talking about your conscious brand & its values on social media… with or without showing your face

How to talk about your sustainable & ethical business… especially when you don’t feel comfortable showing your own face on social media!

This is a two-parter, y’all! Click here to skip straight to my tips for you if showing your face on social media has you nearly breaking out in hives.

But first, let’s talk about how / where / how often to talk about your business on your various platforms.

You may feel like what you do & what your values are are obvious for anyone stumbling onto your accounts on social media… but is it really? Here are some questions you can ask yourself to check:

YOUR BIO OR ABOUT SECTION:

• Is it as clear & impactful as it can be? 
• Does it answer who you are, what you do & what makes you different (values/causes…)? 
• Does it say who you serve? This is especially important if you are a service provider

YOUR INSTAGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:

Think of your highlights as the tabs of your website. They enable people to go a little deeper once you’ve hooked them in with your Instagram bio and/or content and find out more about your sustainable & ethical business.

• Do you have a highlight introducing your business? It’s good to have one called “about” or “start here” recently updated so it shows up first in your profile’s highlights.
• Do you have a highlight on your products / services?
• Do you have a highlight about your sustainable & ethical values?

YOUR CONTENT:

You can do this subtly… or more overtly (there are a lot of fun reel audios like this one or this one that make for great introduction reels). I recommend doing a mix of both, with a more ‘obvious’ post every month or so.

• Do you have a lot of new followers who might not know what you’re all about? Then it could be a great time to share a post (re)introducing your business and what it’s all about.
• When is the last time you posted about your brand, offering or values?
• Do your posts and stories incorporate that info in more subtle ways on a regular basis too? Consider alluding to what you do and/or your brand values in the call to action at the end of a post, or by tying it into the topic at hand.

OK GREAT… BUT DO I ALSO HAVE TO SHOW MY FACE ON SOCIAL MEDIA?

That’s a question (=concern) that I often hear from business owners, apprehensive of showing their face on a social media post, story or video. I totally understand! As an introvert, I much prefer to be posting behind a brand rather than as myself, with my face front and center.

Good news! The more you put yourself out there, the easier it becomes… but also, you can still have success on social media without showing your face if that doesn’t feel aligned for you.

Here are a couple of tips to start dipping your toe into showing yourself on social media:

• Start with stories – they’re temporary and more informal than posts. They also often have a lower reach (mostly your existing audience), which is less intimidating.
• Share photos of yourself if talking or doing something in front of the camera feels too daunting or awkward.
• Share a photo or video of yourself in a group (you with your team? with your pet? at an event you attended? in action working?). Often times, it feels less intimidating to show up within a group than solo.
• Think of your audience as individuals, or better yet as friends & cheerleaders. It can feel overwhelming if you see your audience as one big mass, added to the even bigger mass of non-followers who may see your content. But I’ve found that thinking of my content as being seen by fellow lovely humans sharing my values helps reduce that anxiety. Turns out, for the most part, people want to get to know you & connect with you, not tear you down. I promise!
• When you feel ready to try making a video, plan out what you want to say or do beforehand. That helps ease the stress. Before you start filming, drink some water, take a BIG inhale-exhale, then smile & press record. It’s ok if it takes several tries (the more you do it, the easier it gets, I promise!) but remember, the end result also doesn’t have to be perfect. I find recreating a cool Reel or TikTok idea a good starting point (less pressure than coming up with a concept & text yourself).

Still not convinced showing your face on social media is for you? Here are some face-free alternatives to consider:

• Share your story or opinion on something, speaking in the first person – but with a video or photo that doesn’t show your face. For instance, you could show the image of a landscape, a product you offer, your work space… The fact that the story is still personal creates that stronger bond with your audience while making sure you’re comfortable too.
• Show your hands (or another body part, like your feet while walking). Especially if you have a product-based business. Check out this cute Reel tutorial from @curious.chitra you could try. Having a human element, even a small one, can make your brand feel more personal.
• Share client testimonials or the stories of others tied to your business.
• Use your voice: doing a video voiceover or sharing a clip of a podcast you’ve been on can be a great way to inch closer to feeling comfortable showing your face online.

Finally… Consider working with a social media manager. I had a client who dreaded filming herself for stories or reels, and another who was reluctant to go live on Instagram. I coached them through it and guess what? By feeling supported and after a couple of pressure-free tries, they realized it was easier than they’d expected – and FUN! I’ve also had clients who really didn’t want to show their faces, however, and that’s perfectly fine. We implemented some of the content tips above and others to still make their brand feel personal.

The key takeaway is this: DO WHAT FEELS RIGHT FOR YOU! But also be open to stepping out of your comfort zone because, chances are, the reality of putting yourself more out there on social media isn’t nearly as bad as you think.