Showcasing your authority is less important than being of service, and actually being of service showcases your authority. It's less about rattling off all of your accomplishments, milestones, etc., and it's more about serving the person in front of you, and as you serve, people see you as an authority.
Welcome to the Legacy Creator Podcast, a show dedicated to giving you the tools you need to build a profitable, purposeful, and powerful business that lasts. I'm your host, Ashton Smith, a sixth-generation entrepreneur who is passionate about helping you think bigger so that you can actualize your goals and build your legacy.
Let's dive in.
Hello. Hey, hey. Welcome back to the Legacy Creator Podcast. If you are watching on YouTube, please just ignore how, you know, cozied up we are to each other. We have to use one mic today. It's all fine. We all know technical difficulties. Mm-hmm. The series of unfortunate events before this episode were just like unreal. I mean, you were a little bit late, we couldn't get the mics to work. I offered Jordan some espresso to make up for the troubles of the morning and then she burnt her tongue immediately on the espresso. Literally. Yeah. And, uh, here we are. But I'm so excited for this episode. We had the best time outlining this. Yes. We were like, "This is going to be good." Um, as you can tell from the title, this is going to be a little bit of a spicy episode, but we feel like it's a really important conversation and we're excited to bring it to our podcast community.
I think what really sparked this episode was just something that you and I have been working on in the business, I would say over the last three to four months, but I feel like 2023 at large has been like this shift for us in terms of like our top focuses. And one of the things that's been like the North Star is like, how can we serve our people? How can we make them a top priority in everything that we do? And, um, one of the things that, you know, we focused on within that is just the way that we are structuring our messaging, our copy, our content writing. Jordan just had an epic blog post go live on this this morning. Um, and Jordan's been calling me to a higher standard with this, just really thinking about with every single thing that we do, how are we thinking about our community and like what they need and making it about them. Mm-hmm. And so, that's why we titled this episode, "Is Your Brand Egotistical?" We really wanted this to stand out and call you in, pique your interest, and ultimately, you know, we really wanna talk about how do you make your people a top priority in everything that you do? Um, but especially in the way that your brand is perceived in the online space. Yeah.
So, let's kind of set the tone and let's talk about like the actual definition of egotistical. Why don't you do this?
Egotistical is defined as "excessively conceited or absorbed in oneself; self-centered." A few synonyms being self-obsessed, vain, bragging. Um, so yeah, I think it's important to note like, of course, you can be confident and you can be an authority. You can also even like have a personal brand and, eh, that is technically like a per—a personal brand is about you. But this is a little bit different because egotistical is just taking it to that next level of like it all being about you and it's just focused on you. It's very self-centered. Um, and I feel like in some ways in the past like year or so, we kind of like shifted and we're like focusing a little bit too much on ourselves, and now we're making the shift backwards, like we're trying to prioritize our people more and prioritize what they need, you know? So—yeah. You know.
