Building an Empowering Presence on Social Media

Business advertising has taken a turn since social media- goodbye highway billboards! Social media is the ultimate source for advertising your business.

For me, this past year I have really dedicated a ton of my time to building a larger presence on social media. In my line of work, in order for my business to be successful, I have to sell myself to my clients. Sure, my artwork makes a statement in and of itself. But what about beyond that? What do I have to offer my clients that is different from the next photographer? And the simple answer is: Me.

I am the one thing that the photographer next to me does not have and can never have. So why would I not pour into that? Think about your favorite influencer. Why do you buy everything they share? Why are you so easily persuaded by the things they say? Because you’ve grown to enjoy their online presence. So the easiest thing I can do for my clients and my business is simply that, give them more of me!

Creating an authentic, uplifting, and positive presence on social media is important to me and honestly, important to any business out there. So how exactly does one do that?

Defining Your Purpose and Community

My purpose on social media has always been to inspire others- women and mothers especially. I want women to feel confident as they navigate through the trenches of motherhood. I want them to find confidence in the way they feel, what they wear, how they’re parenting, their relationship with themselves and/or partner- I want full confidence all around. I want to shed some humor on the stresses of life and uplift others through the messy trenches that come with raising humans. I want nobody to take this short life for granted and certainly never take it too seriously.

Being intentional about what you share is important. Keeping your purpose and messages clear and consistent is what helps build your online community. It helps strengthen the connections you make online and ultimately, keeps people coming back for more.

Being Authentic and Transparent

The trickiest part is getting over the uncomfy parts of it all- shy behind the camera? Don’t like talking on stories? Embarrassed when recording in public? Because, me too.

Getting past those hurdles and growing more comfortable doing those things is half the battle. The other half is being okay with being vulnerable. It’s being authentic and transparent to your audience. Giving them everything- all the real, raw versions of you. In the same ways that we crave vulnerability in our personal relationships, we look for that online, too. We look for things that connect with us deeply. We look for others who share similar traits, values, beliefs, etc. Sharing those parts of you is important when building an empowering presence online.

Staying Consistent and Patient

Like nothing else, staying consistent and patience is key. Social media is a long term gain- you won’t see results happen overnight. Continuing to post consistently, engage with other accounts, and waiting out the results makes for social media growth. It is easy to become discouraged when you are not seeing the growth you desire, but keep going. Keep posting. Keep engaging. Keep sending your message.

One thing I heard recently that has really stuck with me is this: if you reach 25 people, you’ve reached a classroom. If you reach 100 people, you’ve reached a restaurant. If you reach 500 people, you’ve reached a small auditorium.

Don’t get so caught up in the numbers that you forget the impact of their size. Stay consistent for the ones showing up- stay focused on the impact you are making.