Let Them Decide
By
Ben Barber
2
Minute Read
Too often we decide to hide parts of our lives from our public personas out of the unrealistic idea that it doesn’t “fit our brand.” Even if it’s something we are deeply passionate about, something we want desperately to share with the world… most of the time we keep it to ourselves.
...people DO business with the people they feel a connection with outside the realm of business interaction...
Let’s say you run a consulting business and your social media is filled with tips and tricks and hot takes on the days events in the world of your expertise. You’ve developed a modest following that you’re proud of. Now let’s say that what no one who knows you from your social media alone knows that you also really love cosplay… you’d love to share it, but it’s so different to your consulting content that you have never dared to share… but the big convention is coming up this weekend and you’ve got the best costume of your life. You really wish you could share, because you’re so proud of it and you’re excited. But you think your followers wouldn’t know what to do with a photo of you straight out of the MCU… then one night before the convention you decide to chance it.
You post it to stories, because “who cares, in 24 hours it will be gone anyway.” It gets a few reactions. People are nice, they send you replies of movie references, say they love your style, didn’t know you were into comics, etc… it’s feels nice. So the next day you decide to post it to your profile. Essentially the same reaction, people love it, they love seeing something different. Maybe one or two people unfollow, but overall the engagement is overwhelming fun and positive. They didn’t know about this other side of you!
This might sound far fetched, but it isn’t. Actually it happens every single day. People don’t often refuse to give you their business because you like a different sports team or you follow a different tv show, or have a different interest than them… but people DO give business to people they feel a CONNECTION with outside of the realm of the business interaction every single day.
So, should you throw away your consulting content and double down on the cosplay? No. That’s not what I’m saying. But should you stop treating your feed as this precious ecosystem where if you do one thing wrong it will all go away? Absolutely. Share what you love and don’t decide for them what they are going to care about or not care about. You should enjoy what you post on social media, and it should be a reflection of who you are and what you want to talk about.
If it’s between you and another business, and I know that you and I both like running marathons… that is going to be enough for me to give you my business over the other guys.
