Building An Authentic Brand

Businesses and brands often adopt identities online that are sellable but not authentic, and this holds true in the wellness and fitness industries as well.

Brands follow trends without digging deeper and considering if those actions are aligned with their values or if those strategies are going to get them the results they want.

Having met thousands of wellness coaches and athletes, India shares the three most common mistakes she witnesses them make in their visibility strategies and what you can do instead to amplify your influence online.

Listen on your favorite podcast player or keep reading to learn:

• How to consider the events and online spaces where you show up

• Why your gym selfies aren’t selling your services

• Why your content needs to highlight your values

• How considering who follows you and why informs your content

An Insider’s Perspective

On the Flaunt Your Fire® podcast, India Jackson opens with a brief history of her background in the wellness industry. 

In 2017, she found herself consistently going to the gym for the first time and also working with a number of clients who were athletes, personal trainers, and nutritionists. 

Because of that work, she attended bodybuilding shows and fitness conventions and ended up competing herself.

That insider’s perspective on the industry informs how she approaches businesses in the wellness and fitness industries today and the issues she witnesses with their visibility efforts, and how those issues come up in other industries as well.

Go Where Your Clients Are

The first thing she notices is business owners not going where the clients they want to work with will be.

“I’ve witnessed so many people who are showing up at potentially the wrong events.”

Whether it’s trade shows, conventions, or other local events, “I want you to think about where your clients are. Not other’s people’s clients, not necessarily what you’re doing currently…but where the clients you want to work with are.”

And the same goes for online spaces as it does for in-person events. While many fitness and wellness professionals spend time on Instagram, “ask yourself, who do you want to work with and where are they hanging out at?”

Show What You’re Selling

The second common mistake India notices is professionals making their posts about themselves and their own transformations.

“Show me the food!”

If, for example, you’re selling a meal plan, show that meal plan, not your gym selfies.

“Social media can really create this energy of just doing what everyone else is doing, which is the selfies in the mirror of your bicep, that we forget to show what we’re selling.”

Clients are more likely to connect with content that shows them your product, and yet it’s incredibly common, she says, to find people in the wellness space who forget that.

“It’s one thing to tell people that you have a nutrition plan for sale; it’s another to show them."

Likewise, if you’re selling a transformation, show the transformation your clients are getting, and “here’s what it feels like when they’re engaging with me. [Potential clients are] able to put themselves in the position of that other person and imagine themselves being your client.”

Highlight Your Values

The third common mistake India notes is when people use generic hashtags or captions that don’t highlight their values.

“We’ve all heard those kinds of phrases, but those phrases don’t necessarily tell someone who is new to you what they can expect from you.”

She continues that hashtags like #FlexFriday or #TransformationTuesday can be off-putting to potential clients who may unconsciously fear making changes.

“When we talk about something that affects every part of our life, such as what we eat, or affects our lifestyle, such as what our physical activity looks like, you have to recognize that there may be fear there.”

And a key way to help people navigate that fear is by helping them understand what they’re getting into with you, specifically. 

“If I feel like I know, like, and trust you, and we have aligned values because you’re talking about those things in your captions, then my fear is potentially going to be less than just a motivational quote.”

Highlighting your values allows you to connect with potential clients by building their trust in you and letting them know if you’re a good fit for them and their goals and their style.

For example, “it makes a big difference for me to know that someone is really patient and understanding, versus someone else might want someone who’s really high energy…Those are two very different types of service providers in this industry, but I’m not going to really know which one someone is based off of hashtags and motivational quotes.”

She also recommends taking the opportunity to highlight what matters to you, not just in your industry, but in your life.

“We’re whole humans with families and hobbies and things that matter to us in this world beyond what we do. So any of those things that you’re sharing, as far as highlighting your values, is an opportunity to have a connection point.”

Visibility Is A Two-Way Street

Lastly, India reminds us that “visibility is a two-way street.”

It’s not just about which platform you’re on, or posting more often, “it’s taking a moment to truly think about what you’re doing strategically. It’s listening more; it’s paying more attention to who matters to you…[It’s asking] who’s already here and why what do we have in common?”

Your visibility efforts should leave potential clients “feeling like they have the least amount of questions about who this brand is that I am showing up as, and what they can expect if they decide to reach out.”

She continues, “When you take the time to understand why your people are following you, how they landed there, why they’re showing up, you’ll know how to keep them there.”

And if you worry about losing clients by being more vocal about who you are and what matters to you, India says when you shift to being more authentic in your brand, “you’re going to attract people who feel good for you to work with because they like you, they like your brand, they like the energy or the voice of your brand, the values of your brand.”

Ready to Dive Deeper?:

Want to learn more about authentically amplifying your influence online? Join Pause on the Play® the Community and get access to monthly Q&A sessions with India Jackson and Erica Courdae and get your questions about brand visibility, strategy, and mindset answered, along with community support, workshops, and replays.

Resources:

India recommends listening to Pause on the Play Ep 151: Make the World Your Playground of Possibilities, with Gary Ware for more on playing and experimenting with how you show up in your visibility efforts.