Have you ever held yourself back from sharing something or posting something on social media because it didn't seem valuable enough?
Have you ever decided not to post something you really liked (a photo from a holiday, perhaps) because you thought your audience wouldn't care? Or because it didn't fit within your defined, restrictive content plan?
Part of the fun of working for yourself is being able to build a business that fits you, instead of trying to fit yourself into some idealistic representation of what an entrepreneur looks like. Frankly, there’s enough of the same s**t out there, and we all deserve an opportunity to stand as we are and be accepted for that.
Part of that may (arguably, should) involve talking about more than just the work that you do. That’s because you’re way more interesting and three-dimensional than what you do, or the value that you provide to others.
And gosh have I spoken ad nauseum about the whole "add value" thing >
I strongly believe that talking about the things you want to talk about, shouldn’t be seen as an ad hoc and random approach. You can talk about the things you like, or the more personal parts of your life, and still have it be strategic.
Providing “value” is not just about educating people. It can be so much more than that.
I’m not surprised to see entrepreneur after entrepreneur become disillusioned with social media or frustrated with content creation, if all we ever see as “valuable” is the information, product or service we can provide to others.
But here’s the thing.
Me “helping” or “providing value” to my potential clients or customers, can look like more than just writing them a few pages of copy, or helping them establish their brand voice.
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It can look like giving them a peaceful moment while scrolling their feed, with a simple photo and minimal caption, where they’re not being bombarded with messaging about what they’re doing wrong.
Think about your favourite people on social media. Sure, there's probably a few accounts there that teach you a thing or two, who help you think differently about something. But there's probably also a few accounts in there that make you laugh, or help you daydream about your next holiday.
And that's valuable too.
Read More: What it Actually Means to "Add Value" in Creating Content >
"Value" can look like speaking up about how bad my day / week / month has been, so my followers feel less alone in a world of highlight reels. It can look like talking about the things that fire me up and get me excited outside of websites and content writing, so they feel more connected with the person on the other side of the screen.
Finding ideal clients and like-minded people to build our community, is much less likely to happen if we don’t ever allow them to see beyond the facts and the perfectly curated feed.
So consider this a permission slip to try something new on your feed. To experiment with being more open in your content, with who you are and the values you hold deep in your heart.
You might be surprised by the results!
Until next time, be kind to yourself and create something remarkable!
Laura x
