What's Your Message Worth?
What’s your presence worth? Your message?
Think about the value of your presence at the helm of your business. As a thought leader, your job is to drive the mission and vision of your brand forward. You champion your core values, inspiring followers and customers along the way.
But let’s back up for a second. Let’s say you’re not acting as the face of your organization - at least, not yet. Instead, you’re operating in the background, blending in, happy to let your brand persona do the talking. In remaining invisible, you’re missing out on many potential, real connections you could make with your audience.
Before we go on, I know the term “thought leader” might make you cringe. But it’s just a label - industry jargon that helps direct your content marketing efforts. So hang with me for a second.
Whether you’re a founder, CEO, or a prominent figure working behind the scenes at your org, you’re missing opportunities when you play the chameleon role. If you’re a corporate leader, this is your chance to publicly get behind the ethos you’re driving through your company. And if you own a small business or are a solopreneur, you’re missing out on building a crucial body of work that you can take ownership of, whatever work you do in the future.
Bridging the gap between chameleon and publicly-facing thought leader isn’t necessarily straightforward, though. If we’re not ready to put ourselves out there, we have to make that mental transition. We have to make mindset shifts, and we must learn to value our internalized knowledge and behind-the-scenes experience.
I say “we” because I’m walking this path right alongside you.
Why I’m Writing This
I’ve worked as a professional copywriter, ghostwriter, editor, and content marketer since 2015, yet my personal body of work in this space is fairly small. As a content marketer, I don’t necessarily have a large digital footprint. I’ve rarely kept up with my own blog over the years, preferring to focus on my client work instead.
But the problem with being an expert in brand voice - AND choosing not to show up as myself - meant that I was literally blending into everyone else’s brands. While this talent has served me well as a service provider, when I needed to fill a gap in my schedule, people couldn’t see me. I was draped under my self-made invisibility cloak, neglecting to make my own content, and each time I needed to level up in my business, I’d throw it off in a panic… then wonder why no one could see me.
(I should note that I’m a fantasy author and poured all my creation time outside of client work into my books and marketing; therefore, a large swath of my network didn’t realize I was still working as a marketer.)
While I’m grateful for the range of work I’ve done, I slowly came to realize the value of my own voice and visibility. Being seen, read, heard, and understood changes the game in business and life. I know I’m worthy of putting myself out there, and you are, too.
So What’s Your Message Worth?
If you’re grappling with the idea of putting yourself out there, I want you to take some time to consider what your voice and your message are worth. You don’t have to think in terms of analytics or dollars. In fact, let’s shove numbers off the table for now, indignant house cat-style.
What could your unique voice and message do for you?
Fill your client roster
Make more sales
Roll out a new offer
Gain a larger audience
Get you on stages
Build your influence
Establish your authority and expertise
Get your book into the world
Scale your business
Launch a new product or venture
Grow your revenue and income
There are so many possibilities, and these are just a few. What’s the value of your next level? Where can your message take you as the future unfolds?
I’ll be hanging around here on Substack to talk about story, messaging, and thought leadership development. If you’ve ever felt that little nudge to start building out your body of work, now is the time - and you’re not alone. Let’s go on the journey together, shall we?