348: 3 Content Strategies to Grow Your Authority

Hey movers, it's Sally Z with Be Moved. Let's go create some talks that will move this world. We're gonna talk with amazing speakers, share tips, tricks, resources, and we are going to be moved so that our audience can be moved. This moved me. What is moving You. Hello. Hello, my friends. How are you? Hope you're doing well. We are here. We are here. This is about 3 things that you need in order to build your authority, to become known around an idea. We've been talking about this for the last few weeks. How do you become known around an idea? Brené Brown is known for What? Fill in the blank. Vulnerability. Shame. Right? Those are her two big ideas. Now, of course, she talks about lots of other things, but those are the ideas that she has really rallied her research around that she is trying to own in some sense of the word. Okay? When we think about Starting with why, who do you think of? Simon Sinek, right? These are thought leaders who have oriented their authority, their education systems, their ecosystem, their books, their delivery methods, their courses, all of the ways in which they are showing up to serve you is really oriented around a particular idea. We've been talking about that with you way back in October, nearly a month ago when we got together in the Story Plus Impact event. We were talking about what is it that you want to become known for? It's really starting the journey of, okay, where's the space that I wanna carve out for myself? Do you remember that image with the umbrella, right? And the umbrella is like your Um, you know, it's raining. Okay. It's raining. The rain is your industry. There's a lot of rain and there's a lot of information out there. There's that you can find probably what you're teaching for free on YouTube or on the internet in some way, shape, or form. Okay. That is the truth. But our job is to personalize it, kind of take the umbrella and open it up and carve out a space in this rain. That is yours. And part of the way that we do that is by sharing our stories, by showing up authentically, by being a human being that orients around a specific idea. It's both. It's not just you showing up and kind of talking about whatever you feel like day in and day out, but it's really starting to orient a consistent message around an idea. So I just kind of gave away a little bit of a hint about some of the things that we need to do if you want to grow your authority, grow your impact, and become known around not just a whole bunch of things, but around one idea. Now, here's what I'm thinking about right now before we dive in and talk about these three ideas. Greg McKeown talks about Like, this is you, and you talk about all kinds of things. You talk about this, you talk about this, you talk about that, you talk about this, you talk about, talk about all kinds of things, right? And you don't, generally you don't get very far doing that, right? You become known around a lot of different things. People aren't sure exactly how to enter in with you, and it halts your impact to some degree, right? Versus. And this is Greg McKeown's idea here. He's like, versus focusing on one thing, da da da da, and going farther. This is probably true. I'm not thrilled about that idea because it is hard to be disciplined, but when we think about marketing ourselves as a speaker, when we think about becoming known around an idea, about being an authority around a whole concept, this is actually really, really important. To not do a whole bunch of things a little bit, but to really say, okay, I'm gonna lean into this one idea for a while, at least. Give yourself some time to do that and see what sort of growth and momentum and impact you can build by doing that. Okay. That's the concept of becoming an authority. It's not that you don't do other things. It's that you're going to focus your external marketing, communications, content, visibility around one main idea. Okay. There's one main thing that you're going to drive people's of, around you. Does that make sense? And that's what's behind this. So I'm going to talk about 3 concepts today that are really essential for you to do that. Okay. Repeating your content is an essential component for people to really know and understand who you are and what you're about. If you talk about a lot of different things, it's confusing for the marketplace and they might have a general idea of what you're about, but they're not going to know how to enter in. I have a wonderful friend who's very talented and she can do all kinds of different things. And she raises her hand and says, yes, I can do that. Yes, I can do that. Yes, I can solve that problem over here. Yes, I can solve that problem over here. Yes, I can do this. Yes, I could do all kinds of different things. Which is true, of course she can. The question is, should she? And my push for her was to say no to those things, not because she can't do them, but because it's making it very difficult for the rest of us to know what she really wants to do, what she really wants to be known for, the way in which she wants to serve people right. Now. Okay? And part of the decision about what to say yes to should come not just, of course, what you want to do, but what the need is right now in the world. Once you've defined that, I want you to repeat yourself, your message, in some ways that will feel really, might feel really inauthentic to you, or might feel really challenging for you. The truth is the way in which you show up, the context will demand that you show up a little bit differently every time, which is great. I am not suggesting you memorize something and that you're, you're like a robot and it doesn't really matter where you are. You're just on repeat. That's not what I'm saying. A better word for this is probably consistent rather than repeatable, but I like to actually lean into this concept. Of repetition, because we tend to underestimate it. And if you guys are on my email list, then you have seen and you know how important repetition is. It's important to actually let the message sink in. Okay, audiences don't remember so much of what it is that we say, and you never know if it's the 4th time they hear it in a slightly different way that it finally clicks in. So repetition is really, really important. It's one of the most important pieces of how to grow your impact and authority. Repeat your content. Find ways to circle around the same ideas again and again, because it will help people understand what you're all about. And how you can serve and help them. And it will make your message more impactful. The other piece— I've got 3 of them. The next piece is about scalability. And here's what I mean by scalability. I want you to be able to not just repeat your content, but be able to take it with you in all kinds of different circumstances. So for you to show up and talk about this idea, on a Facebook Live and at the same time have that message and that content to take with you and show up with if you're doing like a half-day workshop around that same idea. Perhaps you are Noti, but then you're doing a breakout session. How do those pieces fit together? You want to be able to take your message that you want to be known for. And scale it. Right now, one of the beautiful things about repetition and scalability is that it will save you time in the long run. So if you are somebody who feels overwhelmed, who panics sometimes before your opportunities, before your speaking, because you've