wallet and don't micromanage your followers.

They can do that themselves. Now,

Ex limiting belief that I want to talk about is one that I feel

Pretty passionately about.

I ha I have a strong opinion here. And so let's go ahead and dive right in. So this one is that you don't have enough of a following or you'll show up when you have more people following you. Like you're wasting your time by posting when you only have a hundred or 50, or even just 10 followers. Like it's not worth your time to show up for just 10 people. What's the point. If there's barely anyone

There, this shows up as

Having ideas, but just not following through, because you don't feel like they're going to get enough traction or make a big enough impact or matter enough when you have ideas. And you know what you'd like to say or talk about, but you let them go

Because, well, why bother if there's no one out there? But the truth is, is that that is so disrespectful to your current followers. They are enough just like you are enough, serve 15 people

The same way that you would serve 500 people or 10,000 people, or 100,000

People. Each individual

Follower is not worth less based on the size of the group

That they're in. One person doesn't matter less because they're innocent

Group of 10 and one person doesn't matter more

Because they're in a group of a thousand. So

The next time that you're deciding whether or not it's worth your time to show up

Online, if you catch yourself saying there's not enough people there aren't enough

People they're following me. There's not enough of an audience. This idea won't gain traction. It's not going to matter.

Or remember that the worth of the people following you, hasn't changed. They are as worthy and important as they have ever been. Just like you are.

The only thing that changed is the way that you're thinking

About them. And that's a choice. So you have the ability to decide those people are worth your time. Those people

Are worth hearing what you have to say.

They are as much in need of the solution

That you have to offer of the knowledge you want to bring to the table that you have to share as they would be. If

They were in a group of a thousand people or 10,000 people give one person just as much respect and trust,

Time and attention as you would a thousand people, because their worth is not any different based on your followers.

Okay? I told you

I have a really strong opinion about that one,

And I really didn't want to hold back because I think it needs to be said, because I don't truly believe that anyone is looking at their followers feeling like they don't deserve respect, but our intentions do not matter if our actions don't reflect them. And so if you care about your followers, if you care about getting your message out there, then yeah,

You need to show that through your actions. And that means showing up whether it's one person, 10 people, or a hundred

People, all right, I'm not going to keep rubbing salt in the wound. Well, let's keep going. So the next limiting belief is

When you believe that you don't have any good photos to share, therefore you have nothing to post. This can show up as dismissive

Ideas that you do have because you didn't,

You don't have the right picture to go with it. You don't have the right image to go

With it. So here's the thing you do not need. Perfect photos. You don't even need,

Need your own photos to get started. And this is kind of a double sided coin

In here because you can use iPhone photos that are imperfect, or you can use stock photos. And there's nothing wrong with either of them, both are easy and honestly both can be completely free. You don't need

To pay for a stock photo membership to get really high quality stock photos.

So both of these options are readily available. And which one you use really

Doesn't often fall into a strategy when you're first deciding it usually has to do with what was easiest for you

At the time. If you think about when you

First started your business, the very first thing you ever posted on social media, you probably didn't have a strategy behind what the photo was that you used. You probably just used what made sense and was convenient at the time. So maybe it was a photo that was just sitting on your phone, or maybe it was a picture that you took just for that you weren't thinking, is this the right picture? Do I need to use this? Is this the right way to do it?

You were just doing what felt right and made sense in the moment. And so

With that, the same way that you might have fallen into using your iPhone photos and you don't feel good about it, you feel like they're not nice enough or bright enough or well lit enough, or, you know, whatever it is, they're not enough

Some way somebody else fell in

Using stock photos. And they feel the same way. Those

It's honestly a classic case of the grass is greener. On the other side, the person who has pictures,

Perfect stock photos that are absolutely beautiful, or even the person who has absolutely gorgeous photo shoots at the ready that they can

Post. Anytime is looking

At the authenticity of Instagram photos, taken on a phone and saying, gosh, I really wish I had that. I really need that in order to get the authentic engagement and the person who has those raw in the moment, iPhone photos that are probably a little bit dark and maybe not even totally CRISPR clear every time. Well, they're looking at the person with the photo shoe or with the stock

Photos, wishing that they had that there are pros and cons to both. No

One of them is perfect or the best.

And I would encourage

You if you're feeling like whatever photos you have, aren't good enough for any

Reason, then I would encourage

You to take a step back and assess the situation.

Are they really not good enough? Or is this just another excuse that is keeping you comfortable? And the last one,

The limiting belief that I want to talk about today is talking about the algorithm and features on social media and this feeling that the algorithm has changed or a big new feature was released like Instagram reels. And now you feel like there's just another hurdle in front of you. Like one more obstacle

Overcome this limiting belief often will show up as fear,

Feeling like there's constantly new obstacles in your way. And how are you ever supposed to get started? When, what worked last week, doesn't work this week and what works this week, isn't going to work next week. And the truth is, is that nobody has it all figured out. And new features are inevitable. It's not a roadmap

Block though. It's an option and you have the choice

To either save it and use it or leave it. You can always come back to it later, but you're not obligated to do it all. You're not obligated to use every new feature that ever exists. And you're not obligated to create content. That's solely based on what people are telling you, the quote unquote algorithm

Them wants you to do what matters more than any algorithm is creating relevant content that you,

The audience will genuinely get excited and care about. And so, as long as you're in tune with what your audience needs and you're creating content surrounding that, then you are in the clear, you do not need to live your life based on what people are telling you. The album,

The rhythm wants, honestly, most don't have

A clue about what the algorithm really is. Most people do not understand it. And it's, it makes sense. It's totally intangible. Yeah.

