“Your message is messy, no-one knows what you do”
“You need to stick to one thing and just promote that”
“Your social media needs a make-over”
“What is it you do exactly?”
How many times have you had others in the branding and marketing business come to you and say these comments to you?
I know I’ve had quite a few; and yes, at the beginning my messaging was a little confusing, but then again, I was confused.
I had a lot going on in my private life and I was trying to figure out how to make sense, and money, from the 20 plus years of entrepreneurship and community regeneration experience I have.
Which area of my expertise did I want to focus on?
Which of my passions did I want to harness?
And the thing is,
WE ALL HAVE STUFF going on in our lives we are trying to figure out, so to have someone we don’t know tell us what we need to be doing, how we should be showing up is just something we don’t need in our lives.
It can be even worse when people we do know, who have some idea of what’s going on, but haven’t reached out to ask us how we are and if we need anything, then start telling us what we need to do with our own business.
The words ‘Yuck Fou!’ and other emotional sentences come to the fore and before long, it’s not only feathers we are spitting.
We are seething, feeling like it is another thing we are getting wrong, another level of frustration and just another thing on our already heavy workload.
‘Why can’t everyone else just mind their own bloody business instead of interfering with mine when they know nothing about me?”
A phrase I know went through my head more than once I can tell you!
And here’s the thing (you knew one was coming!)
The people who cannot see your messaging, cannot see you for a reason. They may think your message is messy but your message maybe a deeper message than they are currently able to pick up on.
If your message is messy to them, then maybe consider they are not in the right place to see the depth of your message.
Consider they are not meant to resonate with where you are at or work with you, because they are just not your kind of person; especially if they have not had the common courtesy to reach out to you before they start telling you what is wrong with you, and your business.
And we all know common courtesy, like common sense, isn’t all that common these days, nor are manners, but hey, that’s another post for another time!
Being in business is a bit like becoming a mother, every woman and her opinions come out in full force telling you how to be great at doing this, that and the other.
Very rarely do they take the time to understand who you are, what you already know, your experiences thus far and what your intentions and goals are for the future.
No, they just come with opinions, advice, observations and the sales pitches for this product, service and casserole dish.
When I started sailing around the world, researching captaincy and the world of sailing for one of my up and coming series of books, it seemed as though every captain and fellow sailor I met thought I’d only been born the day before.
Very few asked me about my previous experiences in life, any of the skills outside of sailing or about my life. All they were interested in was how long I had been sailing.
And I get it. We were off sailing, so understanding my level of knowledge in sailing was the key ingredient in the mix.
Many of them were surprised when I was able to fix sails, figure out the rigging, understand how to clean and maintain the boat, assess and prepare provisions, organise the legalities and do a stock check for entering new countries, or how to lead others on the boat without actually being a captain.
My skills were lost on them simply because I didn’t come from a sailing family or hadn’t been sailing for very long.
The arrogance and judgement in the sailing world is at times disgusting, as you will find out when you read The Mermaid’s Guide to Hitch Hiking, and The Mermaid’s Guide to Leadership when they are completed.
The same goes for business.
I may be an author and author coach, a writer for various magazines such as House of PreEminence and One Tribe but this does not mean I have no business experience.
My social media presence may not be all pattern, pastel and predictable, but then again, nor am I, and I am guessing neither are you.
We are human, we are all beautiful messy in our realness.
Sometimes we have offers to promote, sometimes we are celebrating family moments, other times we are sharing our fitness journey’s, and sometimes we are just taking a time out.
Some of us are naturally gifted when it comes to tech skills and doing all the fancy-fancy animations and filming, for others, we are more adept at expressing ourselves through words and a simple photo.
At the end of the day though, our social media messaging may be messy to others, but it is our message not theirs.
When we show up as who we are in the moment, people get to relate to us, they get to know us, they get to see the human side of us, if they take the time to.
Those who do not take the time to get to know you, find out what you are about, are these the people you really want to do business with?
So the next time someone tells you “your message is messy” consider how well they know you, your intentions for the future.
When someone tells you what you ‘should’ or ‘should not’ be doing with your business, listen to yourself.
Is there a doubt?
How did your body respond?
Step back, take a moment, and breathe.
Are you happy with your message?
Are you clear on your message?
Do you know why you share what you do?
Your message is messy to some people because they may not be owning all of who they are, choosing to be a one trick pony.
Your message is messy to some because they cannot see beyond the obvious, they may not be as deep as you, and that is OK.
And so are you.
With love, as always,
Dawn
*Messaging is something I go into with my clients because as authors we get to have a level of freedom to show up in a multitude of ways. Freedom of speech and the authority we have opens doors to a vast array of media opportunities, a wider variety of audiences. With this level of freedom comes responsibility to break the patterns of thought, to disrupt the status quo and make a huge difference in the world.
I currently have 2 openings for 1:1 clients to work with me on a 3, 6, 9 or 12 month basis. There is also the opportunity to join me for my 7 Week Intensive Author Course Programme working 1:1 on all areas of your author life and business.
If you are interested to know more, then book in for a discovery call and let’s see where the journey takes us. Until then, have an awesome week and keep believing in YOU and YOUR MESSAGE!