Feeling good about showing up can ebb and flow. For example, when you first got started, you may have loved hopping onto Instagram Live to say hello every morning. Maybe you loved writing blogs, but don’t seem to really enjoy it anymore.
That’s ok. The ways that you want to show up and the ways that your audience engage with you will change over time! That’s why I want to talk to you today about how to find ways to show up that feel good.
Why you want to show up vs. where you should show up
Usually, when I ask my clients, “How do you want to show up?” they start out with something like, “Well, I heard that I should be on Facebook because that’s where a lot of brands in my industry are.” There’s that pesky word: should.
Make sure you know the difference between should and want, my friend. Because shoulds usually end up making you feel burnt out or resentful. Just think about the last time you did something you should do just because someone told you to. Did you feel excited? Did you show up as your best self? Or was it kind of annoying, and maybe even felt like a waste of your time?
Let’s project that on to the rest of your efforts to show up. What if you only did what you should do? Would you feel motivated to get online, write that blog, pitch that podcast? Probably not. My best is, all of your showing up would get pushed to the bottom of your list because it just wouldn’t light you up. That won’t help you reach your goals, though, and certainly won’t grow your profits.
That’s why I want you to focus on what you want to do in terms of your visibility and online presence. We’ll talk about how to plan that out below, as well as where that intersects with what your audience wants.
Grab a piece of paper and a pen real quick!
Work out how you want to show up
I know you have something inside you that wants you to show up and share — so we’re going to focus on that, and find ways that you can share it easily. So on that piece of paper you just grabbed, let’s write out the types of content you are creating regularly. Are you creating:
- Blogs
- Instagram posts
- Instagram Stories
- Emails
- Surveys
- Pinterest posts
- Content to share in Facebook groups or masterminds
- Popular video platforms like TikTok
- Podcasts
- YouTube videos
Wherever you’re showing up online or in-person, write that out.
Now that you’ve made your list, look at it. Ask yourself: Where are you showing up regularly? Where do you spend the most time. After that, think about the ONE place you show up the most.
Why do you show up there? What do you like about it? If all the others on your list went away, would you be happy to keep this one? Why or why not?
For example, I show up a lot of Instagram and I love engaging there. But if I had to get rid of everything and only keep one thing, I’d choose to keep the podcast. So on your list, put a star next to the ways you show up that you’d keep. Why would you keep them? Is it because it’s easier? Because you like talking or writing or meeting people?
Now, which one would you break up with first? Cross it off that list. Why did you choose it?
Which one do you want to be using, but aren’t using as much as you want? Why? How can you change that?
Align how you show up with how your audience shows up
Now, on to the all-important question: Look at the list of “starred” visibility actions you take — whether it’s posting regularly on Instagram, playing with TikTok, recording podcast episodes, etc. Look at that list and add another star to the places where you get the most engagement, leads, or clients.
I guarantee you there is at least one place this intersects. For me, it’s definitely Instagram, but I also have a few private Facebook groups I’m part of that get conversations started. I love showing up in those places. Where do you love showing up that coincides with how your audience loves showing up?
Those are the places you want to explore — especially if it’s something you haven’t invested a ton of time into. If there’s somewhere your audience shows up a lot that you just don’t love, maybe consider ways you can outsource that. You can still “show up” and not do the draining parts of it, which I like to call a win-win.
Explore new ways to show up
My hope is that, by looking at all the ways you’re showing up, you see where you are showing up the most, what feels good, and what doesn’t. I also hope this helps you focus on where your clients are hanging out and where you can be even more consistent.
I really want you to reflect on the ways you like showing up and ask yourself: What would it feel like to show up — not just for your audience, but for yourself?!?
If you realized, writing down all the ways that you show up, that you’re doing a lot of the same thing and want to “expand your horizons,” I have just the thing for you. My checklist, 52 Ways to Build Your Brand Visibility Now, gives you an awesome opportunity to show up in all-new ways — and have fun!
Download this FREE brand visibility checklist and have fun showing up. There are enough prompts in here to help you show up once a week for a whole year. No big deal!
For more insights on how to feel more rooted in yourself, your business, and your brand, make sure you’re subscribing to the Brave New You podcast!
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