Looking professional can be daunting, whether you run a side hustle, small business or are in direct sales. The struggle to feel like a professional in a field where nobody tells you, “Hey, you’ve done it, you’re a pro!” is real. If this sounds like somewhere you have been then continue on & find out how to break free from this bounded thinking!

The absolute hardest part for we was when I went tumbling into the comparison trap! I’m so guilty of this. If you are too, I totally get it. The comparison trap is a dangerous rabbit hole to fall into. It’ll make you feel like a fraud. Like you are pretending. I would see my posts of random, unplanned images & compared them to others in my field’s beautifully choreographed Instagram feeds. That wasn’t only unfair to myself starting out, but it wasn’t productive.

I knew I was haphazardly posting content, but I didn’t know what else to do. I was posting just to have something to POST! I felt like if I wasn’t posting, I was falling behind in some way, which in a way, I was. So, while I was knee-deep in this routine of inaccurately comparing myself, I slowly started to stop posting at all. And while I wasn’t posting, I wasn’t selling my services either.

In this post I’m going to share with you my 5 secrets I have learned to help me look more professional in my posts while boosting my sales! I’ll be covering:

The mindset behind feeling like a successful professional
How to convey why you are a pro in your field
How to be consistent with your posts
How to curate your social media posts before you post them

So, if you’re tired of struggling to post professional content, feeling like a fraud, or feeling like a crummy salesperson, then you are in the right place! All of that is about to change for good!

How I Started to Believe I was the Professional - Changing my Mindset

I was living on the high of finding my passion in photography, but as I started to build my business, that high faded quickly when I started to compare myself with others who had been photographing longer. They had figured out how to not only FEEL like a professional but how to LOOK like a professional, and all the while, I was over here lagging behind.

I had invested in school courses, online courses, equipment & countless hours in photography, but I still felt like I wasn’t a professional. WHAT?! In hindsight, that doesn’t even make sense.

Your first step is to remind yourself that you have invested more time/money/education in your field than your potential clients. This is a basic fact if you’ve taken the dive into any type of business. Because of this, your clients should be able to look to you for guidance. Say you sell makeup, your ideal client likely knows how to use makeup. But, they don’t know how to use YOUR makeup to it’s full potential. You on the other hand, do. Or lets say you sell skincare products, your ideal client has most likely found products they already use & like. BUT, do they know what the benefit is for using YOUR skincare line? Maybe not, but you sure do.

Every time you catch that little voice telling you you are a fraud, reset it by stating this, “I am a professional, I know my material and I will be successful.” Your mind is a powerful thing. Use it to your advantage.

How to Talk like a Professional

Now that we’ve reassured ourselves that we are a professional in our field, let’s dive in on how to SOUND like the professional you are on your social media platforms. Post regularly <—— this is a big one. While posting, explain more about the technical side of your business. Why does your product work? Why is your athletic wear the best in the gym? In my photography business, I’d drop terms like “aperture” or “white balance”. If you’re in the workout/nutrition field you’d talk about things like “macros” or “metabolic rate”. Don’t be afraid to talk about these things in order to, in a way, show off what you know! By posting educational material, you get your ideal client to look to you for guidance. Start out planning one post a week to use as a teaching moment, this will start grooming how your audience looks at you. You’ve invested, now show it off!

How to be Consistent with Your Posts

Let me remind you: YOUR IDEAL CLIENTS ARE OUT THERE. And you ARE the professional in your field, whether you’re selling cosmetics, workout plans or crafts. Reassure yourself of this fact because you’ve taken the time to learn your niche. That’s it. That’s the difference between you & your client. Remember it. Own it.

Now that we’ve reassured ourselves ONCE MORE that we are the professional in our field, let’s dive in on how to LOOK like the professional you are on your social media platforms.

More posts = more exposure. This means you need to be posting regularly. Yes. Regularly. There are so many algorithms in Facebook & Instagram that LOVE when you post everyday.

I know posting every single day is daunting idea, even for those of us who’ve been doing it a while. What if I told you that some of us have a secret! I personally use a post planner. Post planning has saved me so much time! Using a planner lets you upload & schedule your posts for the week! That means you can devote one day a week to posting & sit back & watch your social media engagement boost.

If you want a social media planner that works with your schedule, take a peek at this awesome social media planner that I use called, PLANOLY! It has seriously been a lifesaver.

How to Curate your Posts

Having a curated social media feed is a great way to not only look professional but to SELL your product! I know it’s easy to hide behind a silly filter that distorts your face or to post an average mobile photo of your dinner, but those aren’t true to your business. Let me show you an example:

Above here is my feed when I first started my business in 2017. Talk about random. I love all of those posts, but they do not scream CONSISTENCY.

Consistency is what you get when you plan, execute & deliver your messages directly to your ideal client. When starting out, figure out your posting categories. Categories? Yes, categories. This helps you to post value driven material. Some examples of categories or “post types” you might use could be, about me, lifestyle, tips/tricks, or gratitude.

Next you’ll, organize all of your photos & graphics in one spot, like a folder on your desktop. Don’t we feel professional already????

Once you’ve figured out your own categories that vibe with your business & have your photos & graphics ready, map out your calendar! This is where Planoly comes in! Planoly is a visual content planner tool for Instagram & Facebook! When using Planoly, you’ll upload your photos & graphics you’ve already organized, add any relevant hashtags & captions, and SCHEDULE your posts. It’s that easy. You can do an entire month’s worth of posts in one day.

For a helpful tutorial on how to effectively use Planoly, >click here.<

Now, you don’t have to do a month’s worth of work at once, you can add as inspiration hits or as often as you want. I will say, as you use this tool more & more, it will become another one of those great habits you’ll want to do. If you’re ready to post more professionally & more frequently, I urge you to get started with your beautifully curated social media feed. Click here to take advantage of getting your first month of Planoly 50% off!

FREE Guide to Professional Selfies!

Hello, Professional!

I also have an awesome resource library containing literally everything I used to help me with my business | equipment, gear, programs, and more! Click here to check it out!

4 Ways to Look Professional for Your Online Business & Sell More

How I Started to Believe I was the Professional - Changing my Mindset

How to Talk like a Professional

How to be Consistent with Your Posts

How to Curate your Posts

FREE Guide to Professional Selfies!

Grace + Dylan | Wyoming Fall Family Portraits