Are You Sharing Too Much (Or Not Enough)? | by Andy Anderson | Mar, 2023

How to cultivate the right balance for your business online

Creating a strong, personal connection with your customers and prospects is essential in today’s digital world. It can be daunting to figure out how much of yourself to share on the internet, but getting this balance right is key when it comes to building a successful brand. Whether you’re just starting out or have been around for years, here are some tips to help you create an authentic online presence while maintaining your professional image.

Start by Establishing Boundaries

It’s important to set up boundaries, so you don’t reveal too much about yourself or your business. You want people to get a good feel for who you are and what you do, but there’s no need to go into great detail about everything. If you’re not sure what’s appropriate to share online, start by asking yourself if the information would be beneficial or necessary for someone else’s understanding of your business and its mission. If not, then it might be best left out of your online persona.

After purchasing Twitter, Elon Musk’s online presence quickly shifted from lighthearted to controversial. His tweets began to focus on politics and his business practices, and many people accused him of using his platform to spread misinformation and propagate far-right ideas. This led to a backlash from investors and the public, resulting in a significant loss in investor confidence, and his net worth and his reputation took a big hit.

Choose What You Share Wisely

When deciding what details about yourself or your business to share online, remember that whatever information you put out there will become part of the public record (even if it’s only shared on your website). So make sure that any detail you decide to share is something that won’t come back to haunt you in the future — both professionally and personally.

Chris Brogan, an author and thought leader in the field of social media marketing, has come up with a helpful rule of thumb for those looking to create an authentic online presence: the 8 to 1 Ratio. This rule suggests that for every post about yourself or your business, you should make eight posts about others. As Brogan explains, it keeps the focus on engaging with others rather than just talking about yourself. This also helps build trust, showing potential customers that you’re willing to help them without expecting anything in return. And, often, the people you talk about will return the favor.

Be Authentic and Consistent

It can be tempting when building your brand online to try and present a perfect image of yourself or your company — but resist this urge! People are more likely to connect with someone they can relate to, so don’t be afraid to show off your imperfections occasionally- whether through humorous stories or simply showing off a messy workspace! The most important thing is that people trust what they read and see on your website — so make sure whatever content or images you put out there are genuine and consistent with the overall message of who you are as a person/business.

We often think that putting forth a false image can help us get ahead in life, especially when we’re trying to build a professional brand or reputation. However, this type of strategy usually backfires in the end. Politicians and influencers have found this out the hard way, as they are now facing backlash from their dishonesty. Adding insult to injury, their current negative brand (or reputation) is worse than what they started with.