Sometimes sitting down to market your business (and yourself!) feels tough because…who are you to put yourself out there like that anyway!?
I’ll tell you who: You’re an expert in your industry and you deserve as much success as anyone else.
But the only way you’re going to really get yourself out there is by actually putting yourself out there. Getting on camera, getting on Zoom calls, posting on social media, interacting with others, sharing your content, even shouting yourself out.
And when imposter syndrome rears its ugly head, the only thing you want to do is hide.
This week on the podcast, I’m sharing my tips to getting past the imposter syndrome with your marketing. And it has nothing to do with affirmations or positive self-talk. (Sure, those might help, but they’re not going to get the work done!)
Listen in!
Mentioned in This Episode Podcast
Transcript:
Welcome to episode 218 of The Content Experiment Podcast, a podcast for service-driven business owners who know that content is important but there’s so much more to marketing and business growth.
Here we talk about showing up for your audience in a way that they want to hear, in a way that’s sustainable for you. This might mean publishing a weekly podcast or blog, but it also means paying attention to your email list, leveraging other people’s audiences, building relationships, and getting over the limiting mindsets that often hit when we’re reaching for the next level in our business.
I’m Abby Herman, content strategist and podcast manager for business owners who want to make their marketing feel easier and more streamlined so they can get back to serving their clients and making those sales. I’ll show you how OR do it for you, while you do business in a way that works for you–I can help by supporting you through building a content and marketing strategy, taking care of the podcast management for you, or giving you the tools and resources to take this on yourself.
Let’s have some real talk for a minute. How many times have you said to yourself or even to a biz bestie: I really should/need to/want to…be more consistent with my content…launch a podcast…record some reels…start showing up on some live video…guest on other people’s podcasts…start talking about my offers or my opt-ins more… the list really could go on and on.
And to be honest, a few of these are things that I’ve said to myself in the past..and even one of them I STILL say to myself.
We can talk about them all day long, but we don’t take action on them. It’s like that friend who complains about not being able to lose weight but she doesn’t change her diet.
The reason? Imposter syndrome. I truly believe that no matter what you project outward to others, there’s a part of us that doesn’t believe we deserve the thing we desire most. For the friend who’s complaining about her weight, maybe she doesn’t believe that she really deserves to feel comfortable in her own skin.
And for the business owner who isn’t doing the things that she knows she needs to do to market her business effectively? Maybe she doesn’t believe she deserves that successful business. Maybe her imposter syndrome is telling her that she’s not good enough, not talented enough, doesn’t have enough experience. And that if she puts herself out there, others will know.
Maybe her imposter syndrome is telling her that she’s too old, she missed the boat, that she doesn’t work hard enough or have the right connections to be successful.
Listen, if this is you, you’re not alone. Not by a longshot. I talk to people all the time who
Don’t make time in their schedules to market themselves
Put off working in their own business and instead prioritize client work only
Are afraid to go on camera because they have wrinkles or a pimple or grey hair or someone will recognize them or it won’t be totally perfect or they don’t know what to say
Simply don’t show up online because they don’t know where to start and they’re afraid of wasting time doing the wrong thing
Won’t pitch themselves to be on podcasts or to speak at an event because they don’t think they know enough about their expertise to do a good job
At the same time, I talk to people who spend so much time in one place (writing emails or a blog or social media posts) that they don’t have time to do anything else.
I truly believe that ALL of this stems from imposter syndrome.
Years ago, I was talking to a business coach about some struggles I was going through. I never seemed to have enough time to dedicate to my own business. And I was taking on so much client work that none of it was getting the attention it deserved.
I was making good money, but I wasn’t happy. And I knew that the amount of work I was doing wasn’t sustainable. I was afraid to hire someone to help me with the work because then I’d be responsible for someone else’s livelihood.
Imposter syndrome was holding me back. And a fear of success. What if I hired someone and was able to grow my business, without continuing to work 50 or 60 hours a week? What if I had time to dedicate to being more visible in my business while team members helped out with some of the administrative and client work?
When we jam-pack our schedules and fill up all our time with tasks that aren’t growing our businesses, we’re letting imposter syndrome get in the way.
And I know…not everyone has the same amount of time to work in their businesses. I get it. And I’ve been there, too. I’m an empty nester now, but I used to be the sole breadwinner as a single mom. I ran my business that way for years and years. (I mean, I’m still the sole breadwinner in my house and I’m still a single mom but by daughter is 20 now.)
So I understand that we can only do what we can do.
And when we’re talking about marketing and growing your business, my number one tip for you is to have a plan. Then stick to it as much as you can.
Having a plan for your content and marketing solves so many problems, imposter syndrome being one of them.
It tells you what to create, when to create it, and where. That takes the guesswork out of equation and allows you to simply check off the tasks.
It gives you the space to create an outline as you’re developing the plan so you already have ideas written down when it’s time to actually create the content.
It helps to provide some of the background so you can start thinking about what you’re creating and doing the research needed.
A plan also helps to reinforce what you already know…that you need to block off time in your calendar to treat your own business like a client.
This is easier said than done. It’s something that I’m forever working on and probably always will be. For me, it takes quite a bit of discipline to stick to and I’m never 100% at it.
Right now, I’m playing with a new schedule where on alternating Mondays I’m working on the podcast and other content for my business. Mondays are, in general, not available for client calls or client work. It’s blocked off on my Google calendar and in Acuity. I know that’s double the tech protecting my Mondays, but I do book my own calls from time to time and if it’s blocked in Google visually, I won’t forget that I don’t want to book any calls on Mondays.
I know that having a plan for marketing isn’t the end-all answer to overcoming imposter syndrome. But I do know that having a plan makes it a lot more likely that you’ll actually do the things that you’ve set out to do.
It’s like my workouts. As of late, I’ve been focusing a lot on Peloton workouts, cycling, running, strength training, some yoga and stretching. I use a calendar I found in a Facebook group as my guide and I plan out my workouts each day, loading them into what Peloton calls a “stack,” which is basically a to-do list of workouts. Sometimes I do 4 or 5 short 10- to 20-minute workouts a day. They’re in my calendar, and they’re in my Peloton stack. And checking them off feels really good.
Am I the best at them? Nope. In fact, I get pretty intimidated when I look at the Leaderboard on the bike. There are a lot of people faster than me, with more power than me. But I’m getting the work done and making progress where *I* want to make progress. And that’s what counts.
I’m doing the work. And I’m seeing results.
And I’m not letting the fact that I’m not the best get me down.
So my advice to you, if you’re ready to start getting over the imposter syndrome in your marketing? Make a plan. Start outlining your content ahead of time. Block out time on your calendar to create. And just do it.
If you’re stuck and don’t know where to get started on that plan? Get some help! This is something I do for clients who aren’t ready to hire out a full-service fractional marketing director. I create content and marketing strategies, complete with outlines and talking points for your pillar content. So all you have to do is sit down and create!
And if you’re ready to let go of it all, I can also serve as your fractional marketing director.
Let’s talk! You can book a free 20-minute call with me at thecontentexperiment.com/chat. I’d love to hear from you!
If you found value in what you learned here today, be sure to share it on social media. Take a screenshot of the episode on your phone and share it over on Instagram stories. Tag me at thecontentexperiment. Or connect with me on LinkedIn and let me know your favorite takeaways! The more you share, the more we can get the podcast into the hands of more business owners, just like you, who need to hear the message that they are not alone.
