Why you need to create content to gain confidence
As an entrepreneur or business owner, it really can always be a catch 22. You need confidence to build, grow and scale - but you need to grow and scale in order to get confidence. Really it is no different when it comes to the content creation process of your business.
When you “throw yourself in the deep end” and get started, it really is amazing to see what can grow and develop for you and your business. Even if you don’t have a business right now, even showing up on a platform (Instagram, blog, Youtube) talking about what you are passionate about can make a HUGE difference.
Joining me on the podcast this week is Courage and Career Coach, Vari McGaan to talk about confidence AND her journey around how her blog helped grow and build her confidence.
If you find value in this blog, make sure you share it with me on LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram! Even better, share it with your audience! You can also listen to the episode below!
Let’s get STUCK into it!!
Your life is your content - your experiences need to be shared
One piece of advice you need to hear is, you need to share your experiences. If you think “I don’t have anything to talk about” you are wrong! Your lessons, mistakes, wins, failures - all of them are stories you can share. So share it to the world, share your own story and journey - just as mentioned in the Personal Branding and Conscious Selling blog here.
Your life is your content, so get a spreadsheet going and start writing in all of your stories, these are going to help you with limiting belief number one “I have nothing to share”. Once you have the plan, you will start to gain more confidence to show up online!!
Starting your content journey
Once you have got that all sorted, the next step is to start your content journey (well even just the plan of it).
So here is what you need to do to get started:
Finding the platform - do you like to write, show up on video or talk? Whatever it is, this will help you pick the platform you use to build your content on. Could be that you do it on a social media channel, OR you might go for a YouTube channel, blog or podcast. It is YOUR choice.
Remove the fear of what people think: Once you have started creating the content, planning it all out and deciding when and where you will post - you MUST address this. Ask yourself these questions: “Why do I care what people think?” “What is the worst that can happen?” Write these down and work on ways to try and overcome this fear (at least until you have hit SEND on your content).
Remember - content from your life can be related to why you do what you do - there is SO much in your everyday life that can relate back to your purpose, your mission or business. Start sharing these ideas, write them down and build a bank FULL of these ideas! This does take time to grow.
Make a start, get creating - the confidence starts to build on the other side of the comfort zone!
Starting the content and building the business
You know, you can start creating content even if you don’t have a business yet? This is a great way to build up a personal brand in the beginning! You might not even 100% have the idea yet. So build on the content and the business will come to you!!
If you have a business and aren’t ready to launch, start creating content anyway. So, by the time you are ready, you have built up a great level of confidence (and a following) in the meantime.
You don’t need to know 100% right now!
What to do when you think your content hasn’t had “enough” engagement
Okay, so you are creating content and are building more confidence. What happens when this gets shut down? When a piece of content gets 0 likes?? Here is what you do!!
Go back to when you felt confident
Have a folder on your phone - a “happy” folder of nice things people have said and reminders of why you do what you do
Ask yourself why you wrote/created it in the first place, usually it is for a bigger purpose than a like or share
Remember, engagement doesn’t always happen when you first post it and shares are better than likes
A piece of content stays in people’s mind even if they don’t comment or like
You don’t need LOADS of engagement to have an impact!! Just consistently create.
Remember things will change!
If you are waiting for your “business idea”, the perfect branding or the like - you will NEVER start. Branding changes, so does your messaging. Just get started and tweak later. My website design was horrible before I started my business, but it didn’t stop me. I just knew I would fix it later!!
Most of the time, this is an excuse not to start. Call yourself out on it and start creating anyway. You will never know until you get started.
My journey in content creating and building a brand
The first-ever content channel I started was a blog.
This blog was called "A Travellers Antics". What started as a blog produced only after I had traveled (maybe x2 a year) turned into a weekly blog AND an Instagram account.
It was my personal brand. It taught me a lot and showed me how to build an online presence.
The blog was a great place for me to start building my confidence to show up like me, to show my writing ability and to eventually build the business that is now Content Queen.
If I didn't start that blog in 2014, I would not have the confidence I have right now. So even if you don't have a business you want to start just yet, start by creating content. This will help give you inspiration AND will help with your confidence MASSIVELY!!
These channels also taught me more about marketing and developing an online following. You just have to get started.
Final thoughts
Before parting, here are two pieces of advice for you:
If you feel good to share, share it (this is when you are confident and people will pick up on this energy
You probably will never feel like doing it (but once you start, your confidence will grow
When it comes to building your confidence, the best way to do it is to start. Don’t compare your chapter 1 with someone else's 51 and just enjoy the process of learning by doing.
Once you start and be consistent, you will never really know what amazing places it will take you!
If you found value in this blog, make sure you share it with me on LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram! Even better, share it with your audience! You can also listen to the episode below!