In a world of paid influencers, polished celebrity profiles, and relentless advertising, consumers are craving authenticity more than ever.
In a world of paid influencers, polished celebrity profiles, and relentless advertising, consumers are craving authenticity more than ever.
According to the latest marketing research, consumers are craving depth and substance, and less hype. People want “real and organic”, not “perfect and packaged” (Frontify, 2020).
Eighty-six percent of people say authenticity matters when deciding what brands they like and support. To win the hearts and business of your target customers, you have to convince them you’re trustworthy and authentic.
You show your audience you’re trustworthy and authentic by getting real, raw, and vulnerable.
You’re wasting your time if you’re trying to create perfect, polished posts. In fact, the statistics consistently show that imperfect, raw posts get the greatest engagement and build trust and confidence in your brand. My social media post that got the most engagement last year was a makeup-free selfie of me looking all hot and sweaty after a yoga workout, sharing how passionate I am about yoga. People want to see the real you; the imperfect, unpolished you, doing things that are important to you. Your audience is trying to figure out if they know, like, and trust you, and they can only do that if you share the ‘real’ you regularly – your beliefs, your values, and your priorities.
This should be good news for you if you hate all the marketing 'hype' out there. You don't have to follow any formulas or scripts that an 'expert' tells you that you need to follow. Just show up and be yourself.Tweet it
Just show up as yourself with your own, genuine message, and that is enough. You don’t need to dance and jig on a reel if that doesn’t feel authentic to you. If it does – great! Reel your heart out! But if it doesn’t, find a way to show up regularly in a way that feels genuine to you, whether it be through writing, or video blogging and sharing messages from the heart.
You have full permission to be yourself – in fact, we implore you to please be yourself – because you will attract more ideal clients and your bank account will reflect your authenticity.
Because authenticity sells.Tweet it
Your ‘Why’ is Everything
The Edelman’s Trust Barometer 2020 found that 64% of today’s customers are belief-driven buyers. They think brands “can be a powerful force for change,” and they use their wallets like votes to support the ones willing to take a stand.
To build trust in your brand, you need to share your beliefs and your values on a regular basis.Tweet it
What do you believe?
Are you telling your audience about it regularly?
What’s your business ‘why’? If you’re not sure yet, check out my article called Why You Need to Know Your Business Why, Vision, and Mission.
People buy from brands who have a similar belief system. As Simon Sinek always says:
Your job is not to do business with those who need what you have. Your job is to do business with those who believe what you believe. - Simon SinekTweet it
At Fempire, we believe that the world needs more successful female entrepreneurs.
We believe that all the masculine energy (yang) in the business world needs to be balanced with an equal amount of feminine energy (yin), just as the yin-yang symbol reminds us. We believe that until the masculine and feminine energies are balanced – until we have more women leading in the business world, and more women are involved in decision making at the highest levels in all areas – the system will not be balanced, harmonious, and whole.
If you believe what we believe, you'll be attracted to our brand and our work. And if you don't believe that what we believe, our message won't resonate with you, and you'll find someone else that resonates. Your 'why' is a great way to find and filter out those who are meant to work with you and those who aren't.Tweet it
Genuine Marketing Without All the ‘Hype’
Genuine Marketing Without All the ‘Hype’So many women who come to us say they hate marketing and selling because it feels icky and inauthentic. They don’t want to be ‘saelsy’. They don’t want to follow a sales script or a video formula to create the perfect ‘pitch’.
And the good news is that you don’t have to hype up your marketing. In fact, please don’t!
People can smell out inauthenticity from a mile away and they’ll cringe if they sense that you’re out of alignment with your truth.
But that doesn’t mean that you can get away with avoiding sales and marketing. As Fempire founder Marnie LeFevre always says:
If you have a business, then you’re in the business of sales and marketing.
– Marnie LeFevre
So you need to find a way to get comfortable with selling, which means getting comfortable with sharing why people should work with you. You need to tell them regularly about the problems you solve and how you can help them find solutions. It’s your duty as a business owner to tell people how they can work with you or buy from you. But you can do it in a way that feels authentic. Show up as yourself, speak from the heart, and tell your audience how you can help them.
If it doesn’t feel genuine and authentic, don’t do it.
Stay true to yourself and your customers will love you for it.
Stay true to yourself, and you will sell more.
And if you need any help, please reach out. We’re here for you.
Did you like this article? You might also like:
The Art of Being Yourself: 5 Ways to Embrace Authenticity as Your Way of Life
How to Maintain Strong Boundaries in Business and in Life
What Does it Mean To Be True To Yourself? My Personal Journey of Finding My True Path & Voice
How to Speak Transformationally So You Can Sell More
How to Become a Profit Queen (Part 1): Growth Strategies to Take Your Business to the Next Level
Are you starting or growing your own business? Get your FREE Fempreneur Success Handbook and discover everything I wish someone had told me back when I was starting my business in 2014!
In service to your success,
Kate De Jong, Ph.D
Fempire Coach for Thriving Female Entrepreneurs
https://katedejong.com
[email protected]
Kate De Jong is a business and marketing strategist for start-ups and small business owners who want to grow their business with ease. Kate is a bestselling author and a Chief Executive Women award-winner for women in leadership. Formerly a consulting engineer for more than fifteen years, Kate left her engineering career in 2012 to pursue her passion and zone of genius—entrepreneurship and marketing — and has never looked back!