I delivered a guest expert training all around content marketing and branding a month or so ago and I got asked a really interesting question:
“Is it okay to share personal content?”
So, I thought I’d share my answer with you here in the hope it helps you too.
In order to connect with your ideal client, you need to show an element of who you are online within your content marketing. And that means showing up and sharing more than you would normally (especially if you are a private person to begin with).
This is because as a personal brand, you want to be able to connect with your ideal clients on a much deeper level. Why? Because people buy into people. Why do you think big companies started getting celebrities to become the faces of their companies? Because they want to not only create an association with their brand, but they wanted people to think – well if this celebrity is endorsing this product/service then it must be good. Plus, who doesn’t love Kevin Bacon from Footloose (am I right, or am I right)?!
A personal brand is typically someone who is the face of their business, they are delivering their services and digital products and their business is focused around their skillset, their experience and their approach.
The key is in the name ‘person’al brand. It’s about YOU as a person and as a business owner, but also how you can help people. So sharing personal content gets a big thumbs up from me…
How much is too much when it comes to sharing personal content on your business platforms?
The great thing about running your own business is you get to set your own boundaries when it comes to your content marketing.
You get to decide how much ‘personal stuff’ you want to share along with what you do and don’t want to share.
For example, I never have George (my husband) on my Instagram® Stories with me, simply because he doesn’t want to be on them. And I respect his boundaries.
Whereas I’m more than happy to share my dog, Lionel on my stories because everyone loves him and there’s also strategic thought behind it too; You see, I know that my ideal clients may possibly either be dog owners or dog lovers, so by sharing Lionel in my content, I am creating an instant connection with potential new clients. It’s all about sharing relatable content. Content that sparks a conversation and ultimately a connection and relationship.
This is where you can bring certain elements of who YOU are into your content through talking triggers – something I work on with my Self Discovered Brand clients.
One thing I will say is, don’t go over board with your personal content. People don’t need to know every single thing that’s happened each day for you… they only need to see a peek at who you are in order to know whether they can connect with you. The rest can stay private.
Getting clear on who your ideal client is, will help you massively with what personal content to share.
This is because you are more like your ideal client than you probably realise. It’s all down to who you are as people.
Don’t forget about first impressions!
If someone comes across you, your website, your blog, your social media content for the first time – you’ve got less than 7 seconds to make an impression, so you’ve got to be thinking about what impression you want to be making. An impression and opinion will be formed from the following:
• Your visual branding
• Your content
• Your personality
It’s as simple as that. So I’d love for you to ask yourself right now – what impression do you want to be making and are all your platforms reflecting that impression? You get the control the narrative. You get to decide how you want people to perceive you and your business – and that is the power of mixing branding with content marketing.
3 ways you can start to strategically share more personal content:
- Set healthy boundaries.
Ask yourself – what are you willing to share, what are you not willing to share? This could be family, friends, children, partners, your house etc. - Get clear on who your ideal client is.
And create relatable content that is going to speak directly to them. - Take baby steps.
If you’ve been a very private person up until now, then don’t feel like you have to go all out and start to share everything. Instead take small, baby steps. This could be doing something as simple as adding one 15 second video clip of what you’re up to at the weekend.
