It was the end of 2015. I had two Instagram accounts. One for personal, and one for business. The business one was barely active because clients didn’t seem to be on that platform yet, and the personal one was private only.
Then I found a new passion… babywearing! I definitely couldn’t post those photos to my business page, and I felt like I had way too many babywearing-related pictures to inundate my close family and friends on the personal page. So I did the only logical thing at the time…
I created a THIRD Instagram account for babywearing. I used this account to post all of my baby-carrier related selfies and shots, and interact with fellow-babywearers.
It was kind of crazy.
Now I’m back down to one account. Here’s why…
- My old business no longer exists
- I’ve decided to focus on my personal branding
- I’ve realised that it’s okay to be authentic and let clients get to know the real me on a more personal level
- I’m working on letting my family/friends learn more about my business side of things, instead of keeping that hidden
- The babywearing passion is a fun side of me that I don’t need to hide from my clients or family and friends
- It’s just a heck of a lot less effort to only manage one account and personality!
To keep things simple, I tidied up my personal Instagram account a little and then made it public. I’m really owning my new philosophy that people do business with people. And I only want to work with people who genuinely “get” me… the best way to do that is to put myself out there, warts* and all.
* At the time of writing I can confirm that I do not currently, nor have I ever had any actual warts. Freckles though…
So, what does this mean for YOU?
If you are a fellow business owner who is working on building a personal brand, you too should consider using Instagram. Become more comfortable with sharing your real self with your audience, no matter what platform you are posting on, because people do business with people. They want your truth, your raw authenticity. Being professional does not mean all corporate branding and executive-speak.
As a consumer, I LOVE it when I get a glimpse behind the scenes, or a real-life story and snapshot from someone I buy from. It makes me value a product or service so much more when I know exactly where it’s come from. And the best part? I feel like the barriers are down and that I can build a relationship with you, and have a conversation with you. It makes me feel invested in your brand like nothing else.
That’s the power of social media. That’s how we should be using it.
Here’s to your authentic brand!
Angela