You’re sharing silly memes and scratching your head wondering how to your brand. You want to be seen online – but not for the sake of being seen. You want to show that you’re making a huge impact. Here’s how to get there (no side-eye required):
1. Build a strong visual identity
The most popular brands use visual media to share their humor and wisdom with the world. They use something called a hammershark hammermark. Like a jaws cloud formation in the sky, powerful visuals make your brand sharp.
When you float through the waters of the web with unique images, you can make more of an impact.
Here are some tips:
- Make sure that your website is B-E-A-utiful (bonus points if you know what movie that’s from). A beautiful website is symbolic for actually wanting “to be seen.” It doesn’t need all of the bells and whistles. But it does need a succinct way to sum up what your business is about and why you do what you do.
- If you’re in the process of building your website, focus on visual social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest. For the first time in forever, it’s ok to build your media empire on rented land.
- But…if you’re going to
procrastinate onuse social media: Stick to a strategy. Before creating a new account (or reviving an old one) make sure that you have a strong, clear strategy before you’re posting positive intentions about…pizza (been there, done that and only made me crave pizza that much more). - If you’re in-between during a company transition, strong visuals can provide the spark that your company needs for a transformation to happen.Creating content curates change.
2. Make your brand coherent
Three years ago, you would have seen me everywhere screaming “be consistent!” from the rooftops. Today, I’m sipping champagne secretly forgetting that I ever said that.
Take a sip and you will too.
(just save the cherries for me. they’re my favorite).
Consistency builds trust and traffic. But coherency builds a true romance. {click to tweet!}
How to be coherent:
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Practice what you preach. I worry that we’re all so desperate to “be seen” that we forget what’s inside those social media shares: the hearts, the dreams, the realness that makes you come alive. How can we promote shininess with soul? How can we dazzle while providing a door knob that actually lets people in?
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Learn how to write with a clear, consistent voice
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Stick with a theme throughout all of your content
3. Consume slow media
Slow media is my prediction for the years to come because it’s inspiring, empowering, and simple. And it’s how we can better understand our current cultural landscape to create a better future. It’s the cure for information overload because it inspires the soul. It enables conscious, creative choices in each and every moment. It’s making a contribution with your passion. And it’s necessary for the next phase of humanity.
How to consume slow media:
- Don’t let fast media dictate your dreams
- Turn off the television
- Come up with original ideas
- Write your ideas down
- Rinse and repeat
4. Become a skilled creator
The majority of humans are “replication creators.” The internet, dopamine, and your brain are to blame for this. But when you strive to be a Skilled Creator, you create new and innovate ideas. Producing new ideas is a fundamental process of intelligently combining facts we already know so that we can understand them in unique ways.
How to be a skilled creator:
- Consume slow media (see above)
- Think deeply and creatively
- Skillfully carve a lightbulb out of a wall
(just kidding. do not try this at home!)
5. Self-Promote
Self-promotion can sometimes seem slimy. But if you’re truly having fun with what you’re doing and enjoying the process, promoting yourself should feel good. If you’re confident and skilled at what you do, make it known.
As Mark Schaefer says in this post, “there’s a difference between empty bragging (or humble bragging…) and the true confidence that comes from knowing your skills and being optimistic about your future.
When I promoted my podcast, The Art of Humanity, by sharing that it’s listed on both Apple’s “New and Notable” and the “What’s Hot” listings, I did feel a momentary snippet of slime: “Why am I self-promoting myself?”
But then I realized that my boss wouldn’t promote my podcast (because I’m my own boss – duh!) and that no one was going to humble brag for me so – voila! I did it myself. Like magic (with the help of some amazing listeners who wrote reviews):
Ron Sela says “Jessica is a phenomenal podcaster who inspires her listeners to explore their creativity and consciousness, what they have achieved so far and what they plan to do with it. Her guests are a blend of visionary entrepreneurs and experts in their fields, who share actionable tips with her audience based on their first-hand experience. It is a great weekly podcast that sets itself apart from the crowd and deserves your attention.”
Check it out on Apple if you haven’t yet listened. Search “Art of Humanity” on Apple, Spotify, or you can scroll through the episodes on my website here. The podcast art has someone that looks like me on the cover:
(oh wait. that is me!)
6. Don’t force it. Have fun with it.
How do you know if you’re forcing something? You’ll get twitchy when you post an update about you or your company. You’ll be nervous or wondering if anyone will “like” what you said or did. It comes from a place of ego. So take a deep breathe and repeat this with me “I’m having fun.” Ok, good start. Now you just need to actually have fun.
When I first started blogging, I wrote on my website with a simple desire to create. This desire consumed me and it hasn’t stopped. If what I’m creating ever starts feeling forced, I’ll step away from the computer and go surfing. Wiping out in the waves is a lot more rewarding than superficial statuses that scream with force.
How to have fun:
- Buy a surfboard
- Go surfing
- Or if surfing is not an option, you can have just as much fun by sharing this article {click to tweet!}
