WHAT DO YOU FEAR IN MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS?
Fear is a very natural and essential part of growth, and as business owners, we often find ourselves side-stepping rather than embracing it! It’s a natural human response that we want to try and avoid anything that makes us uncomfortable, however we all know that growth comes from stepping outside of our comfort zones, and what feels like a bold move today will gradually become the norm if we keep pushing ourselves.
But… why do so many business owners still hesitate from the fear of the unknown when it comes to marketing their business?
Today I spent the morning at the Hand Hospital in the city with my son and had a few spare hours to really devour this great book by my girl crush Gabrielle Bernstein, and she speaks a lot about fear and how to move through it rather than avoid it. She says:
“I’ve learned that fear is simply an illusion based on past experiences that we project into the present and onto the future… Fear does not own you unless you let it! When confronted with negative thoughts, we always have the option to choose differently. Replace fear with a more empowering belief that makes you feel good!”
We see time and time again brands both big and small take the safe advertising route with a nice but predictable marketing message. The unimaginative campaigns, the cookie cutter websites, the average photos, the less than exciting videos… it’s all very nice, but it could have been so much more if we didn’t let fear get in the way.
The fear of being judged harshly really stops so many great businesses from going to the next level with their marketing. The fear of being too different is crippling. We spend so much of our lives trying to be accepted that we miss the opportunity when it really matters to stand out, to shake up our industries and be original.
Think of the greatest brands and personalities of our time. They didn’t let fear get in their way. They pioneered and created whole industries by thinking differently. Businesses of any size can do this.
Quite often, the things that we fear most are exactly what our business needs to have a real impact and grow. Such as:
- Calling that great new prospect you met at a networking function and actually ask for the work.
- Say yes to that exciting new advertising campaign pitched to you by your designer.
- Create that new company video you have been meaning to do for ages.
- Overhaul your website and develop a content creation system that you can roll out to your audience and prospective new clients.
- Get those new corporate photos by a professional and make them exciting.
- Learn more about how to use social media in your business and implement a plan moving forward, and not just leave it up to some young 20 something in your company.
- Create that new webinar series to bring in new customers.
- Develop an online course that you can onsell to prospects who can’t afford your services but still want a taste of your business.
- Work with that marketing coach on a 12 month plan to bring in new business and crack new markets.
- Write and publish that manifesto to turn your industry on it’s head and stop doing things the ‘old way’.
You need to get really honest. What is it that you actually fear about moving out of your comfort zone?
Is it a fear of judgement and being criticised?
Or is a fear of your harshest critic, yourself… when you do have a go and possibly fall short to your unrealistic expectations?
Or maybe the opposite will happen, you’ll exceed your goals…
Maybe your fear is actually succeeding and then having no clue of what’s next?!
The key is to just take it one step at a time. Evaluate and plan your next move, and then take that courageous step out of your comfort zone. And then another one, and another one.
Because on the other side of your comfort zone are some pretty exciting adventures just waiting for you! Fear really is imaginary. It hasn’t even happened yet. So what’s to fear anyway?
If you want to speak with Melissa in greater detail about how to get more out of the content you are creating, and how to have a functional website, blog, e-newsletter or marketing plan that will enhance organic SEO, then please contact us and we can have an obligation-free chat.