It's like this ghost that we all talk about, but no one's ever seen. And most

The time when people talk about algorithm changes, those changes are either 100%

Rumor with no facts to back them up. Or they're blown so far out of proportion by people who stand to benefit from your fear. Yeah. Let me read that again. It's either completely made up or it's blown way out of proportion by people who stand to benefit from your fear. So if you see someone posting on social media all about how the,

Or them changed and you need to do X, Y, and Z, instead of what you've been doing all along, or you're never going to get any posts in front of anyone ever going get some content

Trust and verify, hear what they're saying, but then confirm that it's actually true. Marketing is tricky

Key. And in any industry, there are always going to be people who play into your fears because it benefits them who play into it,

Your fears, because that's going to help them make a sale. So remember, you're not obligated to do it all

Business owner, you do need to do something. So just pick something

Thing and do it algorithm be damned. Can I say that on a podcast? I don't really know, but just pick something and do it. And then also take any

Conversations about algorithm changes very, very, very much with a grain of salt, because they are often either a rumor or they're blown way out of proportion, by people who say

Stand to benefit from your fear. Limiting beliefs are something that show up for absolutely

Everybody. No one is immune to it. Even the people that you see online

Seem like they have it all together. Everyone is experiencing limiting beliefs. It's really about how you handle them. When they come up, are you leaning into them? Are you letting them

Live rent free in your head?

Or are you dismissing them? Are you hearing them and letting them pass right on? Because you know what, you're right. If you believe

Leave all those things, then they will all hold you back. But you get to do

Aside. You are the landlord of your brain and you get to decide who stays and who gets evicted. And so everything that we talked about today now is your time to just go ahead and evict it and start shifting the way that you're thinking about social media. So let's go on,

Go ahead and recap. The limiting beliefs that we talked about today and how to shift your mindset around each of them.

First, if you feel

Like you're wasting people's time, I would encourage you to stop micromanaging yourself.

Love if you,

I feel like you're wasting people's time. I would encourage you to stop micromanaging your followers. They wouldn't follow you if they weren't interested in what you had to say. And if they stopped being interested, they'll unfollow you. It really is that simple. So you

To you, and if you feel like you don't

Serve the attention that comes with having a presence on social media, I'd encourage you to ask yourself if maybe it's a little bit deeper than that. If maybe it's more so about the current definition of success that you're surrounded by and whether or not it lines up with your personal goals and your personality. If it turns out that the current image of success that's in front of you every day, isn't what feels good to you.

You then change the scenery. Success is different for everyone, but if you

Only surround yourself with one version of success, then you're always going to feel blind to the alternatives. So try going out there and finding some people that you can resonate with and that you can see yourself in so that you can see a wider range of what success looks like. And if you're feeling like you don't have a big enough following, or that it's not worth spending time on Instagram stories or Facebook lives, or sending that email if only 10 or 50 or a hundred people are there to listen,

Check yourself, because that is disrespectful to your current followers. They are enough just like you are enough, serve 15 people the same,

Same way that you would serve 500 people or 10,000 people, or a hundred thousand people

Show up for them there.

Birth does not change based on your follower account. And neither does

Is yours. And if you feel like you don't have good photos to post no,

That the grass will always be greener. On the other side, someone with perfect photos is trying to figure out how to be more authentic and people with those real Ross cell phone photos are trying to be more polished, show up with what you've got. People are there for you more than they are for your pictures. Your photos are just one small part of your life

Content, and know that the alternative is readily available. So if you're here

Using cell phone photos and you want more polished professional photos, you can use services like Unsplash or picks a Bay, which are free stock photo

Libraries. So if

You need the stock photos, they're there and they're free. And if you need more raw, authentic photos, pull out your phone and go take a couple pictures.

And last but not least, if you feel like there are

Constantly new changes to the algorithm on Facebook or Instagram or any social platform, or that there's constantly new features being released. And you just can't keep up, remember that these are options, not rules, and none of them are a be all end all. You don't need to jump on every new bandwagon. So feel free to put the blinders on and just get into a rhythm

And always, always

Notices of a new algorithm or any similar story with a hefty grain of salt.

Let's hear what the person is saying, absorb it, but go and do it,

Verify it before you believe it. Or before you start reacting

Intuit, because often these are just rumors or it's something that did change,

But is way blown out of proportion

By someone who stands to benefit from your fear of that change. I know that

Not everything today was probably super comforting

Verbal to here. I know I got a little,

A little bit passionate when it came to showing up for your followers, no matter what size your audience,

But my hope is that what you heard today. Okay?

Whether it was easy to hear or whether you've heard it before or whether it was totally new information. My hope is that you can release at least one limiting belief. That's been holding you back, that you can look at the excuses that are keeping you comfortable and you can step around them and move

Forward. There is space for you online. There is a

Whole world of people who need what you have to offer,

And you know that you know that you have something to give them. So now you just need to take a step forward into the light and start sharing it. Thank you.

You so much as always for being here today and showing up for yourself. And if you enjoyed this episode, I would be so grateful. If you would do two things for me first, if you would take a second to leave a rating and a review of the podcast on iTunes. And then if you would take a screenshot of this episode and share it on your Instagram stories and tag me at anchor design co, you would seriously make my day. When you share and review the podcast, you not only help the show, reach more people, but you also help me know what kind of content is helpful for you so that I can know what to bring to the table to support you in your business. So thank you for being here. Thank you for sharing. And I cannot wait to see you again next week. Bye.

Okay.

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