Believe it or not, self-doubt is as much a part of entrepreneurial life as is inspiration and motivation.
It seems hard to believe, doesn’t it?
But, even the most wildly successful business people experience that nagging negative voice from time to time.
But here’s the secret: they have learned not to give it an ounce of energy.
Marketing yourself and your business requires confidence and decisiveness. There’s no room to let self-doubt creep in and derail your plans.
If you are finding yourself hesitating, second-guessing, or holding back your marketing efforts because of self-doubt, you need to read on.
Why You Shouldn’t Let Self-Doubt Derail Your Marketing
You Must Believe In Your Why
Your audience is looking for a connection. They want to see who you are as a person, and how you, your products, or your services can help make their lives better. It’s your job to help them connect the dots. If you don’t believe in what you are doing 100%, that connection is going to fall short.
Today’s customers are savvy and have a limited attention span. They will be able to pick up on any hesitation or inconsistencies in your marketing that arise from self-doubt.
Conversely, if you are clear on your purpose – your why – that’s going to shine through in your marketing. You will know exactly how fantastic your offering is and who it’s perfect for. There will simply be no room for any doubt to creep in!
Self-Doubt Distorts Reality
If you really pay attention to those self-sabotaging, negative thoughts in your head, you will discover they are not based on reality. They are based on fear – fear of failure, fear of looking bad, fear of not being good enough, or fear of not being able to handle the things that come your way.
Making marketing decisions (or any decisions) from a place of fear is not a smart business move! When we do let self-doubt take the wheel, we find ourselves procrastinating, making excuses, and holding back from taking on new challenges.
In marketing terms, this is clearly not the way to go. You need to be bold, learn new skills, try different things, and sometimes take a leap of faith, knowing that you have done the groundwork to make a go of it.
Tweak The Recipe, Don’t Fire The Cook!
There’s no such thing as a lousy cook – no, really! A delicious cake relies on fresh ingredients, a well-planned recipe, quality cookware, the right cooking time and temperature. If you are baking a cake and it doesn’t come out as planned, you don’t give up on baking, you re-evaluate all those things and try again!
The same goes for marketing: remember that failure isn’t an indication of your talent (or lack thereof), merely an opportunity to go back and tweak the recipe!
When things don’t go the way you had hoped, it’s easy for self-doubt to take hold and have you questioning your abilities. But the changeable world of marketing is all about adapting, researching, testing, and pivoting.
You don’t get results by sitting back and twiddling your thumbs, but you do move towards success when you refocus on your vision and forge on regardless.
Nail Your Mindset
The most successful entrepreneurs in the world will suffer from self-doubt at times. It is only human to do so. However, they remain successful entrepreneurs because they have the right mindset.
Instead of letting self-doubt defeat them, they have the tools to move themselves forward and continue on their business journey. The great thing is that you can have those tools too. Here are some simple ways to deal with self-doubt when it arises:
- Get up and walk away from your computer for 10 minutes. Sometimes fresh perspective is all that’s needed!
- Delve into your thoughts and understand why they are happening. Why are you feeling insecure in this moment and what can you do to feel more confident?
- Stop comparing yourself to other business owners. Everyone is at a different point in their journey and you don’t know how far down the road they are. Focus on your path.
- Take the time to celebrate the wins no matter how small they are
- Know how to read your analytics and fix things that might not be performing as well as you hoped
- If they help you to feel better, embrace things like journaling and affirmations
The Best Tool To Overcome Self-Doubt
We often doubt ourselves when we don’t have a clear plan or path. It means that we try things just to see if they might produce results. Usually dropping them if they don’t produce instant success.
The very best way to kick self-doubt in the pants is to have a marketing strategy and implementation plan in your toolbelt. Having this at your disposal will mean that you know the exact steps you need to take to create successful marketing for your business.
If you aren’t sure how to put together a marketing plan for your business, then use the expertise of a marketing specialist like myself. With years of experience and an intimate knowledge of how to balance brand awareness, sales opportunities and business growth, I can help you create a plan that inspires self-confidence rather than self-doubt.
If you are ready to ditch the self-doubt and market your business with confidence, then jump on a free discovery call with me today. Book a convenient time to chat here.