Looking back at some of my work relationships, I’m utterly amazed at how much my clients and I had grown over the years when we were trying to figure things out and finding our path towards success.
I saw many friends and clients just give up and do other things. Businesses failed due to a lot of different factors, but among all those sad stories there were these fantastic people that started rising to the top.
Just by working with them every day and learning about them not only as business owners but as people, with feelings, problems, and motivations, I found out something all of them have in common.
They are aligned with their hearts no matter what “the best practices” or “the experts” say. They decided to wear their hearts on their sleeves and be honest with their audiences even if things got hard.
They started building small audiences, perhaps not as big as those “experts” would like, but these smaller audiences love them. They feel entirely connected, and they are more open to sharing their challenges with this fantastic small business owners.
And as a result, their business started to boom, so much that I had to build new systems for them.
I love when these kinds of things happen to my clients when they are authentic and use only the marketing techniques that align with them and their values. It simplifies the process and attracts more engaged audiences than the usual opt-in funnel.
So ask yourself: when was the last time you were true to your heart in your business?
It’s not an easy thing to achieve; you need to be aware that you are opening up to people they may not even know anything about you. Yes, it’s hard, especially in the beginning.
Opening up to your audience also requires you to be a great listener, to take the time to understand them and their context. You need to engage with them in meaningful ways to serve them better.
So, ask yourself the following questions:
- When was the last time you engaged with your audience? And I mean you took the time to listen to them instead of sending them an email or pushing something into your social networks.
- What do you receive the most praise for? You should have FB messages, tweets, emails or something from a member of your audience, thanking you for what you are doing. If you don’t, you need to engage more with them.
- How can you do more for your audience? If you have engaged with your them properly, answering this question is incredibly easy, as you always have ideas on how to make them happier. If you are struggling, you need to consider having a one-on-one talk with some of them.
Once you have answered those questions, take a good look at your business and try to think of more ways where you can let yourself shine through it.
The more heart and emotion you put in your business, the more you will attract the right kind of audience.
“But what if I don’t want to overshare?”, I hear you saying.
I understand that, and as a complete introvert, I hate oversharing on social networks, I barely use them, but I find different ways to engage with my audience, usually in a more private setting via email or instant messaging. It suits me better and has helped me grow relationships with them in a big way.
The key here is to remember they are people, not just numbers on your social accounts or newsletters. Always keep that in mind whenever you are creating anything for them.
Remember, you are the soul of your business, if your audience is not able to see that, it becomes a challenge for them to care about what you are doing.
The business world already looks soulless and greedy, so working from your heart will instantly make you shine through the dark and bleak landscape. Just let your heart show on everything you create for your business.