One of the most powerful ways to build human connection within your business is to let people know who YOU are. Does this idea make you shrink back in terror? You may be thinking, “but it’s not about me, it’s about my customers, why do I have to put my face all over the place?”
You’re not alone. Many business owners have these feelings. So they hide behind their brand hoping that their services will sell themselves. But the reality is, you are just hurting your business this way. I’m going to share three ways for you to change that mindset and become irresistible to your dream clients. Get ready to own your superpower and grow your business.
1. Show More of Yourself
Don’t forget that YOU are your business, so make yourself visible to your clients. This means showing your beautiful face on your website and social feed. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Take photos of you looking at the camera letting your personality shine through.
- Share videos of you teaching insightful tips that you’ve learned from running your own business.
- Create photos or videos of you behind-the-scenes doing your creative thang.
Learn more about brand photography to increase your booking and potential sales here.
Imagine when you meet someone in person for a consultation at a local coffee shop. You come with your portfolio and your services brochure in hand. You sit down with the potential client. A conversation starts, you create some connections and see if you vibe. Then you show them your portfolio. They seem interested, you start talking about your offers and they decide to book you. Yay! It’s a good day, right?
Well, think about it from the client’s perspective of that experience. You are sitting there talking to them. You chit-chat about how you went paddle-boarding recently. You find that the client loves paddle-boarding as well. By the time they reviewed your portfolio or checked your pricing, they’d made most of their decision. And it had more to do with their time chatting with you than it does with your portfolio.
People buy from people. Your ideal clients want to trust that you are going to show up for them and do what you say you will. They want to resonate with you and feel part of your community. Now, you can’t be in person on your website but you can cultivate your website and social media to mimic the effect of the in-person experience.
Pro Tip: Your ideal clients aren’t going to make their decision based on your portfolio or your offers alone. They are going to make their decision to book you based on how they connect with YOU.
Add more of you to your marketing and start creating that genuine connection with your clients simply by showing up!
2. Share Your Quirks
Sharing fun things about you allow your dream clients to connect with you on a deeper level. This aligns with the same premise that people buy from people. When you share more about yourself, it allows potential clients to humanize you and your business.
Pro Tip: Share parts of your life or story that will help attract those dream folks. And turn off the people who won’t align. I added much more of my face to my website within my own business and I started talking about my love of Oreos. I shared funny photos of me eating Oreos and named my services after Oreo flavors. After I did this, my inquiries went from “what are your prices” to “OMG I love Oreos too and I can’t wait to book you!”
Now, it wasn’t all about Oreos. The Oreos were sprinkled alongside the rest of my messaging. The messaging spoke to their needs and the experience I would create for them. But, the Oreos showed my personality and ideal clients that connected with that part of my personality came running. As an independent business, your creativity and your unique approach are a HUGE part of why a client is hiring you.
3. Share Your Stories
People love stories. Think about Tiger King Joe. Yep, I went there. Why do you think we all sat riveted in front of the TV at the beginning of the pandemic wondering just what Joe was going to do next. Because it was a story that was fascinating. Our brains are wired to remember and tune into stories. It keeps our attention and helps us remember. So when you use them in your marketing, your messaging and all over your website, you get people’s attention.
Your ideal clients start to imagine themselves inside of that story, alongside you. And once you’ve created that vision of them working alongside you, they start to feel comfortable and excited about the idea. Because you’ve cultivated an experience that people can connect with that makes people want to work with YOU.
Pro Tip: Keep your messaging and content serving your dream clients. Because at the end of the day, they need to see you as an expert and envision themselves working with you, that is the goal.
So, don’t be scared to add more of you to your business. Lean into your superpower of showing up as YOU, share your quirks and stories. This will completely transform your business and attract your dream clients. You’ll never look back! Want to know more about defining your brand voice and attracting your dream clients? Learn more here.
