Answers to my follower’s DMs:

Soooo... I had someone slide into my DMs asking questions about a post I wrote the other day. I want to share my answers here for everyone else that could use some clarity.

PS. I am paraphrasing her questions so it makes sense for you guys.

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Her question: “’Giving people a reason to trust in your expertise’ makes me feel like I have to prove myself and that's a mixed message because others say I don't have to prove anything-I just have to be myself and attract what I'm aligned with.”

My response: I think you’re hearing “prove yourself” when I’m trying to say “give people a reason to trust you as the expert you are”. However, if you are actively trying to grow your business, expand your reach and activate your audience you must be always “proving” yourself in one way or another. This is called aligned action. Taking active steps towards your goal that feel in alignment to your business and to you as the biz owner.

To create the best quality posts and to attract the highest quality audience members, you must “be who you are” (this is what I call Authentic Attraction), but it must be intentional.

For example, if you want to attract more money into your experience, you can’t just sit around saying affirmations and aligning your vibration and wait for it to land in your lap… you must do all of this combined with aligned action: actual steps towards your goal.

Aligned action can look like many different things, but in regards to my post about consistently sharing value I mean helping, sharing, advice giving as the expert you are. Positioning yourself as an expert. Speaking to your audience’s belief systems. Providing practical relief to their problem that you are so capable of solving.

Perhaps that’s by way of a free call, or quick tips, or a free e-book or guide. If you aren’t consistently solving your audience’s problem by way of value-sharing then why should anyone trust you enough to actually invest in your offerings? I don’t mean you need to prove yourself through your certifications or qualifications, but rather through your expertise and trustworthiness. It's about relationship building. 

Give people a reason to turn to you as a resource even before they invest. This is an excellent way to get referral business as well.

Her question: “I’m a big believer that you can’t define ‘value’ for other people.”

My response: I would agree… to an extent, but again I think you are zoomed too far in. I’m not talking about your innate value as a human being, I am talking about a tangible tidbit that changes someone else’s experience.

For example: If you were a nutritionist and your ideal audience member was someone struggling to integrate keto into their family’s diet- and you provided a family keto recipe for free, anyone who downloads that free recipe from you would find that valuable and then position you as someone who momentarily made their life better. In that instant, you deepened a relationship with an audience member who needed something that you have expertise in.

You are not here to manipulate others’ perception of you or to tell them what is and is not of value. You are here to offer something useful, if it is taken then it can be assumed it was found valuable. That’s it. Give for the sake of giving. Only the ones who want what you have will take it.

As an online business owner it is your absolute responsibility to show up and serve. The easiest and most authentic way to do this is through Authentic Attraction and relationship building. Value-sharing is an extension of Authentic Attraction and absolutely necessary for an easy sale. Give, give, give with no expectation and then sell with ease.

Her question: “What do you mean by conversion?”

My response: The steps to obtain a new client are typically linear. Cold lead > warm lead > hot lead > client. Sometimes steps are skipped, but typically this is the process on social media.

There are also many levels of value-sharing with different intentions on the backend.

For example, giving away a free download typically is in exchange for an email address opt-in.

Or, hosting a 3-day live event is in the hopes someone converts to a client after getting 3 days of your time.

The post that prompted yoru question was about creating selfless content for your audience without the intention that someone converts from a lead to a client, but instead the intention is that you are simply dropping knowledge with the hopes it makes a difference for the person who needs to read it (like the earlier example of the keto recipe). Business karma. 

Her question: “Where can we show up and help beyond social media? It’s all about finding the right audience.”

My response: This is difficult to answer generally, but you can show up everywhere! If you’re looking for a list of places to show up it can really be any online platform (YouTube, podcast, TikTok, email marketing, blog writing, collaborations, etc etc).

The most important thing is you recognize where your ideal audience member hangs out, then show up there and consistently provide value so they find you useful in their life. Your audience is selfish and will only follow along if you are directly benefiting their experience.

Her question: “You can’t decide what another person perceives as value, but having the right audience can help. So where do we find them? Where do we find them with actual steps and strategy to find our audience? Social media is going to die out or change and most of us are becoming white noise with similar messages.”

My response: Again, this isn’t about manipulating perception of value. It is about providing something that someone needs. If they use it and it helps… it is in fact, valuable.

This is also about having control about your messaging and your business. It is not about shaping your offerings to your audience, but rather shaping your audience to your offerings. The more unique your business is, the more specifically and uniquely you can solve a problem, the bigger the problem is… the faster your audience will grow. Are you following?

For example: Solving a micro-problem in an extremely specific way is difficult to grow an audience. Solving a mass problem in an extremely specific way is easy. (ie: I help post-menopausal women with restless leg syndrome sleep at night through sound bowl mediations... vs. I help overwhelmed moms find peace through sound bowl meditations). The solution should be unique, but the problem should be common.

It is about truly understanding yourself, your business and the current limiting belief system of your audience. YOU have a specific solution that will crush their limiting beliefs and transform their lives. That’s it. Show up, talk about it, help people and they will come to you.

The biggest problem I see with business owners trying to grow an audience is the lack of aligned action. Missing the steps and consistency.

You asked for steps and strategy but this is so unique for each person’s brand and business. The post this question came from is about value-sharing, so audience growth steps and strategy is just a conversation for another post!

I don’t believe social media is ANYwhere close to dying out. In fact it is such an evolutionary thing that I think it will continue to be a massive participant in a small business owner’s life and income. The cream always rises to the top, so if you are finding a lot of similar messaging and strategy… ignore the noise, find your voice and speak it. Rise above the noise. It’s a simple answer, but it’s the truth. Take a look at who you follow on social media and ask yourself why you follow them… it’s because you trust them, believe them and they generally make your experience better.

Her question: “I know plenty of people who have thriving businesses who don’t rely on social media for connection. Thoughts?”

My response: I own a digital business and mainly work with women who are starting their online business entrepreneurial journey, so my expertise is in online presence. Because of my experience as a website designer and years in public relations I can say there are of course many ways to have physical businesses thrive without social media.

I am curious if these people you know have brick & mortars or are solely digital. If they are online only, I’d assume they have extensive SEO and digital marketing campaigns, funnels and utilize the other platforms aside from social to grow brand awareness. This question is a bit too open ended to give a concise answer!

—In summary. Take your power back.

When you use the discrepancies in social media etiquette to account for your lack of momentum growing an online business, you’ve given away your power.

When you allow for audience judgment (aka let them decide what is and what is not valuable) to dictate the quality of content or level of your expertise, you’ve given away your power.

When you frame social media as “noise” or make claims about it dying out soon, you’ve given away your power.

If you don’t take aligned action, you’ve given away your power.

If you don’t regularly practice Authentic Attraction, and show up consistently with intention online, you’ve given away your power.

If you wait for people to decide if you are or are not valuable, you've given away your power.

… I think you get the point!

Show up everyday thoroughly convinced you are valuable AF and totally capable to transform the members of your audience’s life through your area of expertise. The sales part is fucking easy.