Be a fucking human
I already know what you're going to say about getting personal on Instagram.
“I hate when people over share on social media.”
“I'm not funny and my life is boring, what would I even say?”
“It doesn't look professional to share my personal life.”
“I don't know how to do it!”
And if I hit the nail on the head there, I can tell you this: you are so not alone.
Helping my clients to get personal (in the ways that feel right for them) is a huge part of my work.
First, let's clear something up. To be personal on Instagram you DON'T have to:
share more than you feel comfortable with
share your kids/family
share really hard stuff before you're ready to, or ever
vent about things that have nothing to do with your business
Remember that the point of being personal is to connect with your ideal clients. To stand out from the competition and attract the people that see your content and think, “Yes, I could totally work with them!”
So here are three ways to get personal on IG without spilling your tea all over the place.
1. Relate to your audience: When you share content that shows empathy for your ideal client's struggles, it shows that you understand where they're coming from and what they're going through. It's much easier for your audience to imagine working with someone who has been where they are and really gets it.
For example, my ideal client often feels like they never have enough time in their lives to create content. And I totally get that because I feel that way too! It's HARD to fit it in around the rest of your life.
To relate to my audience, I often share photos of me working from the hockey rink while my boys skate. Multi-tasking is real, and I'm right there with them!
2. Show your humanity: You might think that your audience only wants to work with someone who looks “totally professional” and “has their shit together”. But showing that you're not perfect, that you're just another human exactly like them, actually makes you more approachable.
You can share some behind-the-scenes of your business so that it's really clear that there is a hardworking, real-life human pouring their heart and soul into their work. That might look like a picture of your schedule for the day, how you're working through a problem in your business, or how you actually managed to drink your coffee while it was hot this morning.
I know I've said this a million times, but people buy from people. The more real you are on Instagram, the more your audience will get to know, like, and trust you.
3. Tell a story: This is probably all over your feed right now, but bear with me here. You don't have to tell a long, perfectly curated story with a huge lesson. But the truth is that people engage with, learn from, and share what they consume through stories far more than just reading some facts on a pretty graphic.
With stories, you want to connect your daily personal life to your business.
This can be as simple as “I totally forgot to switch my laundry to the dryer (again) and my clothes smelled sooo musty. As I was running the washing machine (again) I thought about how amazing it is to have automations in my business so I don't forget stuff for my clients like I do for my laundry.”
You can get personal while still maintaining your boundaries. And if it's still feeling uncomfortable, ask yourself this question over the weekend:
How could being more personal on my Instagram be the BEST thing for me and my business?
Sarah
For more info on getting personal on socials, follow me on Instagram.