Struggling to sound 'authentic' in your marketing? You need this...
Image credit: Tim Mossholder
There’s one issue that pops up again and again in my Witching Hour consultations. It stops freelancers from marketing themselves or finding a sense of community. And I can’t have that.
That issue, my gorgeous doves, is knowing how to sound authentic in social media posts. Especially on that corporate cesspit we call 'LinkedIn'.
As someone without that issue, I’m well placed to dish out advice on how to get over your damn self and actually start posting without fear. The platform (and my timeline) is crying out for you in all your wonderful you-ness. So, let’s get on with it, shall we?
1) Does your post topic relate to your brand values or business ethos?
I firmly believe that almost anything can be classed as content on LinkedIn…assuming it fits with your brand values and business ethos. This is why I encourge all new brands or freelancers to sit down and do the work where their branding is concerned.
Do you know who your target clients or customers are? Do you know what kinds of brands they’re into and what’s important to them? Do you know which market gap you serve and why people value you? Do you know what makes your brand YOUR brand? Get it down in writing, babe!
Whenever you write a batch of LinkedIn posts, I want you to sense-check them against your brand values and business ethos. Have you ripped into someone despite running a ‘kind’ brand? Have you jumped on a meme trend when you’re out here claiming to be ‘original’ and ‘blue sky’?
Your LinkedIn posts should always be written to achieve an outcome (sales, promotion, brand awareness, etc.), but they should also accurately reflect you and what you’re all about. As long as they do that, you’re golden.
2) Do your posts pass the vibe check?
One thing I always encourage LinkedIn consultation clients to do is write up a checklist they can use before they hit ‘post’. The items on the list differ from brand to brand, but the main aim is to qualify the post against your brand, goals, and target customer.
Like we mentioned up there in point one, if one of your main brand values is kindness, maybe one of the questions on your list is something like, ‘Is this a kind post?’ I also advise adding a question like, ‘If this post got pushback, would I be okay with that?’
If it’s important to you or your brand, get it on your list and make sure every post checks ‘yes’ before you put it out into the world. Confidently embodying your values is true authenticity, babe!
3) Are you writing for your critics rather than your customers?
This last point is a biggie. It’s the most important because almost everyone I speak to is guilty of it! They spend ages editing the post, tweaking it, imagining what their haters will say about it. But ya know what? We aren’t writing for everyone. We’re writing for our target clients/customers.
Turning people off with your posts isn’t always a bad thing — it helps you fine-tune your network. You’ll shed the people who don’t like you and attract those who do. And that’s what we want, hun. We’re not out here trying to write for everyone; we’re writing to our customer avatar. Hold that one person in your mind and use your tried and tested tactics to engage only them.
That’s how you stand out and get leads on LinkedIn. 🔥
Still stuck, babe? No worries. Book yourself a consultation and let’s work it out — we can even make a checklist for you to work through when you’re writing.
