Gentle marketing and why your ‘quiet community’ are so important to your business (a vital perspective shift to free you from the pressures of social media engagement)
Something that I observe in the women I work with who are seeking out softer marketing and visibility strategies, is that the online business space has often taught them that outward engagement and constant interaction with an audience/community on social media is central to business success.
This seems particularly true in the realm of female solopreneurship and more creative/personal businesses, where the celebrated template to create visibility, connection and engagement with potential customers and clients lies in building a thriving social media presence and community.
Yet what about those gentler souls in business who are seeking ways of marketing and creating community that do not require such an outward, active focus on social media?
A big part of my gentle creation philosophy is about honouring and trusting in the less externalised, softer textures of feminine being- so it makes sense that many of the women drawn to my work are craving softer ways of cultivating community, connection and online visibility. Ways of sharing and connecting online that are not overpowered by so many energies and so much noise.
Yet because of the persistent mirage of social media engagement being the barometer of success and visibility, many feminine-hearted creators are believing that it is not enough to have a quieter community/audience. That connection and engagement has to be public and outwardly visible if it is to equal business success.
What I have found is that when marketing is centred around social media platforms that depend on high and constant levels of engagement to create successful visibility, two things often happen.
Firstly, an enormous amount of energy can be spent on social media platforms in order to cultivate this outward engagement- without actually feeling aligned or inspired about doing so and often at the expense of other important areas of business and creativity. Alongside this, much time and energy can also be siphoned through scrolling others’ content, often leading to self-doubt, comparison and contortion of one’s unique expression.
Secondly, it can become very easy to focus predominantly on the people who respond outwardly to your content. To focus on comments and engagement, and think that those who are reaching out and responding to your content are the only people connecting and engaging with your business. To become disillusioned or think that your work is not enough if you are not receiving the ‘right’ level of engagement.
And while of course there is a sense of appreciation, validation and connection that is fostered when people outwardly comment on your work, I notice that this focus on outward engagement can mean forgetting that much of your audience are actually ‘quiet community’- people who are quietly receiving, connecting with and investing in your work without outwardly engaging with you or your content.
If you are seeking to develop confidence and belief in a gentler approach to marketing and visibility, I have found that one of the most powerful perspective shifts you can make is to become aware of the validity and impact of your ‘quiet community.’
Your quiet community are the people who have discovered your business and are gently and independently exploring what you offer and deciphering if it is a good fit for them. They are the people who are enjoying perusing or receiving your content, as their awareness and trust of your business steadily grows. They are the people who have been actively seeking out what you offer, so are ready to purchase without any need to connect, comment or respond to your content.
When you remember that your quiet community is a large part of your business ecosystem, it makes it much easier to soften into the idea that you do not need to be traditionally ‘visible’ and always creating very outward community and connection in order to be successful as an online creator/business…
read on
This full piece of writing now lives in the Gentle Creation ebook if you would like to read more.
Belinda x