Staying True to Your Values on Social Media
When I was new to sharing my artwork on social media, I felt I had to hack my way through a jungle when I sat down to write a caption for my posts. I was throwing darts in random directions hoping I’d find my target, which was a successful post and caption; it was hit or miss whether what I shared would leave me feeling confident and engaged or avoidant and ashamed. I didn’t understand which posts and captions would lead me to each outcome.
Over the last couple years, I found there is a checklist I can follow that reliably leaves me feeling great about my business’s voice in the digital world. I’d like to share this formula with you so that you may feel positive that you’re building yourself and your brand up each time you post, rather than worrying about the effect your messaging will have on your success and others’ engagement.
I don’t believe in complicated marketing. I believe in providing a great product or service, then talking about it and your experience with it. There is your marketing! You will attract and give to the people who need your product without any coercion or tricky messaging. The key is doing this without changing who you are or sacrificing your values, your humanity, for your sales. Stay true to yourself and the service or product you are providing others.
Before posting on social media, your website, or other spheres, run through these questions to verify that what you are about to share will strengthen you and your product/service rather than weaken you and your product/service.
1. These are my values: (fill in your values here)
Honesty, kindness, joyfulness, gentleness, resilience, determination, dedication, courage.
Does this message I am about to share exemplify and reinforce these values? If not, I will be dissatisfied from sharing it and fail to connect with others.
2. This is what my product/service accomplishes:
It encourages people along in their journeys. It gives inspiration and help to people to move their bodies in nature, enjoy life, believe in themselves, love their person and their activities.
Does what I am about to say and do serve this goal? If not, I will be dissatisfied from sharing it and fail to connect with others.
3. Am I sharing this because I believe it will benefit others, or only to bolster my ego and show off?
I have found this phenomenon is more prevalent and harder to catch than we’d expect. A lot of what we do, when examined, is for gaining the admiration of others. This may be fine to act upon every so often as we are human after all, but for me especially, it leaves me feeling like a fool after I have done it. Moreover, it is not a successful way to increase our reach and influence. Think of the person who only thinks of, talks of, and acts for themselves – nobody likes him or wants to support him. On the other hand, think of the people who pay attention to you, admire you, and make you feel like a king. We really like those people. Ironically, liking and attending to others instead of yourself makes you more well-liked and successful! I share this idea to suggest you don’t need to post to make yourself appear the most beautiful or successful; finding fascination in others and helping others feel great will further your business.
At the end of the day, a business succeeds because it provides something of value to others. Remember you went down this journey to make things for improving the lives of people, not making yourself liked.
4. Will this engage or bore my audience?
5. Do I, myself, like this? Am I proud of this? If you don’t like what you wrote or made, walk away from it and come back with a fresh mind. Sometimes your brain needs a bit of time to do its sifting and connecting before the right ideas come.
6. Am I sharing this because I think I should or because I’m stoked on it? When you’re truly excited about something, others will feel excited about it, too! If you’re doing something only because you “should” or “must”, you won’t move people.
Here is a printable page of this checklist for you to have handy for reviewing your post before you release it where it will touch the lives of your audience. I have this printed on my idea board, and before each post and project I start, I run through the checklist so that I know I’m on the right track, going somewhere I can be proud of.
Thank you for reading. I hope this helps you. Enjoy your creative process and building your unique voice!
1. These are my values: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Does this post and message exemplify and reinforce these values?
2. This is what my product/service accomplishes: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Does this post and message serve this goal?
3. Am I sharing or doing this because it will benefit others, or only to bolster my own ego?
4. Will this engage or bore my audience?
5. Do I like this? Am I proud of this? Should I walk away and come back to this?
6. Am I saying or sharing this because I think I should (or have to), or because I’m stoked on it?
