Show up online with CONFIDENCE

So, you ' ve finally decided you ' re going to start taking your Instagram or TikTok account seriously and you ' re determined to build a strong online presence. You've made your first post introducing yourself and what you do in your industry and hit draft, fully planning to return to it later to finish the caption and press publish at the ideal time- which you ' ve likely googled because you ' re determined to do it right But you never do come back to it to press publish Because if you didn't try then you didn't actually fail, right?

Hi friends, Brand Gloss here, an up-and-coming Marketing Agency in Richmond; hopefully you ' ve heard of us (if we ' re doing our jobs right). We're here to tell you that you ' re not alone in feeling discouraged from showing up and taking space on social media. As females, we ' ve developed this idea that we should take up as little space as possible and be as invisible as possible, which if you ' re reading this magazine, you ' re likely working pretty hard to rid yourself of this mindset But as deep-rooted subconscious beliefs go, it likely runs much deeper than you imagined- like finding it pretty difficult to show up on social media.

And with many forward-thinking companies and employers investing heavily in social media marketing and an online presence, online platforms are more relevant for young professionals looking to level up their careers than ever before Social media has become a way to show that you’re passionate about what you do and that you ' re ahead of the trends in your industry- no, not the ones on TikTok, however if you are ahead of those too, kudos to you! So whether you ' re a career professional or entrepreneur, it's safe to say that pushing through that hurdle is pretty crucial.

But that’s easier said than done. Even after you ' ve finally conquered the fear of taking up space, you then have to deal with the possible repercussions of what happens online from taking up space like perfectionism- both in your mind and the minds of others Trust us, as a brand known for knowing social media, it's hard not overthinking certain pieces of content, because if it's not perfect, do we even know what we ' re talking about?

All this to say, social media can be anxiety-inducing and you shouldn't do it. Just kidding, it can be anxietyinducing but you are a strong, capable woman and you can accomplish anything you put your mind to We know this because all it takes is the desire to be that person and anyone reading this magazine has that desire So, how do you get through the anxiety and find yourself wanting to take up space?

First things first, you should set some goals for your new social media endeavors. What is the outcome you’re hoping to achieve with your profile? You can’t be #socialmediagoals without having actual goals, so write down what your aim is for social media before you start posting Trust us, having a clear, defined goal is going to keep you focused when motivation isn’t working

The next thing you need to tackle is likely the hardest, but the most crucial: overcoming perfectionism. We won't tell you that you just have to ignore it, because you ' ve likely been trying that and it hasn't been working. Here's the exact advice we tell our clients: Set realistic standards. If you are going to hold yourself to standards, know what they are- and make them realistic So that when you are unsure of a post, if it meets your expectations, you know that it’s just your anxiety and that you should in fact post it

This leads to our favorite tip: post and ghost If you know that you should post but you ' re freaking out about whether or not you'll get enough engagement, just post and don’t come back to the platform for hours, aka ghost. Granted, this isn’t the best in terms of strategy, but it’s better than not posting at all!

And when all else fails, hire someone else to do it for you! *cough* Hire us! *cough* Social Media can be a full-time job and if you are coming to the point in your career or business where it's crucial that you have a successful social media presence but you can’t seem to get it for whatever reason, consider bringing on a team of experts and take it off your plate completely