And I think some background to that, and I think like other founders will totally get this. I know that when I started The Awakening in 2019, like everything was brand new and I was like eager to grow, and it was like this upward trajectory for the first few years. It was like one year after the other. Mm-hmm. It was revenue milestones, it was like landing really cool like speaking opportunities, features, and we had this upward trajectory. And what that essentially led to was me feeling like, oh, well, I have to keep up. And I have to keep putting on a show, and I have to, you know, as I peeled back the layers, I realized like I really was trying to continuously prove myself and really show my authority at like a higher level every single month, quarter, year. Felt like I had to keep up in order to be positioned as an authority, and I think so many people can relate to that. And I think another thing to note in that is just how that trickled down into every other thing, you know? Like, into our messaging, into our copy, and so Jordan was able to really highlight some of this and be like, "Hey, why don't we shift and focus more on our people? Um, what do they really need? How can we bring value to them?" And I started to realize this, this business, this company, like it's not really about me. It's not about showcasing my authority. It's not, you know, shining the spotlight on my, you know, milestones, my accolades all the time. Now, it's one thing to celebrate those things, but what does a company exist for? Like, businesses exist to solve a problem for people. Mm-hmm. And, you know, that problem could be, you know, something as, you know, deep as health-related. It could be making someone laugh. It could be bringing joy to someone's life, like if you're a product-based business, but you're solving some sort of problem and you're bringing some sort of value. And I really do wanna kind of propose the question, are you building a self-centered brand or a service-based brand? And like Jordan said—that distinction is important. You can have a personal brand, you can celebrate yourself, your milestones, and as you should. Like, we work so hard and we celebrate hard too. Like this week, we're going on, um, a dinner to celebrate Jordan's two-year anniversary and some big projects that we've worked on over the last year. So celebrate, share, but at the same time, we really have to make sure that we're being mindful of how is our brand coming across to our communities. Mm-hmm. You know, how—how does your community feel when they see your content every day? Do they feel like you're a source of value? Do they feel inspired? Do they feel empowered? Do they feel disempowered? Do they feel less than, right? And so we really wanna kind of kick off this conversation with, you know, a discussion around what is showcasing your authority really look like? And I'm curious, like, we can both answer this question, but like the people that we see as the biggest authorities, and this could be, like—I know for you, you follow like writers and poets. Mm-hmm. Um, or for me, I follow a lot of founders. So like, I really want us to kind of identify what are some of the traits that make us view people as an authority. Mm-hmm. And I know for me, like when I see someone as an authority and when I take my time out of my day to consume someone's content, it's because they inspire me, they make me think bigger, they don't make me feel like shame about myself. They don't make me feel disempowered, but they have this like empowering energy about them where it's like, "Hey, I did this, you can too," type of energy. Mm-hmm. And I know that that's something I wanna replicate.
I don't know if anything comes up for you.
Yeah, I mean, I was just thinking about like authority figures in general that like in my life, and I just think like personally for both of us, we probably both think our dad is an authority. Like, I don't know, I just see him as like an authoritative kind of figure and it's like he just—I don't know. I don't—I can't think of like specific qualities I guess that come to mind, but he just like is an authority and he leads from that place, and he's always been like of service to people and trying to solve problems for people. Um, and that is sort of like authoritative in my mind. Um, but he's also like, I've noticed like he never tries to prove his authority. He never tries to prove it to other people or say like, "I'm an authority. I'm an authority." Like, he just is. Um, and I think that's a really big like distinction there 'cause, I don't know, I think sometimes, especially in the online space and kind of in our network of people I guess, um, that I've connected with, I feel like it can be easy to feel that fear of like maybe people don't see me as an authority. Maybe, you know, being like self-made and you're ch—maybe an entrepreneur or you're a solopreneur and you're doing it on your own, maybe you can feel like lesser than. Maybe if someone else like came from corporate and you're like, "Well, I'm not like this person." And you can kind of do—fall into that like comparison game. Yeah, but it's like what really makes an authority at the end of the day? And I think tying it back to dad is like he has such a servant heart. Mm-hmm. He's so generous. He gives without expecting anything in return. Um, he empowers. And so I think again, like I propose that question to our listeners, like who do you see as an authority and why? Mm-hmm. And I would bet that you aren't going to rattle off like all of these crazy achievements or, you know, their—their backstory, their, uh, degree, right? And this isn't me saying to not share those things, but it is me saying that I really think we need to reframe what authority building means. Because this has become a really big discussion in the online space over the last 5 years, I think because the space has become so oversaturated. There's a lot of people and, you know, you can just create an Instagram today. You can create a business today, and you can—you can claim things that aren't true, you can claim things that are true. And so I think people wanna showcase backstory to add context, to build trust, and I think that there's a place for that. Mm-hmm. But I do think that there's a time where we kind of overstep and then our entire brand and all of our, like, messaging and all of our copy, it's just about us and essentially showing what we do, what we can do, you know, our milestones and accolades. And I think that we need to find some sort of balance. Yeah. That's kind of the heart behind that.
