Professional development is extremely important to me. It’s why I attend Social Media Marketing World (aff) year after year, even though the jet lag drains me. It’s why I joined a mindset coaching program TWICE, and the AMMP program at the Centre for Women in Business, TWICE. Dedication to professional development is the reason I founded Social Media Day Halifax–to provide opportunities for PD to my community. When all of those communities I’m taking part in are talking about Simon Sinek’s Start With Why, and why it’s important to share your “why” on social media, I kinda had to take notice.
My Own Why Statement
When Sinek’s video explanation of Why went viral, I watched it like everyone else. Sure it made sense, but I, like 98% of the viewers, did nothing with it. Later I borrowed the book from a colleague and it sat, unread, on my bedside table for months until I returned it. Figuring out my why just seemed so difficult… so ethereal… such a big, hairy, audacious thing to do! Who am *I* to have such a vision?
Well, who am I *NOT to? Why should I flail along aimlessly when I could focus my life better?
It was at a professional development workshop based on Sinek’s Start with Why that I was finally able to see my why and articulate it. Is it big, hair,y and audacious? Absolutely. Am I going to hide from that? No. I simply cannot anymore. Here is my “why”:
“I empower entrepreneurs to share their stories on social media so they can grow a business that facilitates living their best life.”
There is so much I could say about all the elements of this why, but what I want to concentrate on now is getting it out there! Once I had the new statement crafted I started a list of all the places that need to be updated! Even if you don’t have a Why to update, this is a great list of places to audit to ensure your messaging is all consistent…say…at the beginning of a new year!
10 Places to Share Your Why on Social Media
- Mission & Vision
If you have a mission and vision statement on your website, that would be the first thing to update. If your vision (what world you are trying to create) and your mission (how you’re working towards creating that world) don’t match your why there will be an obvious disconnect that will come across as inauthentic. - Values
Do you list your corporate values on your website, in proposals, or brochures? Working on my why brought to mind several things I would want to be listed on a Twirp Communications values page if I had one. (Stay tuned) - About Pages
Whether you use About.me or you have profile pages on your own website and sites to which you contribute, you’re going to want to update your bios on all of these pages. Don’t forget to update your WordPress.com and Gravatar accounts that populate author bios on some sites. - LinkedIn Profile
Is your new why statement appropriate as a headline on your LinkedIn profile? Or perhaps it should be added to your summary? - Facebook
There are several ways to share your new why on Facebook. Add it to profile areas such as “Our Story” and the description areas under the About tab on your Page. Also consider announcing it as a way of calling in your ideal clients and sharing why you do what you do. You could also share your why statement in the Cover Photo or the photo description, or create a featured video talking about your why, mission and values. - Twitter
Similar to Facebook, consider adding your new why to your bio and cover photo. You could also create a pinned post that includes your why statement, or a link to a blog post where you talk about it. - Instagram
Don’t forget to update that Instagram bio with the new wording and a post about it. Even better, go live or create a story to talk about your new why. - Video intros
If you have a video series, build the new why into your intro. If you have an old video series you’ll have to consider whether it’s worth updating the intros with the new why as it simply may not be worth the time it would take. - Directories
Are you a member of any organizations that include a description or bio and a link to your business? Be sure to login and update those profiles or send an email and request they be updated. - Email
When was the last time you updated your email signature or the masthead in your e-newsletter? This is a perfect opportunity to change things up and call attention to the changes. I try to change my email signature and autoresponder every month or two at the least.
Where else should you share your why on social media, or update major changes to your business? Let me know in the comments.