The spotlight is shining directly on you. You step up to the microphone, ready to pour your heart out to the packed room in front of you, and… crickets. Or worse… you get booed off the stage.
That’s what running a business can sometimes feel like.
Every day that you show up and do the work needed to grow your business is another day you’re taking the courageous step to put your voice out into the world.
And if you’re not getting the response you’d like, you may be wondering, “does anyone even care??” Or, “maybe I’m not really good at this.”
I’m here to reassure you that people do care and you are probably very good at what you do, but there still might be some legitimate concerns to address. Let’s uncover those together.
What’s underneath your fear?
You might be wondering, “what fear?”
I know, it’s mighty presumptuous of me to assume you’re experiencing some fear, but I feel pretty confident about this assessment.
A good rule of thumb is if you’re asking yourself a question that starts with “what if?” and ends in a negative, that question probably comes from a place of fear.
- “What if I fail?”
- “What if people laugh at me?”
- “What if no one takes me seriously?”
- “What if I’m not actually as good at this as I need to be?”
Fear underlies all of these questions, but guess what? That can be a really good thing.
In his book, The Gift of Fear, Gavin De Becker says, “Intuition is always right in at least two important ways; It is always in response to something, and it always has your best interest at heart.”
While he’s talking about self-defense scenarios (something you probably know by now I’m pretty passionate about), this applies to our feelings about our businesses, too.
That fear — often firmly steeped in the dreaded imposter’s syndrome most of us face at some point — can be a good signal to look a little deeper at where those feelings are coming from and what we can do to address them.
When shouting into the void is real
Imposter syndrome — the feeling that you’re not good enough or that you’re just one step away from being “found out” as the “imposter” you think you are deep down — can be such a challenge for entrepreneurs, especially female entrepreneurs.
Most of the time, imposter syndrome has little basis in reality. 71% of CEOs deal with imposter syndrome, according to a recent report published in Bloomberg. Clearly, that little monster in your head telling you you’re not good enough or successful enough or smart enough can’t be taken at face value.
But what about when the fear that no one is listening is real?
Sometimes, you can push through your imposter syndrome and put your message out into the world, but get no response.
No one is listening.
If that’s what’s really going on, there’s a good chance you need to take a step back and look at 3 key areas.
3 questions if your message isn’t landing
Alright, we’ve established you’re doing all the things you need to do in terms of putting your message out into the world. But when you feel like you’re shouting into the void and no one is listening to what you have to say, it’s time to look a little deeper at 3 things:
1. Do you deeply understand your audience?
Sometimes, when your message isn’t landing, it’s because you’re not clear on who you’re speaking to.
- Who exactly are you trying to reach?
- What do they care about?
- What problem are you solving for them?
- What pain points affect their lives most significantly?
Understanding your audience goes far deeper than just identifying their demographics (though that’s important information, too!). It really comes down to getting in their heads and hearts so you can connect with their fears, aspirations, and desires.
2. Can your audience find you?
Are you hanging out where your audience can find you?
For example, if you’re a direct-to-consumer business trying to reach young moms in their 20s–30s, spending most of your marketing efforts on LinkedIn probably isn’t the best approach. You’d be much better off putting your efforts into TikTok and Instagram.
On the other hand, if you’re a B2B company whose primary customer base is made up of HR professionals, you probably don’t need to be putting much effort into TikTok; LinkedIn would be your bread and butter option for that audience.
SEO (search engine optimization) is another part of making sure you have visibility.
If you’re publishing content to your website without optimizing it so search engines can find it, you’re missing out on a lot of potential eyeballs on your content. There’s a lot that goes into optimizing content for search engine visibility, but there are many professionals who can help you (shameless self-plug: My background happens to be in SEO, so I include this piece for all my clients, no extra charge!).
3. Is your messaging clear and consistent?
When your message isn’t landing, often, the messaging itself is the problem.
You’ve got great things to say, but how you say it matters, and making sure that messaging is consistent can make all the difference.
But, how do you make sure your messaging is on-point, every time?
You’re in luck, hun!
My Bold Brand Blueprint helps you map out a messaging framework that ties your ideal audience, brand values, and key messaging all together in a neat, little bow.
Plus, if you need help filling it out, I’m on deck to give you a hand!