Yeah. 'Cause like, there—yeah. I think that we are big, uh, advocates for, like, celebrating milestones and, like, accomplishments and things like that. Like you don't—we're not saying that you should just ignore those things and never talk about them, um, but sometimes there's a way that you could do that when it maybe is more focused on your people. I think it—a lo—a lot of it comes back to messaging and just prioritizing your people and really thinking to yourself, like, "How can I best serve the people in front of me?" And that's something, like, we have been making a lot of changes over the past few months, and something that's been on my mind, like consistently, is whenever we're making any sort of content for like Instagram or whatever, um, I'm constantly thinking of, like, putting myself in our ideal clients', like, shoes. Our potential clients, you know, people in our community, and thinking about like, what are they seeing when they read all of this? Like, are they getting something out of it? Do they feel seen? Do they feel heard? Um, and that's been like top of mind for me lately, and I think for the both of us, 'cause we're just like—I think we're a—we've always been about, like, service, but we're making it even like more of a priority and, like, just trying to serve the people around us. And even with like a—a—an Instagram caption, you know, like any little thing that you can do to best serve your people, like that's—that's really important. So, yeah. How can our people be seen? How can they feel supported and inspired?
Imagine with me for a second, it's Monday morning. You sit down at your desk with clarity, confidence, and peace of mind. You know exactly what to do in order to move your business forward in the form of impact and cash flow. This is a reality for so many inside our Awakening membership, and it's possible for you too. If you're ready to effectively structure your time, actualize your goals without the burnout, and amplify your impact and revenue, our membership can help. As a podcast insider, you can join today and get half off of your first month. Head to myawakening.co/membership and use the code LEGACYINSIDER in all caps at checkout. Again, head to myawakening.co/membership and use the code LEGACYINSIDER in all caps at checkout. We can't wait to serve you on the inside. Now, back to the episode.
So what does being an authority mean? Let's look at the definition of authoritative. "Able to be trusted as being accurate or true; reliable." And I think the biggest thing that stands out to me there is this element of trust. Mm-hmm. And so then we have to ask the question like, okay, well how do you build that trust? Um, and one thing that, you know, people may fight me on, but I really firmly believe that showcasing your authority is less important than being of service, and actually being of service showcases your authority. Yeah. Um, so it's less about rattling off all of your accomplishments, milestones, etc., and it's more about serving the person in front of you. And as you serve, people see you as an authority. Mm-hmm. Um, being of service, number one, it empowers your people, it brings value, and therefore that's going to build trust and lead to authority. I think that's—that's really what we're trying to shift into in this season. It's not that we're not gonna celebrate our goal, our progress, our milestones and achievements, it's not that we're not gonna celebrate our clients and what we're doing and building, you know, because I think some founders struggle to celebrate. We struggle to slow down and actually celebrate what we've accomplished. That's still important, but more so, we're really seeking to serve. Mm-hmm. You know, before we outlined these podcast episodes, we sat on my back porch and I literally asked Jordan, "Okay, what do our people need support with right now? Where are they at in their business? Like, what are they struggling with? What are their goals?" And that's how we identified the lineup here. Mm-hmm. Right? Um, so I also think that there is a way to show your authority without it being all about yourself. Um, and one of my favorite ways to share and showcase our authority as a team and a company, but also to view and witness other people's authority, is seeing what do other people have to say about them? What do their clients, their community members, their students have to say about them? And that's both, like, front-facing through your content, um, you know, sharing social proof, screenshots, testimonials, um, anything like that. But it is also, like, behind closed doors too. Mm-hmm. You know? Like, how are you being such an incredible leader, being so much so of service that behind closed doors people have just the best things to say about you? Mm-hmm. Um, I really think that that is so powerful. Thinking about like, okay, how can we let other people, other experiences speak for us? Like we don't have to fight to—to prove ourselves, to showcase our—our value. Like, we are a force. We are value. We are an expert. You don't have to continually reiterate that all the time. It's so much more powerful to have other people—Mm-hmm.—speak on your behalf.
