The ugliest website is the one never published because it’s “not good enough”.
When I talk to small business people about their website content, I hear a lot of “I don’t know enough, why would anyone listen to me?” From an early age, we’re taught not to brag about ourselves. We’re taught taught to be humble and to put others first.
Grace and humility are wonderful character traits and we should all try to to keep them in mind when dealing with other people. Unfortunately, some of us have learned a more toxic version of humility. A version of low self worth and negative self talk.
It’s that version that keeps us from being confident enough in our abilities to talk about them on our websites. You might think you don’t know enough. Maybe you just graduated from massage school and you’re starting a brand new practice.
Guess what?
You know more than you give yourself credit for
“I don’t know enough, why would anyone listen to me?”
That phrase? It’s an excuse to stay in your safe little comfort zone. I know. I’ve snuggled up in my comfort zone with a good book, a hot toddy, and a refusal to take a risk.
I’m not asking you to go bungie jumping or rock climbing without a rope. I’m just asking your to acknowledge your expertise.
I was at a small business networking event recently and met a lovely young man who is also doing web design. I jumped at the chance to speak geek for a few minutes. I started asking him about what projects he was working on. He excitedly told me about a very big site for a local chamber of commerce he was involved in.
Being impressed that someone so young would have gotten such a big job, I asked what he was using to build the site. As he and I talked, I realized that, not only do I have 4 more years of website experience than he, but I also have a lot more website building knowledge.
When I got home I thought about what he was doing differently and I came up with this: He wasn’t hiding his light under a bushel. I know as much or more, but I keep hiding it away from people. I’ll bet you do, too.
You know more than you give yourself credit for
It feels easier to be wishy-washy when you talk about yourself rather than stake out a claim of being an expert. You’re afraid that someone might call you out as a fraud. It’s outside of your comfort zone.
It’s scary out there on the edge of your comfort zone. You might be tempted to back away from it, but that is where the magic happens.
“Comfort is a prison”
I want you to step outside your comfort zone on one page of your website. If you can do it once, you can do it twice. After a few times, it’s not so scary. You’ll find that you are capable of more and know more than you think.
To Do:
- Pick 3 things that you know pretty well but are sure that you don’t know enough about.
- Now pick one of those things and write about how it will help your client or customer. What problem will it solve for them? What pain will it take away?
Most people find that it’s easier to write about their product or service when they approach it from how the customer can be helped rather than how they can help the customer. It’s a subtle difference, so here is an example:
“Massage can help you get rid of those tension headaches.”
Is easier to write than:
“I can help you get rid of those tension headaches.”
So give this a try and get those web pages out of “Draft” mode and get them where they can do you and your customers some good. Don’t let your lack of self confidence get in the way of writing your website content. You know more than you think you do.
