Your fear of social networks
What's holding you back from using social media? You know for a fact that appearing on them is good for your business, but even so, you make the same excuses every day for not doing it. Every day you make the same excuses for not doing it. It's not about minimizing what's holding you back, it's about discovering it, understanding why and moving forward.
Your fears in social networks
But it's not just shame or fear of showing up. There's a lot more to scratch here. And these fears or brakes, whatever you want to call them, are just the tip of the iceberg of something else.
Expose yourself too much: between connecting with your audience and telling them about yourself, there are many nuances. There are bloggers/influencers/entrepreneurs who share aspects of their private life and others who share hardly anything. And both do very well on social networks. You decide what you want to tell and what you don't.
Losing your privacy: do the images and videos we upload to social networks remain ours? Yes and no. We are the owners of the content and information we post on social networks and you can control how it is shared through privacy (depending on each social network) BUT by accepting the terms of use of social networks, we grant a license to use that content to social networks. Therefore, it is about you making a responsible use of social networks, and sharing only that which does not compromise you in any way (neither now nor in the future).
Losing intimacy: Another fear related to privacy is that of losing intimacy. Social networks give us visibility, they expose us to others. And the greater our recognition, the more exposed we will be. Therefore, the limit of what you share is set by you. If you want to talk about your private life, go ahead, and if you don't want to, that's fine too. And know that you have the right to change your mind whenever you want. It is also true that showing your most personal side of your business brings you closer to your audience. That's why it's good to build a story around you, to establish your boundaries.
Trolls and negative criticism: related to the above is this fear. Being present in social networks exposes us to anyone who enters them and with this, we are open to trolls (those who, shielded behind a screen, dedicate themselves to putting others in a green light) and to negative criticism about us or our work. When faced with trolls, if the content is offensive and attacks you, you can always report it. When faced with negative criticism, the best thing to do is to answer (apologize if necessary) and correct the mistake, if you are right, of course.
Shame: video is the star format in 2019, it was in 2018 and it will surely be in 2020 as well, but not all entrepreneurs look good on camera or know how to communicate. Being embarrassed to be seen, to make mistakes, to look blank, to be laughed at... Practice does not end this fear, but it does help to minimize it.
To look unprofessional: to make a mistake, to be asked a question that you don't know how to answer. This brake is not exclusive to social networks.
Fear that something will go wrong: that the challenge/workshop/contest/campaign you have organized will go wrong. Fear of getting it wrong. Because social networks magnify successes and failures.
Your competition: that others do it better, that it seems that you copy them, or that they copy you. For me this fear is one of the worst, because it goes hand in hand with comparisons and is a death trap. It undermines your confidence and faith in yourself and your business and is capable of stopping you from implementing great ideas because of this fear.
How to combat these fears?
It's not about not being afraid, it's about following through despite those fears. If you're afraid you'll go blank when you get in front of the camera, prepare for the video or talk with a script. If you don't look good, do whatever it takes to feel more confident. Because that's what it's all about, CONFIDENCE:
With confidence: in your knowledge, in your possibilities, in your experience. In the passion you put into what you do. In what has brought you this far. If that doesn't put butterflies in your stomach and keep you going, I don't know what will.
With a powerful story: work on the storytelling of your project. Who you are, what you do, why you do it, how you do it. Create your story thinking about your target customer. Include your values, your beliefs, what will differentiate you from the rest. It is YOUR STORY.
Fears in social networks come mainly from the lack of knowledge of these platforms. They evolve and change every few months, new ones emerge and others disappear. It is difficult to know them 100%. But you have to be in them and find a style with which you feel comfortable and that helps you to highlight your personality...