Yeah. I think, tagging off—off what you just said, like, if you're always, like, trying to lead from integrity and—or out of integrity and, um—being of service and that being your, like, top goal with your community, I think that's so powerful. Like you said, like, conversations happen behind closed doors as well and things that maybe we aren't even aware of, you know. And it's like, if you give someone a really incredible experience and you prioritize them and you serve them really well, like, that could lead to other opportunities. Like, that's—that's really beautiful. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I think, like, we get so swept up in, you know, "I wanna grow. I wanna scale." Um, and I think about, like, Josh and I, we're watching Shark Tank right now, and there are all these entrepreneurs that come in and they're like, "Yeah, I'm ready to, like, take this to the masses and scale." And sometimes they'll come in and the sharks are like, "You're not ready to scale. You haven't mastered what you do with a small group of people." And I see that time and time again in our space. Like, a lot of times we shift and we wanna focus on the masses, and we want these, like, big, you know, nirvana moments where we're speaking on stages or we're writing books or, you know, we think about some of the greatest leaders of all time that, you know, reached that place, and I will point out that a lot of times they are—they have a bit of age on them. Mm-hmm. They have a lot of wisdom that they've acquired over the years. But all of that to say, you know, how can we really—I know this is, like, this sounds cliche, but how can you truly focus on the one? Like, how can you really focus on the one person in front of you, or the, you know, 5 to 10 clients in front of you, or the group of students in front of you, whatever it is, and that really does have, like, a ripple effect impact. It really does. And it—it leads to growth for your business, but it also really does build up your reputation. I think about, like, we have a lot of longstanding clients that we've worked with for years. We have a lot of repeat and returning clients. And, to me, that is, like, always even more special than acquiring a new person, not that we don't welcome them. We love them. We love new people, but it's like the greatest honor for somebody to come back and say, you know, "I had such an incredible experience. I felt so seen and valued and supported. Like, I wanna come back." Or when people refer people, right? Um, when they wanna be a part of our referral program, like, that is the highest honor, and I think a lot of that stems from leadership, and one of the greatest qualities of a—a great leader is truly just seeking to be of service without seeking any credit in return.
Yeah. Um—yeah. I've been—I've been trying to read this book called This is Marketing. I think it's by, like, Seth Godin. I don't r—I don't remember his name. But, um, so far, he was talking about, um, focusing on the smallest viable market, and when you were just talking about that, I'm like, "That's so true." Because not one business can serve everyone. There's no way. So all this talk about scaling and growing, like, yes, you want to grow, but you also wanna grow in a way that is sustainable, um, but you also want to focus on the people already in front of you because they're your existing community. They're already, like, eager to learn more. They're already there. Um, so learn—like, trying to grow or trying to expand and just attract all these new people and whatever, like, you're not going to be able to serve the masses. There's no way. Because your offer, your product, your service, whatever it is, um, is not for everyone. It might be for this person over here, but someone else, maybe they click more with someone different. Maybe they wanna purchase from someone different. So, I think understanding that first, it's like, I—I only have this group of people I'm gonna focus on and serve those people really well. That's powerful, and I think that could lead to even more growth, like you said, because, you know, that kind of speaks for itself. Mm-hmm. And if someone is served really well, they're gonna tell other people, and then that's a really beautiful way to grow. Like, naturally. Mm-hmm. Organically. Mm-hmm. So, yeah. Yeah. We tend to focus on more, more, more, and we think that that's the answer, but in actuality, it is focusing on the one in front of you. Um, and it is equally as powerful to, um, repel people as it is to bring people into your sphere and into your community. Mm-hmm. I needed to know how to do all of these, you know, 10 to 15 different things, I needed to be an expert in all of those things in order to be an authority, and then you get in this loop. But actually, there's so much power in knowing what you bring to the table, what your team brings to the table, and being so firm and unshaken in that, in your messaging, in your presence, um, so that you can call the right people in, you can repel the wrong people. Mm-hmm. It's not about being everything for everyone. Yeah.
