7 Things You Can Do To Inspire And Encourage Your Audience Today

7 Things You Can Do To Inspire And Encourage Your Audience Today

Here are 7 things you can do -- both online and offline -- to provide value to your audience. A couple of them are offline actions, just between you and God or between you and another person. And then several of the other ones are specifically for online marketing using social media. I know many of you struggle to know what and how to post on social media so here are some ideas of how to engage your audience and provide uplifting posts especially in today’s uncertain times. 

1. Be grateful. I know, I know, you may be tired of hearing me say this but studies have shown that being grateful does amazing things for your emotional, physical, and spiritual health. Before I even get up out of bed in the morning, I typically think of 5 things I’m grateful for. Then, when I journal, I write them down. During this time of shelter in place, at dinner everyone in the family shares their gratitude items. It’s been interesting to see how some days several of us all have one or two items that are the same. By looking for things to be grateful for, you’re more likely to to find more and more. And the more you’re grateful for, the better you feel and more you can show up and encourage others.
   
   
2. Show gratitude. This is the other side of the coin. In addition to feeling gratitude and writing them down, you should also SHOW gratitude to others. If someone does something nice for you, tell them. If someone has inspired you, encouraged you, or blessed you, reach out to them and let them know. You know those studies about how good gratitude is for your health? Well, they’ve shown that it is good BOTH when you feel it and when you express it. Besides, it always feels good when someone tells you that you blessed them (especially when the acknowledgment is unexpected).
   
   
3. Inspirational memes, photos, etc. Depending on your social media accounts and Facebook feeds, you may be seeing a lot more chaos during this time. I know that there are people who dislike Facebook because they mostly see negativity on their feed. Don’t be like that. Post inspirational posts on your social media accounts. Give people something to look forward to, express your hope in the future, brighten someone’s day with your posts. I have a friend whose IG feed always starts with a couple of inspirational quotes, thoughts, or Bible verses. They’re beautiful and such great reminders of ageless wisdom.
   
   
4. Humor. You do need to be a bit careful with humor as sometimes things cross a line or don’t translate well online but adding humor into your posts are a great way to help lighten the mood for your audience. One of my online friends is a lawyer and her posts are so funny I love to have them pop up in my feed. In the past couple of weeks, she’s shared, “Powerball is up to an 18-count of Charmin” and “High-Five to the 68 overachievers who scored a DUI in March despite every bar in the state being closed.” Both of those are relevant, funny, poke fun at the situation but aren’t mean or fear-inducing. If you are naturally funny or find funny memes to share, share them! Even during “normal” times, humor is a great way to connect with your audience.
   
   
5. Helpful Resources. You know what your audience is looking for and what areas they need help with/in. Do you have someone that you follow that you could share with them? Do you have a helpful tip, tool, book, or other resource that would help them? Share it. Sometimes it can seem counterintuitive to share what you are learning or who you are learning from, but your audience already knows, likes, and trusts you. They may take your recommendation and add it to their list of who they follow/what they are doing. There is a slight chance that they will take it and just follow them directly and stop following you. That’s okay, that means it wasn’t the right fit anyhow. One of my online mentors shares the story of how he loves Tony Robbins, he’s attended a couple of his events, and has listened to hundreds of hours of Tony’s training materials. When he shares with his audience what he’s learned, they not only appreciate it but several of them shared with him that they would never go listen to Tony Robbins himself but that they love listening to him (Cliff). His name is Cliff Ravenscraft, by the way, and I’d highly encourage you to go check him out. His podcast is The Mindset Answer Man.
   
   
6. Share what you are learning. Along with sharing the resources, share what it is that you are learning. Your audience isn’t expecting you to be an expert in everything that you do. Maybe in the area that you are providing help you do need to be an expert however you are probably still learning in that area too. For example, in my HR Consulting business, I’m considered an expert in our local area in HR for small businesses. I still attend conferences, webinars, etc. to make sure I keep up on the current information. Plus, sometimes a situation comes up that is unusual and that I’ve never encountered before, I often share with my clients what that situation is and how to resolve it so that if they encounter it, they may not remember the exact steps but they’ll have a general idea of what to do. And it’s a reminder to call me if something like that pops up. For the online business, I love sharing what I’m learning. Online marketing and running an online business has some overlap with the off-line but it has been a steep learning curve and I love sharing with my audience what I’m learning. If I can shorten the curve for someone else and give them an opportunity to move forward faster than I did, I want to do that.
   
   
7. Be authentic. Be real. Show up as you are. As much as I’m recommending inspiring and encouraging others, that doesn’t mean you have to show up polished and perfected every day. There are 2 cautions here. The first is don’t just roll out of bed and show up in all your authenticity. Then you just look like a hot mess and your audience may lose trust in you. Pick and choose what you are willing to share online before you start sharing. Don’t share photos of your messy house in an effort to “be authentic.” Be authentic with the reality that the laundry sometimes piles up and you struggle to get it put away -- but then tie that into your business so people know why you are sharing that. Rachel McMichael’s podcast episode XXX was so funny and relatable with a story just like that. The second caution is: Don’t be inauthentically authentic. There are women out there who go to all the work to be polished and then artistically put their hair up in a messy bun so they can say that they’re being authentic. That doesn’t fool anyone. It comes across as insincere. Again, pick and choose what you are willing to share online and then do it. As the real you. Not letting it all hang out but with wisdom. As God has uniquely gifted you. Your real self is what will inspire and encourage others. When you show up and tell your stories, share your product or service, with the enthusiasm and passion you have for it, your audience will hear it, remember it, buy it, and appreciate you.

I appreciate you for being part of my community, part of my world. Thanks for reading and please let me know your thoughts.