If you have been following me for some time or if this is the very first blog of mine that you are checking out…You will know that I am the Captain of Team #NoFluff lol. I try to keep all of my content practical, relevant and relatable. With that said, sometimes you scroll through social media and you come across content that is all fluff and no substance but the comments section has me asking myself a particular question for some time now…Can you spot value or fluff?
This topic has been coming up almost every day for the past few months because now more people are realizing the power of social media and what “showing up” every day with an opinion can potentially do for them.
Hey, I am not knocking the hustle…I show up every day with my own content too lol…but we have more people who show up and talk for talking’s sake. There messaging is completely off. We have more people stealing, I mean…being inspired but other peoples content and trying to pass it off as there own (wouldn’t be the first or the last) and while it will never stop, this is where you the audience needs to take a step back before celebrating peoples messages in the comment section.
Everybody wants to sell or gain notoriety…Some are willing to say or regurgitate whatever they can to be seen as a thought leader.
I’ve seen people in 1 post claim to have closed 100k worth of clients in 1 week, money is coming in because of the amazing systems that they can teach you (for more money of course) and in their next post, claim they have struggled to make money for the last 6 months (with the hopes of being transparent and relatable).
Listen…I get it…It’s a sell or be sold to world…but it seems that here in the Caribbean, we have more people becoming desperate to change the direction of their businesses that they are willing to forego all reasonable logic and work with anybody who seems like they know what they are doing.
So I ask you…Do you think you can spot Fluff or Substance?
Here’s a scenario for you.
A marketing coach wants to teach you how to grow your following…they say they have worked with international brands like Coke and they can brand your business to the next level…when you check them out, they have 200 followers, barely any engagement and to top it all off…You can’t seem to find any client they have worked with and when you do find one, that client barely has any sort of following or engagement.
Yes, they may show up every day with great tips…but if you have no proof of concept or portfolio…then…Fluff or Substance?
I am always wary when people talk about working for international brands or quick to bring up their degrees. The truth is…If you haven’t gotten results or built a portfolio…you aren’t much help to anybody.
This happens because people are so quick to try to monetize. What needs to happen is when you are just getting started…focus on building your portfolio, get a success story, show that you have what it takes to help others or build your own brand, as proof that you have what it takes and you are more than the words coming out of your on all of those talking head videos :).
Start looking at people who are building real assets.
Do they have a website?
Do they create content that you can learn something from?
Is the only way you can actually see what they know is by paying them? Do they have any books/ebooks out?
Do they have a portfolio or a body of work?
When you look at their portfolio, is there any client of theirs that has found the success you would like to mimic?
Is there evidence that they can actually deliver on what they are talking about?
When you read their reviews, is there actual substance in those reviews or are the reviews filled with fluff?
As more people get comfortable with social media, we will have a whole lot more people popping up with the blueprints to help you build your business.
All I am saying is, everybody in the audience just needs to take a step back and ask themselves a few questions. Don’t be that person who is running around offline talking about how much money they wasted on these experts, the signs were always there…you just weren’t looking.
So from now on…challenge yourself…when you are checking out people’s content online…challenge yourself to see if you can spot the fluff or see if what you are consuming is the real substance you need to aid in your journey.
I am interested to hear from you though…How do you determine for yourselves if the people you follow are the real deal or just another hustler?