So, you know, I think at the end of the day, like, we collectively, like, as a team, we just feel like it is time to focus less on you, less on us, and more on our people, right? And, um, a lot of this is done through your verbiage, and I really want Jordan to riff for a minute here, because this is really where we—we started to get into the trenches of this concept in our business this year through messaging—Mm-hmm.—and, like, really considering, "okay, how can we, not necessarily niche down, but how can we stand so firm in like what we're known for, and through that, be of the best service to our community?" And a lot of that happens through copy.
Yeah, it's really—it, it's interesting to me, because I think we've just been making small tweaks here and there, um, but one thing I noticed in just reviewing some of our messaging and content and whatnot, was that we were talking about ourselves a lot, and even just using certain pronouns, like our and we, like a little bit too much, to where we were never using second-person pronouns, like you, your, yours, yourself, etc. Um, and even just making those small shifts, like that can be so powerful, because the pers—like, think about the person reading the Instagram caption, or reading whatever it may be, they're gonna feel like they're being spoken to, because you're saying you, yours, yourself, you know, all those things. And it's like, those small shifts are so small, but like, I think they're so powerful, because it just shifts the, like, narrative, and the message towards the, the potential client, the ideal client. Um, and I think, uh, I was thinking about this earlier as well, you know, sometimes it's important to talk about, like, milestones that we've achieved and things like that, but I think there's a way to even talk about your milestones and your achievements to where it's still targeting that ideal client, and still speaking directly to them, and saying like, you know, "I was able to do this, X, Y and Z. I was able to accomplish this," like, but you can also do this. You can chase your dreams. You can accomplish what, uh, you want to accomplish in this life and in your business. Just, like, switching that verbiage—Mm-hmm.—makes so much difference. I, I really believe, like, if you're struggling with, with any of this and you feel like maybe you're not focusing as much on your people, I would start there. I would start with just, like, how can you keep your ideal client top of mind always, with whatever content you're making, and just try to speak directly to that person? Mm-hmm.
Yeah, it's like, what if your ideal client goes to your website and you're saying we, our, us, but they're new and they can't yet identify that they are a part of that community? Like, they're, they're not going to feel like they're welcome or they belong necessarily yet. Um, whereas—they could feel like, they could feel like they're on the outskirts a little bit—yeah—like they're not ready, they're not in it yet. Yeah. Like, they're on the outside looking in. Mm-hmm. And we want people, especially like for your website, we want people to immediately be like, "Oh my gosh, I belong here. Wow. Like, that's me." Mm-hmm. Like, "Okay. I fit that description." Like, "Yes, I struggle with this. Yes, this is a desire." Like, "I belong here." And I think one of the ways that you do that is shifting your messaging around and really framing it to be about that person. And I also love what Jordan just shared about any time you're sharing, not every time, but a lot of times when you are sharing, you know, your story or some of, you know, your biggest breakthroughs, I think that it's all about how you frame it, right? And that can be the difference between like, you know, a healthy and uplifting celebration, and then something that may come across as self-centered or egotistical to the viewer—Mm-hmm.—is the way that you frame that story. Like, if you were going and watching someone's Instagram story every day, and every single day they're just saying, "Oh, like, I did this and this was great and I'm celebrating that, and we did all of these incredible things." But they're never talking to you or about you, how is that gonna make you feel? Like, you might be inspired, but I think at some point it's gonna wear you down to where you're like, "Ugh. Like, I'm not good enough," or like, "Oh, I don't belong here because I'm not doing those things." Or, or you might even stop watching because you're like, "I'm not really getting any value from this." Yeah. It can make you feel like you're not in the in-crowd. You're not really in it with that person if they're using all that verbiage and they're only talking about themselves, like, and—or their team and what they can accomplish. And I think, like you said, it's also about frequency of like how often you're talking about that stuff. So sometimes you might want to share a story that is personal or something like that. And I'm not saying that you should entirely shy away from doing stuff like that. Like, that's okay. But I think it's all about how much you do it. And if you're constantly creating content like that and it's all about you, all about the things you've achieved, and it's never really drawing in your ideal client just through the copy and the messaging, then you're gonna struggle to really make powerful connections with your community because they're always, uh—this might be a blanket statement, but they're always gonna feel like kind of on the outskirts. Like, they're not—you're not pulling them in at all. Mm-hmm. And I think the way that you show value is—is going to be so different depending upon what type of business you own. Like, if you're a coach, a lot of this is going to make instant sense. I think even agency owners. If you're a, you know, a product-based business, I think sometimes showing value is just, like, fun, um, entertaining content—Mm-hmm.—inspiring lifestyle. Um, I mean, even some of our clients will bring value through comedic relief. So there's a lot of ways to bring value. Um, but I think tying back to that point, it's all about how you frame it, it's all about frequency. So if you're to rattle off incredible milestones, how can we frame that to be of service and value at the end? Yeah. Like, how can we showcase a sense of hope for the viewer to show them like, "Hey, this is possible for you." "I didn't think this was possible for me. You could do it. Like, you can do anything and here are some starting steps." Right?
