Comfort, confidence and YOU: the three ingredients you need to show up online
It's ok to be you.
Online and offline you need to show up as you for your clients.
It can be hard.
Images of “perfect” coaches looking amazing, talking about super successful businesses they’ve created and you can too if you follow exactly what they do.
But the health and fitness world doesn’t need another one (or ten) of them. What it does need is YOU.
Because only you can do you.
Actually, if you don’t show up as you AND share your expertise, then you are depriving your audience of your genius.
So it’s time to stop scrolling, stop comparing and work out exactly what you want to say, say it and attract those clients who really want to work with you.
You need to know the three essential ingredients to show up online
#1 Get comfortable
This may be the hardest thing to do, and that is to start feeling comfortable showing up online the same way you are offline.
Your mindset, your belief in yourself and what you do is the important thing here. Know that it’s more than ok to show up as you.
Getting comfortable being you offline and online is key.
Because when people come to work with you they want that person they have met through your online presence.
And if that’s too different from who you really are then that’s hard and that’s not where you or they want to be!
#2 Get confident
Showing up takes confidence. Different things make different people feel confident. It could be wearing your favourite shirt. Getting your hair done or talking to your best friend.
Ask yourself these questions and listen for the answers that come up for you.
What makes you feel confident?
When do I feel the most confident?
Steer clear of “comparisonitis”
One thing that doesn’t help is comparing yourself to others in your industry.
It’s so easy to make your first action of the day, a quick look on social media. Scroll through some posts over breakfast before you start your day.
Now your intention may be to check in with friends or family but you may find yourself looking at other coaches, their feeds, their comments and comparisonitis sets in! We have all been there!
What you can do instead is this.
BEFORE you look at any other coaches online presence, focus on yourself AND what you want to say to your clients.
What do they need?
What are they thinking about?
What are they feeling?
How can YOU help them?
Taking the onus off of you to focus on them like you do when you are offline, in a 1:1 session or a group class, make you realise it’s about their experience not about you.
#3 Know your stuff
You already know your stuff. You already share it with your clients to improve their health and wellbeing offline.
Getting really clear on your online message will help you know what you want to say and how you want to say it when you go there.
Like the questions above on confidence ask yourself the following about being online:
Where would you feel most confident online?
How would you like to show up?
on video?
using the written word?
creating graphics or pictures?
Start where YOU feel best.
For me, I started with videos on Facebook. As a group fitness coach, I was used to speaking in front of people, getting on video felt easy.
I know that’s not for everyone, which is why when I work with clients, I always ask them to find the format that makes them feel the most confident.
Once you feel more comfortable there, you can move into other formats.
It’s amazing that once you start building that confidence to show up online, you will actually want to start exploring other ways to show up.
Be You: it is the most important thing
It’s always Ok to be YOU online. In fact, it is the most important thing you can do online to create a healthy online presence.
If you don’t show up as you online, then when you start working with people it’s going to be awkward for both of you.
The best ways to bring YOU to the online space is to:
1/ Get comfortable: Stop comparing yourself to others.
2/ Get confident: Thinking about your clients rather than yourself
3/ Know YOUR stuff: Show up where you feel best
If you need some help to feel comfortable and confident online then get in touch by
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
