Do you ever have those moments where you’re confidently moving along at a swift pace, firing on all cylinders, feeling great about things, and then suddenly — BAM — you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and think, “Who do you think you are to be doing what you do?! You’re just a fake!”
And it paralyzes you. Because you feel like you just stepped on the end of a rake and got slapped upside the head with the handle! {Trust us… if you’ve never stepped on the end of a rake, it’s very surprising… and painful.}
That dang Impostor Syndrome
In case you’re looking around hoping nobody noticed you nodding your head, let me let you in on a secret: we’ve all had those moments.
No matter how long you’ve been playing this entrepreneurship game… impostor syndrome is real. And each time we reach a new level, it rears its head in new ways.
In fact, psychologists Drs. Robert and Lisa Firestone talk about this “critical inner voice” in their book Conquer Your Inner Critic, and how the majority of our insecurity comes from negative self talk. And according to Drs. Firestone, our most common fear is that we’re somehow different than “the others” in a negative way.
What would it look like if we could harness that negative self-talk, specifically that accusation that we are different than the rest, and make it work in our favor, instead of to our detriment? What if, as business owners, we could leverage positive self-talk in our content marketing?
Because here’s the deal: You ARE different from the rest. Beautifully different.
Fight against stage fright
You have a message and a big idea to share with the world, and you are the only one who can do it in your way with your voice and your innovative angle. {Not sure what we mean by “innovation”? We talk more about that here.}
Basically, when you’re a thought leader, and you’re up on that proverbial stage sharing your brilliant ideas with the world, innovation is what gives you the microphone. What does that mean? It means it’s what allows you to speak to an audience — that “something different” about you that solves a problem in the world or speaks to a need. It’s what helps you stand out in your field.
By making sure your innovative angle shows up in your message, you’ve made the decision to step away from the crowd, get on that stage, and stand in front of the mic.
What would it look like if we could harness that negative self-talk, that accusation that we are different than the rest, and make it work in our favor, instead of to our detriment?
However, insecurity can strike at any time, and it can paralyze us. Have you ever seen anyone experience stage fright? It’s a miserable experience, both for the person on stage, and for the audience. In fact, it might even make the audience feel more uncomfortable than the person in the spotlight {that would be you, in this example!}.
After all, they came to listen to you believing that you had something significant to say. And when your insecurity suddenly silences you, not only is your audience deprived of your brilliant message, but they also lose confidence in your ability to lead them. {Hint: SO not the goal!}
If you’re paralyzed by insecurity, you are less confident in your content marketing, and the world misses out.
By making sure your innovative angle shows up in your message, you have made the decision to step away from the crowd, get on that stage, and stand in front of the mic.
So, instead, let’s march.
What it means to march
When you were young and getting mouthy, did your parents ever fire back a, “You march yourself to your room right now!”?
I don’t know about you, but for me, my response was usually more of a sulking stomp.
No one really talks much about “marching” anymore, but if they do, it probably conjures up images of crisp uniforms, complete with cummerbunds, gauntlets, and white-plumed hats. {Along with Friday night football games, plastified nacho cheese drizzled over stale tortilla chips, and a giant pickle. Yes, of course we were band nerds… would you expect anything else?}
When you see those trumpet players in uniform, you see them standing up with pride. They hold their heads up high, every step oozing confidence and authority.
What does this have to do with content marketing?
Well, we’re not suggesting that you go squeeze in to your high school band pants, but we ARE recommending that you remember what it’s like to march. And if you’ve never marched {because you were way cooler than that}, then go watch a few football halftime shows and see what it looks like when those guys line up and really nail their formations. Band nerd or not, you have to admit: it’s impressive.
Here’s the point we’re making: When you are experiencing that negative self-talk, you need to talk back. And here’s what you tell yourself, “March!”
Hold your head up high, put your shoulders back, and walk with confidence… not to your room, not to the 50-yard-line, but to the microphone.
For every negative self-accusation, you need to channel your inner parent and add this reply to your arsenal: March!
Here’s the point we’re making: When you are experiencing that negative self-talk, you need to talk back. And here’s what you tell yourself, “March!”
A few {important} adjustments
While we’re not mindset coaches, we’ve found that making these adjustments to your mindset radically impact your content, your message, and your marketing.
Streamlined content that dials in on your area of expertise {and that rests on those pillar topics we often talk about} help you remember who you are and what you have to offer. When you stand in front of your audience again and again and repeat your amazing message, something cool happens: you start to really believe it. You start to really believe in yourself!
When you are rock-solid in your brand identity, you can talk about your big ideas with confidence.
The more you talk with confidence {and really, the more you talk, period}, the more your audience is going believe that you know what you’re talking about. This confidence can’t help but positively impact your content marketing.
March! It’s an order! But don’t worry… the bossy one here is you.
When you’re getting pummeled by negative thoughts like:
- I don’t have enough experience to talk about this.
- I’m just a poser.
- No one’s going to listen to me.
- I’m different from the rest… and that’s BAD.
Tell yourself, “March! March up to that mic!” Why?
- Because you can talk about what you HAVE experienced with passion and innovation and authority. Because you are genuine and authentic and you care about your audience.
- Because you have something important to say, and whoever DOES listen to you is going to be helped and cared for.
- Because you ARE different, and that uniqueness is what makes you special and helps you stand out from the rest.
Leverage your marketing content to take your rightful place at the mic
If you can relate to battling insecurity and negative self-talk, we have a great 30-min video from a recent blog post that dives a little deeper into keeping that self-doubt from impacting your messaging and growth. It’s full of tips and stories from our own North Star journey that we hope will empower and inspire you.
In the meantime, dream with us a little bit:
What would it look like if you “marched yourself” on to the platforms you have, especially at those moments when you’re feeling insecure? {Or when you’re self-editing too much and giving yourself a hard time.}
This is the moment where we can kick negativity to the curb and use that momentum to make our marketing content ooze with confidence.
And you know what’s great about that? It reaffirms your expertise. {BTW, speaking of “reaffirming your expertise”: Read your old testimonials and case studies! It’s a great way to remind yourself of the amazing work you’ve done in the past… and to give insecurity a karate chop to the head!}
Growing in Confidence
Still not 100% feeling it? One thing that can make you more confident in your messaging is by taking our Copywriting Charater Quiz, which is a great starting point for nailing down your brand voice.
What is that again? It’s a compilation of all the little things that make you, well, you.
It’s looking at your way of talking, the words you use, your innovation, your message: it’s analyzing your brand voice and writing it down so that your brand identity doesn’t get lost.
When you have a brand voice guide, you instantly take your messaging up a notch because you’ve taken the time to define and refine your message, and your marketing content gains clarity and lines up with your vision.
We use this resource with our highest-level clients, because EVERYONE {regardless of how successful they are} needs reminders of their uniqueness and can use a confidence boost from time to time. That’s right… if you’re feeling like you shouldn’t struggle with confidence from time to time because you’re a 6- or 7-figure entrepreneur who’s killing it {on the outside}, just remember this is something we ALL struggle with… even the biggest names in the biz.
And at the end of the day, having a clear and defined message is a great weapon to have in your arsenal against negative self-talk.
Rather than thinking you don’t have what it takes, look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself to march your butt up to that microphone. You have something important to say… now get out there and get ‘er done!