Yeah. I think at the end of the day though, like, I mean, like we said towards the beginning, businesses—business is about serving people. So, like, your branding, your messaging, all of that is not really for you, it's for the ideal client. And I think that's just—that is like the blanket statement, that's the one key takeaway you should take from this episode is like, it's about your people, your community, the people you wish to serve. That ideal client needs to stay top of mind in like everything that you're doing. Mm-hmm. And I think there is an important distinction, 'cause you do have to lead with, like, vision. You have to lead with what you're good at, with what inspires you. Like, I think the best leaders and founders, that's what they do. They steer the ship forward but at the end of the day, the thing that like keeps the momentum going is you serving the people in the community. Mm-hmm. Right? So we have to, at some point, go beyond, you know, what is fun for you or inspiring for you and we have to really think about, "okay, how are we bringing value to the person in the community?" And, you know, that's why the best copywriters, the best brand designers, they're going to ask you about you, but most of their questions are actually going to be about your ideal client. Like, when we got our brand designed, I remember, I spent hours like riffing on our ideal client and what resonates with them, like where they're at, what they seek from us. That was the tone for everything, and that's how it should be, and that should translate over into all of your socials as well. Mm-hmm.
So, we wanna leave you with some actionable prompts, next steps, questions. And we're going to pull straight from StoryBrand and I think we referenced this in a la—in a previous podcast episode, but if you haven't heard us mention this before, I think everyone should read StoryBrand. Who's the author? It's Building a StoryBrand, I think by Donald Miller. Yes. Yeah. Exactly. So we pulled these prompts, I actually pulled them directly from the book. These were like the first three questions that, um, I was prompted with, and this is what really, like, inspired us to start changing a lot of things with just verbiage in general. Before we get into the questions, I think it's important to note here, um, they're talking about—like, the whole idea of a StoryBrand is that every brand, no matter what you really do, tells a story. And in this story, the hero is actually, like, your ideal client. Whereas sometimes we can think of ourselves as the hero, but that's not the case. Your ideal client and the people in front of you, those are the heroes of the story. Um, and I think we would be like the guides in the story or whatever. Mm-hmm. Um, so yeah. The first question listed is, what does the hero want? Number 2 is, who or what is opposing the hero getting what she wants? And number 3 is, what will the hero's life look like if she does or does not get what she wants?
