Tell Your Story
This video dives straight into why we need to tell our own stories. My blog is intended to be complementary to my YouTube channel, so there is definitely different/new content in both pieces of content!
Time and time again, I hear that it’s all about who you know but I think it’s more about who knows you.
We all have our own brands both on/offline and we need to be better at telling our own stories. I'll be the first to admit that I'm guilty of dropping the ball. I've had a friend ask me if I've "worked on any cool projects recently" literally right after I won a commercial competition. Why didn’t they know about my recent success? If my friend didn’t know about my accomplishment, why would anyone in my extended network be aware of it? I was SO focused on creating content for others that I wasn’t creating content for myself. Now, I don't expect everyone to keep up to date on my life updates but it was a big reminder to me that I need to actually put effort into telling my story.
As a result, I’ve been conducting mini experiments through social media over the past few months. If I posted more consistently to social media, would people actually know more about my life? Would my network be able to recall my posts while at a social gathering? I went from posting once every 7-14 days to posting twice a week. That’s doubling or even quadrupling my content depending on the week!
Here are a few of posts I created to update people on my work
There are many best practices for posting to social media but one of my favorite, and one that I think is often overlooked, is the timing of the post. Is there a major championship in sports or natural disaster taking place while you hit publish? If so, you’re going to be competing with these much larger events and you’ll likely get drowned out. But more generally, there are tried and true optimal days/times for publishing content that will help your posts be seen. Check out this blog by Hootsuite that breaks down the best times to release content - no there’s no sponsorship involved.
One of the many graphs highlighting best times to post to Facebook courtesy of Hootsuite (not a sponsor).
Yes! People paid attention!
I actually received way more interactions and interest than I anticipated. I even had people approach me at social gatherings and use my recent social media posts as conversation starters! Someone that I know (but would be able to tell you very little about) came up to me at a get together and started off with, “I saw that you got to film Dubs the husky!” In my eyes, that was a big win for being active on social media. It meant that I was reaching more than just my closest family and friends.
It’s worth noting that I’ve had multiple posts fly right under the radar with only a handful of likes (thanks mom) and few or no comments. Not every post is going to be well received or get as much love as you’d like.
Social media as a public figure
Okay, so I found that posting more consistently to social media was helping with my personal page’s awareness, so I decided to take my social media presence to the next level. I laid out a content plan for a blog, YouTube channel, and multiple social media platforms as a public figure and then I began filming videos with me actually in front of the camera (it felt so weird).
I want aspiring creatives to have an insider’s perspective into what it’s actually like to be a freelancing creative in today’s economy. Similarly, I want to provide my potential employers with a wealth of media that shows exactly who I am and what it’s like to work with me.
Want an example of why transparently showing off your personality is so powerful? Below is the video that I made for Natalie Post. She’s honestly a terrific human being and I’m so glad that she took the next step in her photography journey seriously by showcasing what it's like to work with her!
Natalie loved the video and has been “flooded with positive feedback every time it's seen or shared.” The video makes her so accessible. What it’s like to work with Natalie can now be seen countless times in video format while she sleeps, eats, or works. She doesn’t have to go and meet with every potential client in order to make a sale, she can simply send this video to provide people with a solid idea of what it’s like to work with her. This is the goal. You want to make content that shows clients what it’s like to work with you so that you don’t have to go through 10 coffee meetings in order to get 1 gig. Yes, there can be an upfront cost associated with creating content that highlights your personality or methodologies but it saves you time and energy in the long run.
If you’re new to the concept of toting your accomplishments and crafting your online story, don’t be afraid you’re not alone. Take the first step in your journey and start posting your progress online. Build out realistic goals and start small. Your network can't help you reach your next summit if they don't know that you're trying to climb a mountain in the first place.
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