Ep. 016 The Art of Showing Up (Why Consistency Leads to Success)

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I’ve been rolling this podcast out every single week since January 1, even with an unexpected move to a new state.

And with our move and this weekly podcast, I’ve started to notice the beautiful things that happen when you show up somewhere with consistency on the same days and the same times week after week.

I’m going to start with the more personal side of things. I don’t know about y’all, but the older I get, the harder I find it is to make friends! It was so much easier when we were little and could see another kid with the same backup and be instant BFFs. And I’m someone who craves deep connection and meaningful conversation, so I am determined to make great friends here in Dallas.

Moms might relate to this: sometimes you’ll go to the park, meet an awesome mom, have a great chat, and then the kids run off, you have to chase them, and then the conversation ends. You don’t see the mom again and you just go about your life. How do you turn these quick interactions into meaningful friendships?

The good news is, this is not a rhetorical question! I do actually have an answer. See, moms are creatures of habit. We like to go to the same parks on the same days, the same story times at the library, the same activities. So if you start showing up to the same places on the same days each week, you’ll start to run into the same moms. Little conversations week by week turn into friendships. So if you are struggling to find friends, my best advice is to develop a routine and start showing up week after week. This relationship building takes time and effort! And friendships don’t evolve if you don’t show up.

Do you see where I’m going with this? Yep, the same strategy that I use for building community and making connections with moms in my neighborhood is also incredibly useful in business. Today I want to share 4 ways you can show up online with consistency for your followers and potential clients, and current clients and I’ll even share some ways that you can AUTOMATE this to make it less overwhelming.

One thing I want to stress before we dive in, is that you do not have to do ALL of these things. Since we’re talking about consistency, what I want you to feel into is your capacity to take these different things on. When I started my podcast, at first I was worried that the episodes were going to be too short. But what I’ve realized is that if I made my episodes an hour long, it would be a lot harder for me to get them done. What was more important to me was to show up week after week for you with consistency and value, without it feeling draining to me. And because of that consistency, I’ve been able to grow my community and establish real connections with so many of you!

So here are some ways for you to create consistency and build connections:

1. Commit to a social media plan:

   Let’s face it, social media can feel like a real chore sometimes. I hear from people all the time who really feel the pressure to be posting on Instagram and Facebook every single day. And because of that, I see a lot of people on Instagram who post really sporadically and they don’t bring much value with their content because it’s not intentional. It’s more something that they’re feeling this weird pressure to do. If you’ve been feeling the struggle of trying to come up with posts, trying to figure out what to post in your stories, and then feeling overwhelmed and shut down, I want you to try this: let go of the notion that you have to post every single day. What you need to do is evaluate how much time and energy you have to devote to social media and then create a plan that works for you. Maybe it’s 3 or 4 posts a week on the same days. And then, I can’t stress this enough, batch it out. Sit down with an Instagram scheduling app when you’re feeling inspired, and don’t create 1 post, create 3. (I really recommend Planoly for this, and there’s a free version!) Even if all the posts that you create in this one sitting have the same general idea or theme, it’s totally okay! You can space them out to use later. The key is doing this when you’re feeling inspired instead of when you’re feeling the pressure to post. And it’s actually kind of great when you have repeating themes in your social media posts. That’s consistency, and it helps build a brand message, and gives something for your followers to connect to. You can totally repeat yourself on social media. As Jenna Kutcher always says in The Goal Digger Podcast, no one is refreshing your feed! Seriously, no one is going to look at a post of yours and say “Ummm didn’t she already say something kind of like that last week?” What actually happens is that when people see you repeating the same themes, they get a sense of what’s important to you. So to reiterate: don’t feel pressure to post every day, instead create a plan that allows you to show up with consistency and value.

2. Have a consistent presence with your clients week after week:

   When I was first building my business, I had the mistaken belief that I should let me clients control our work together. And because of that, I spent a lot of time sitting around waiting for them to come to me with more tasks. You have to keep in mind that your clients are really busy and possibly a little bit organized, that’s why they need a VA in the first place! So schedule a time each week to do a little check in with your clients. With most of my clients, I do this over Zoom with a weekly meeting. But it can also be accomplished with an email. So during the week, you can make note of places where you might be able to offer more support and then on a Monday morning, instead of waiting for your client to give you tasks, you could send an email and say “Here are some things that I thought you might need support with this week. Let me know if there’s anything you’d like to add.” By checking in consistently like this, you’re building a relationship with your client in which they know that you truly care about them and their business and that you’re taking the initiative to show up for them week after week. Consistency like this is why I believe I have such a beautiful relationship with the women I support.

3. Show up consistently in the same Facebook groups:

   I totally believe that Facebook groups can be a fantastic way to find clients if it makes sense for your niche. But like all things in your business, you need to be engaging consistently and intentionally in order to see results. Instead of sporadically hopping into a bunch of different groups, hoping to spot a client who needs your help, try deep-diving into 3-4 different groups. I really recommend that you do some research before making a commitment to engaging in a group. Make sure that your ideal client is in there! A red flag that a group is not a good fit for you or your business is if you’re finding that it is a chore to engage and you can’t think of anything to say. You’re in the wrong place if that is the case! Make sure you’re in groups where you consistently have value to add. Then come up with a plan for showing up. Maybe everyday at 4 pm you devote 30 minutes to hanging around Facebook. Hop into your 3-4 groups and engage! Ask a question, offer a tip, and then stick around to reply to anyone who responds. Being helpful and friendly will always serve you well, but when you pair that with consistency, you’re really going to make an impact.

4. Create consistent content:

   Even if you’re already totally booked out as a VA and aren’t looking for clients, I believe that you should be continually creating content for your business. Consider it as an investment in your growth! One of the best ways to do this is with a blog. Once again, consider how much time you have to commit to this and then make a content creation plan that will work for you. If you write a weekly blog or bi-weekly blog, you will begin to build a backlog of content that you can use forever and ever and ever. There is no expiration on good content! One of my clients has been putting out a weekly blog for over 5 years, every week on Wednesday. So when she needed me to create a new social media account for a new part of her business, the creation was a BREEZE because I actually didn’t have to create anything new. I simply recycled copy and images from her 5 years of blogging. One blog post can contain copy for 10 different social media posts! You can link to the same blog posts over and over again over time on Facebook. You can use it to create newsletters. I mean the list goes on. And of course, once again this is about showing up for your potential clients. Show people in your niche that they can rely on you for great information week after week. So if you haven’t started a blog yet, what I recommend is that you get 4 blogs written and ready to go before you start publishing. This way you’ll have backup content ready to go, if you don’t have time to create a new blog one week.

Those were just a few tips, but I’d love to continue this conversation with you because I am really passionate about it. In this day and age, where everyone wants instant gratification and people are bombarded with messages about “get rich quick” schemes and shortcuts, I still believe that the people who truly find rewarding, sustainable success are the ones who are in it for the long haul. The ones who show up consistently and with intention. So instead of jumping around and trying a bunch of different strategies and being distracted by shiny objects, I’d love to see you make a plan that you can truly commit to. So let’s chat! Join us in The Support Squad Hangout on Facebook and lean into our supportive community. Can’t wait to see you there! Until next time, boss babe.

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