The short answer is yes!

But here’s a more in-depth look at why…

After I graduated, I worked for a small corporate communications agency for 15 years. It was a tiny agency, with no more than 10 people working there at any one time. We spent our whole time marketing ourselves as if we were a HUGE corporation. Always referring to we, us, the team, referring to ‘departments’ when in reality it was just one person! That was very much of the time and of the moment and it worked for us then. Illusion, smoke and mirrors and punching above our weight was very much the name of the game.

The fashion now is completely different, people are actively shopping small, they want a personal, individual approach. They want to know who they are interacting with and feel a connection to them. They want to feel like they are doing their part for the economy and helping new and small brands to flourish. They want to show their support and be part of communities based around these people.

And it’s why, showing up on video is so important for your business.

I understand the reticence, I really do. I have a lot of clients saying they ‘don’t want to put themselves out there’, ‘they feel too exposed’ or that ‘they don’t want the business to rely on them and their face’.

To address the last point first, the business does rely on you to begin with, whilst you are establishing yourself and building your brand, a brand which is built around a gap you saw in the market and values you hold, a mission statement to change the world or at least your corner of it.

By all means, once your brand is well established you can step away, be less visible, talk of ‘we’, ‘us’ and ‘the team’ but in the beginning your audience want to build a relationship with someone visible and to begin with, that’s you.

‘Putting yourself out there’ is scary, it really is, especially if you are not used to it. But actually, flip it round, you’re not doing it because you want to sell something (well you are) but think about it this way, you’re doing it because you want to help, you have a service or product which solves a problem or offers a solution to someone. You are ‘putting your idea out there’ to help people. That’s a much less scary prospect isn’t it?

Overthinking is a curse of social media, it is what stops so many good women from getting their message out there. They worry over every single word, how will it be perceived, am I offending someone with my words?

And the answer is, possibly, you might be without even realising it, but you probably aren’t saying anything particularly inflammatory. The truth is, not everyone gets on with everyone else and that is OK. People do have different views and different approaches. Some people are accepting of the differences between people and some people aren’t. By being authentic, saying what you want and being true to your values, you are helping your potential audience identify whether they want to be part of your community.

A large part of using social media is finding your ‘people’, finding your audience and building a community around yourself with people who share similar values, like your approach and ultimately, build a strong enough connection with you and your product or service so they buy your product.

Being on video, showing your face, letting your audience hear your voice is the QUICKEST way to build strong connections with your audience. Tell them about your day, show them what you’re up to in your biz and bring them along.

Do I really need to show up on video to build my brand?