created something new, you don't feel like you have mastery over it yet. You're not quite sure how the audience is going to react. You haven't. Time-tested it. And part of the way you time-test it is by repeating a message and scaling that message in lots of different scenarios. It helps you work it out. It helps you find the, like, inner truth in yourself. It helps you show up authentically because you cannot, you cannot do this work and not really figure out what you really want to say when you're doing it. If you go to memorize robot repetition, that it won't work for you. You will become numb to it. You will become bored, right? But consistent, scalable messages actually sink in and allow you to find a deeper connection to what it is that you're saying. It can be so powerful, not just for your audience, but for you. So when I was growing up as a speaker, I was out talking to kids in schools and you, you all have heard that many, many times. But one of the big lessons that I pulled from that experience was that even after doing dozens of talks for 7th graders on the concept of courage. Dozens, if not more, maybe a hundred different talks. Every time I gave it, I learned something new. I found a slightly different way of approaching things. A new idea came to me. I got better and better and better. And when I walked in as a second year staff person with the same talk, I felt ownership over what I was saying in a completely new way. The message had gone from a script that I was building around, you know, a template from the organization, and there were things that I was trying to, I was trying to find my own voice in this message, even though it was my writing, my stories, my point of view. But once that second year rolled around, I was like, oh, I feel this so much more deeply. I had been repeating that message. I had been scaling that message to, I have 14 minutes today. I have 17 minutes today. I have a group of really, a group that's really struggling today. I have a dreamy group that feels like they're more in a joyful, funny place today. It allowed me a chance to really become a masterful speaker and storyteller and to really understand how to adapt to the moment. That makes you a compelling, powerful, moving speaker. And when somebody sees that, guess what? They know you are an authority because it is living in you. So part of this is how you get to authority. Part of it helps make the pathway to authority so much easier, but you, these are really essential ingredients. Our message needs to be repeatable and scalable. And finally, and the last piece is profitable. Now it doesn't mean Let me just say this. I am not saying that in order for you to be an authority, you need to be paid for your speaking. That is a really helpful thing. You want people to know that you're an authority? It's like, ask for money when you speak. It kind of works differently. You're like, oh, I don't know if I should ask for money. Like, you, you want to be seen as an authority? Ask for money. If you only speak for free. I, you could absolutely be giving the impression that you are not at the top of your game, that you are not the authority in your industry. So making your message profitable communicates really strongly about your value, not your worth as a human being, because that is not negotiable. It just is. But the value of your message, the long-term impact of your message and your belief in that. That you have earned your way to this point. So I say that, but also know this. There are lots of profitable opportunities that do not pay in the moment. Opportunities where you are accessing a huge audience, or you are lending your credibility, you are lending your authority to a moment. That you believe in. My business coach came and spoke at my Story Plus Impact event, Harris, for free. He normally charges a lot of money for that. He didn't charge me in that moment because he cares about my growth and development. He knew that was not in his budget, and so he was lending his credibility and authority to me. There's authority in that as well. So it's not a one-size-fits-all situation, but regardless, you want to be thinking about what it means to have a profitable message, to make sure that your message is intentional, uh, either bringing in leads or bringing in revenue. Okay. Harris did that for me, not just because out of the goodness of his heart, but he also did it because it elevates his authority by doing that as well. By stepping on somebody else's stage, there is authority gained in that moment, and that authority can lead more people into his programs and lead to profitability for him as well. Does that all make sense? Without these pieces. You're kind of at sea in the speaking world. You can be speaking and get paid some money, but without a repeatable or scalable talk, it's going to be one-off. It's not necessarily going to help grow your whole business as a whole. You could be not repeating your messages and be stressed out because you're creating something new every time. Maybe you're making money. But maybe you are grasping at straws and you haven't found your voice and authority yet. Maybe you haven't yet figured out how to scale because you are, you're, you're just kind of a one-trick pony right now and you haven't figured out how to take that message and turn it into a book or, uh, or thinking about other ways that your message and your idea can come to life. In you as you, you as the delivery person. And maybe you're getting paid a little bit for that, but you're missing out on growing your full sense of authority. So all of these pieces together create a more powerful speaking business for you. It eases the way for you. It dials down the stress. The panic, the overwhelm. It helps you stand in confidence and clarity and authority because you're not making it up on the spot. You are not— you're, you're what I call creating from a core message rather than creating for a core message. And it allows you to do more, do faster so that you can do exactly how much you want. It doesn't mean you're gonna jam-pack your life with more. It means you get to choose the way in which you're going to leverage speaking, and it doesn't have to take over your life and send you into panic and overwhelm. All right, my friends, I hope this was helpful for you. Thank you for being here. I've got this, the CTA here, the Scale Your Speaking Guidebook. This, this guidebook right here. It's free. It's there for you to do it. But I talk about these concepts a little bit more in this guidebook. And the guidebook is going to walk you through step by step how to grow your speaking business, how to go from, I've got this idea. I know I need to do a handful of things. I need to build a signature talk, right? That's how you're going to be able to, to create a profitable, repeatable scalable message is through a signature talk. So it's going to talk, walk you through some of the key elements of your signature talk. Then it's going to say, okay, now how do I really turn the dial up on this signature talk? How do I really bring in more leads and more revenue? And, uh, it walks you through that whole path. Step 1, step 2, step 3, step 4, step 5. It's awesome., and I wanna encourage you to grab that for Black Friday coming up. I will be sharing the Insider System, which is kind of the, the guidebook shows you what to do and the Insider System gives you more of the how, and that's gonna be super on sale on Black Friday. So be on the lookout for that. Okay. Talk soon. Bye-bye.