Whether you market yourself as a creative and influencer, or you control the marketing feed of a business – authenticity is key.
Anyone that has taken a basic marketing course knows that knowing who your client is and tapping into their motivators is essential. While this is important – I think there is something to be said for making sure you understand who YOU are as an individual or brand. A disconnected brand or person will not translate well no matter how well you claim to understand your core audience.
One thing to remember when considering your audience – they are real people. Your ideal client may be a woman aged 18-44 in a middle class home. Be sure to make the connection with that ideal client to ensure she realized you recognize her as a person and not just as another client that fits into your key persona box.
With the influx of social media and technology, personal relationships have transformed. People can start and have an entire relationship all online without ever meeting. If people can find connections to other people like this through social media – why can’t brands and influencers tap into that need as well? People WANT connection. They crave an authentic presence and something that they can relate to. The days of traditional marketing methods are gone because we have become desensitized to its meaning.
Think about your favorite brand on social media to follow, or the commercials you remember the most. Are they funny? Sad? Does it make you feel something? The answer is yes. Recently there have been an influx in tweets from Wendy’s that consist of them ‘roasting’ its customers and competitors. It seems ridiculous – but they are creating a personal connection with their ideal client. They want to make you feel like you are best buds just having a laugh over Twitter. They let you see the brand as more than just a brand and give you an authentic look into who they are trying to reach and how they operate.
I think this can translate to larger companies like Wendy’s but even better for small businesses and creative influencers. Show your true self, share your messy stories, let your followers or customers get to know who you are in an authentic way. Don’t force the introduction and spill your deepest darkest secrets, as well as be sure that your ‘authenticity’ is not staged to trick them into thinking they are making real connections. In the end, your calls to action of “comment below” and “send me a dm” will fall on deaf ears if your followers or clients feel no connection to you. Once you let them into your world, it opens that window of communication that makes them feel comfortable reaching out to you, or showcasing their opinions.
Think of it this way.
If you were on a date, would you want the person you were with to keep stating facts only about what they are wearing. There may be variations, and if you go on a second date just to give them another chance – they continue to say the same SURFACE LEVEL things over and over again. Then, they immediately ask you to marry them. You’ve gotten no where as a couple and no relationship was formed, yet they have immediate expectations of you to commit. There would be no authenticity to the marriage because it was forced and rushed.
So why are we treating our followers and clients so poorly and giving them no real connection? Just as dating lets you get to know another person slowly, introductions of who you are behind the curtain or what motivates you builds up that trust.
Stop feeding your clients the same things over and over again. Find a balance of letting your product, service, or influence shine while letting the world know why you or your brand is worthwhile.
I also wanted to share a few people I’ve learned some things from about being authentic and real below. They’ve helped me grow out of my comfort zone and kept me coming back for me because of that sense of authenticity.
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