I’ve always been a performer. I played the violin from the age of 8 to 18, I sang in the school choir and performed in musicals and talent shows. I even did a “glee” style group outside of school and sang competitively. While performing has always come naturally to me, so has teaching. In fact, I’ll let you in on a secret, I went to school for a year to become a teacher before deciding I wanted to pursue hair. All that to say, I eventually realized if I combine those passions along with my love for people, I could turn my strengths into assets for my business.
Now I must give credit where it’s due because while being on camera may have felt more natural for me given my background, I may have never made the actual jump to posting videos on social media without the example (and small, but mighty nudge) from my dear friend Tara Thueson. She was and still is a successful influencer and business owner because of her organic, authentic way of sharing her life and her passions on Instagram. The pivotal moment where it all started was a day, I happened to be doing Tara’s hair and she said, “okay I want you to go on your Instagram story and show your face, talk about your day or share a tip … and then don’t stop doing that everyday until you are done growing your business”. That last part was the gamechanger.
And you know what? I did exactly that. And I know you can do it too.
Over time, I learned to embrace the imperfections of the way I shared my life on social media. Our imperfections and authenticity is what brings people together which is why I committed to ALWAYS recording one take and never relying on a script for what I’m going to say. While that was a good strategy for me, trust me when I say, I still doubted myself. In fact, when I first started and I would see only 40 or 80 people watching my stories, I would get discouraged and think this couldn’t possibly make a difference. But then my husband said something that stuck with me…
He said, “Jess, when was the last time you had that many people sitting in a room listening to what you had to say?”
That always kept things in perspective for me, even when I would go through lulls, I knew that while the numbers mattered, every person who took the time to hear me mattered.
Like I said, I’m a firm believer that no matter where you are in your journey, you can do this too. You just have to pick a place and start. In the meantime, I put together some of my best tips to anyone working to build their online presence.
- Be a teacher. There will always be people that know more than you, but you aren’t talking to them. You are talking to your audience/customer who will find value in what you have to offer. There’s always going to be someone who’s never heard it before.
- Always put your best foot forward in how you present yourself.
- Be consistent no matter what. In my opinion, this is the difference maker when it comes to those who are successful and those who aren’t on social media.
- Show and create what comes naturally to you! You may not think something you do everyday is your superpower, but I can assure you that if you can do it better than most, it certainly is.
- Utilize current software and apps to edit, create and elevate your content. Branding matters in this space.
- PROMOTE your content. We spend so much time planning and posting content for Instagram, but we should be reposting it on all of our channels, repurposing it for emails and even making blog posts and YouTube videos about it. If you think you’re being annoying, you’re probably on the right track.
If you take anything away from this, just remember that YOU are unique. It doesn’t matter how many people are already doing it in your industry, there is no one in the world who can do it like you. You’ll cultivate your own audience with your unique style and trust me when I say, that’s the most rewarding part. I know it can be intimidating, but don’t let that hold you back. Consider this your nudge. Take the first step, stay consistent and watch the rest unfold.
