Building a business looks a lot different today than it did when I first started my professional photography business all those years ago. Social Media didn’t exist, people weren’t spending the majority of their time online, and we had to get really creative with how to get our businesses in front of people. And while the internet has made marketing a business so much more accessible to people, it hasn’t necessarily made it easier. 

Knowing exactly how to market yourself and your business in the online world can feel really intimidating, especially if you didn’t grow up with access to the internet at your fingertips. But in the age of virtual reality, it’s so crucial to cultivate an online presence and learn to leverage it to your advantage. 

If you are a planner and the start of something new overwhelms you, you’re not alone. But you simply just have to start. If you need a checklist just click HERE. Social media, surprisingly, isn’t asking for perfection from us. It’s just asking that we use it and that we start right where we are. 

So let’s start together, shall we?

Step 1: Stop overthinking it. 

Stop worrying about whether or not your words have value or your product has a purpose and start trusting and believing that it does. You wouldn’t be in business if you didn’t have something that people needed. Stop getting stuck on what people think of the things you share and just start sharing it! Need help dreaming? Click HERE!

Step 2: Pick 5. Sort of. 

Most Social Media Marketers will tell you to pick five things you’re passionate about and evenly share about those things on your page. Which sounds totally great and makes perfect sense, but what if you feel like you have more than five things to share with your audience? For me, I have simply used this as a structure or a guideline, but I don’t let myself get so paralyzed by the “rule of 5” that I stop sharing altogether. So pick your top five favorite parts of life that you want to share, but don’t be too afraid to add in more if you have a lot of things going on! You are more than just five things so feel free to share all of you! 

Step 3: Stay consistent. 

In order for people to stay invested in the things you are sharing, you have to remain consistent. Consistent in your branding, consistent in your content, and even consistent in how often you are sharing. Consistency truly is key and there is no other way around it. So get comfortable with consistency in order for your audience to know exactly what they can expect from you! 

I’m sure you’ve already heard steps 1-3, but I have a bonus step for you that you’ve maybe never heard before. Are you ready for it? It may just be the most important one of all. 

Step 4: Give yourself grace. 

Spending the majority of your day online and posting every move you make in order to use social media as a tool to market your business is OVERWHELMING! The “rules” and the strategies and the algorithms can all feel like too much and may even leave you feeling frustrated. But don’t let it. Give yourself grace. Show up when you can, exactly as you are. If the only thing you can manage to share is just one area of your life, that’s perfect. Start there. Share that one thing consistently. You don’t have to know it all or do it all in order to show up. 

We can do all the right things when it comes to marketing online but if it’s leaving us feeling stressed and anxiety-ridden, is it really worth it? Do the best you can with the hours you have and give yourself grace to cover the rest. If you are showing up as your true self with a genuine desire to impact your audience then you are going to see growth in your business. It’s just that simple. 

So show up, share your life, stay consistent, and above all else, give yourself grace and you may just find that hanging out online is a space you rather enjoy being.