I love these questions 'cause it really is like, if you watch a movie or you read a book, like these basic questions are applicable to any story and it's also applicable to your brand. Like, what does the hero want, what is, what is opposing that hero, and then what will that person's life look like in the end if she does or does not get what she wants? So there's like 2, 2, uh, roads diverge in a yellow wood kind of thing. Like, you can pick 2 different paths. Um, so yeah. Those, those questions have been really informing us and some of our messaging. Mm-hmm. I mean, what it really comes down to is like, desires, hindrances, and transformation. And I think the best brands, like, they bring a story to the table that is about the ideal client, and they showcase that transformation, like either in real time with past customers, or they showcase what the transformation could look like for people that are, you know, not yet there. And so honestly, these might sound like the simplest questions, but I think that they are really powerful, and I think even the, uh, foundation of looking at your ideal client as the hero is so powerful. Because I think a lot of us, again, like Jordan said, we look at ourselves as the hero. But I personally think the best coaches, consultants, like, you know, high performing leaders all over the world, people that I know of, like I think of John Maxwell, incredible, they look to empower the person in front of them to be the most powerful version of themselves. Mm-hmm. And they don't sit down and tell them, you know, here's, you know, step one, 2, 3, 4, 5, forever. They actually help them cultivate skillsets, adopt skillsets, mannerisms, verbiage, you know, thought processes, to the point where they transform and like, they are the hero of their story. Mm-hmm. And that is what we want to shine through in your messaging. We really want your readers to feel empowered, to feel equipped. And I think like, that is a whole other tangent that leads to sales, because if people come to your website and they feel so, um, intimidated by all of the things that are listed, by, you know, all of your clients, by all of the milestones, it creates an intimidation factor. And that can really hold people back from signing with you, from inquiring, from reaching out, because they feel like they're on the outside looking in. They don't identify with that. Because you're only showing the end result, the end milestones. So we kinda have to go through and showcase their desires, their hindrances, and show them that it's possible. And that's what these questions will help you kind of peel back within your own brand. Mm-hmm. Um, so go through these prompts. Bonus points if you purchase the book and read it, because it's so good. I need to reread it at this point. Mm-hmm.
Yeah. Let's talk about, too, just some mindset shifts as we close out this episode. Really the biggest thing, the biggest thing that I want you to take away from this episode is, you know, how can you posture yourself to be of service to the people in front of you? How can we showcase your authority not by showcasing your accolades, your milestones, but really truly being of value? And I think you kinda have to answer that question for yourself. What, what do your community members need that you can be of service for? Um, and then like Jordan said, like she is my north star with content right now, because she's like, "okay, what content is gonna be helpful for the ideal client? Um, what do they need to hear right now? And how can you speak directly to them?" And you know, she will like hold me to that standard. She'll ask me those questions. Yeah. She edits our copy. Um, I think that, you know, maybe we'll do a future episode on, on strong copy and content writing, um, with Jordan, but for now check out the blog, because we have something there for you if you want tangible insights on that. Um, but really get into the mind of your ideal client. And one of my favorite ways to do this, and I literally do this and work on this with every single one of our clients when they're working on messaging, we go through prompts to tie into and get connected to their vision, right? Their differentiators. But we really dive into their community, and we go into any market research, any inquiry forms, any feedback forms that have been filled out, testimonial forms. Um, we even sift through like emails from ideal clients, Instagram messages from ideal clients, and we literally compile that data into a spreadsheet, and you have an entire sheet with words exactly as they are from ideal clients. They're not filtered through your own verbiage. Now some of that you may have to edit, shift, tweak to make it digestible and, and easy for people to read. But if you want your ideal client to feel seen in your content, I swear by this, go look at what your ideal clients, your actual clients, your past clients say, how they talk, what they say that they struggle with, how you help them, and that should filter into like your website, your socials at large. We did this for our, our new website that's live now. Mm-hmm. Um, so speak directly to them, and really as we wrap up, just like ask yourself, what do you wanna be known for? What type of brand do you want to be? And I think if we're to answer that question, like I just know at a high level, I want people to feel—I've always said this, I want people to feel seen. Like I really want people to feel like they are welcome no matter what level they're at. Um, I want them to feel empowered, inspired. Um, I want them to feel like the most powerful version of themselves.
So a lot of good prompts for you guys in this episode, and I hope that this just gave you some food for thought, um, and inspires you to make some, some micro but meaningful shifts in the way that you approach your, you know, messaging, your copy, um, the way that you're showing up and representing your brand, because you as the leader set the tone for the entirety of your company. And that includes your team, that includes your clients, and that does include, you know, your front-facing content and the community that's seeing that.
So thank you for spending all of this time with us. We hope you enjoyed this episode. As always, if you did enjoy this episode, please leave a review. And feel free to share on social. We are @myawakeningco. You can share and tag us so we can get this message out to more people that need to hear it. Thank you, and we will see you in the next one. Bye. Bye.
