The Face of the Business: How to Build a Personal Brand Without Being Cringey
You are the face of your business, and in a market oversaturated with video content and many businesses gaining traction on Instagram and TikTok, it’s a crucial marketing opportunity you don’t want to miss out on. That said, it can be hard to step into the spotlight, especially if every time you hit record, you feel awkward, self-conscious, or unsure of what to say.
But you don’t have to be the perfect influencer to avoid putting out video content that doesn’t resonate. All you have to focus on is giving potential clients a chance to get to know the person behind the business, building trust and familiarity. To avoid becoming the cringey poster, you want to get a little more comfortable with being you while the camera’s rolling.
You Don’t Have to Act
One of the easiest ways to feel awkward on camera is by trying too hard. If the way you convey the information about yourself or your business sounds too rehearsed and unnatural, it’s going to show through, and you’ll come off as less genuine to viewers. You want to avoid presentation mode and think more simply.
How would you sound if you were talking to a friend about the exact content you’re trying to share? You want to lean more toward that, regardless of the content presented, so it’s delivered authentically and true to how you function in everyday life.
Practice Without Perfection
Being really nervous on camera can make you sound completely unlike yourself, even if you’re not trying to act your way through video content. If that sounds like you, you can practice without rehearsing. That means starting slow and getting more comfortable with the medium, such as recording a short clip explaining a simple real estate tip, and not worrying about how it sounds.
Think of it like exposure therapy. You expose yourself to the discomfort until it starts to feel less daunting. It won’t be perfect, and it doesn’t have to be. It just has to help you overcome the initial awkwardness so that you can feel more comfortable being yourself.
Get Personal
While you don’t have to dive into your whole life’s history, telling personal stories about your experiences within your business is far more memorable than listing off facts and statistics. For example, if you want to talk about changing interest rates, you can share the information through the lens of an experience with a client whose situation worked out because of how they navigated it (with your help, of course).
You can also share things you’ve learned from working with real people that could benefit others who are in similar situations and showcase behind-the-scenes moments. It’s about making yourself more human, relatable, and approachable.
People Hire People
Clients and potential clients want to know that you know your stuff, but they also aren’t going to hire a business that feels disconnected from humanity. At the end of the day, people hire people, and it doesn’t matter if your videos are shot on a front-facing iPhone camera or professional equipment, as long as you are as authentic as possible and allow people to get to know the real you.
And remember, confidence on camera can only be built by doing it. Spend time being yourself while recording, and eventually it’ll feel as easy as anything else you’ve excelled at.
If you’re unsure how to get more comfortable on camera and are worried about sending out cringey posts into the world, we can help! Contact us today for a strategy session so we can get you to where you need to be to truly shine through video content.