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You’ve heard a lot about accuracy, so you probably think of it as a buzzword. It shouldn’t be. 88 percent of consumers consider it important when deciding which brands to support.
And by authenticity, I mean the right alignment between your own intuition and the way you express or present it to your audience. For example, here’s what being authentic might look like in your business:
- Making sure your values aren’t just part of your website: your audience should feel them every time they interact with you.
- Engage with your community and make the most of user-generated content
- Instead of creating corporate-like images, use brand photography that captures your personality
- Being self-aware and self-reflective as a leader
Unfortunately, many brands and entrepreneurs preach authenticity, but many do not. Not completely, at least. After all, it’s more convenient to hide behind an individual and copy what our competitors are doing.
So I can’t blame you if you tell yourself you’d be more accurate but are too scared to try.
However, while it may take some time to get used to it, I promise: the benefits are worth it!
Related: Authentic Leadership: What is it and why is it important?
1. You will attract an audience who will find you and share your values
Why do so many entrepreneurs shy away from being authentic? From my experience, it’s mainly because they’re afraid they’ll appeal to a few people. In fact, by hiding your identity in hopes of being liked more, you will lose those who feel sorry for you!
I am living proof of this. When I started out as a wedding photographer, I went with a traditional tonal name and a traditional white and gray palette. It couldn’t be further from who I am. I did what I thought my audience wanted and to my surprise, in the end…I attracted the most traditional brides.
After transitioning into personal brand photography for female business leaders and looking authentic, I began to attract clients who embraced bright colors and sensuality just as much as I did. Good humored, creative and friendly customers.
If you’re a service provider, collaborating with people like you improves every workday. For product-based businesses, it translates into a loyal army of self-proclaimed brand ambassadors, especially on social media.
2. You cut out all the white noise
Marketing copy full of buzzwords, cluttered headshots, the same blog posts your competitors are writing…looking and sounding like everyone else in our industry makes us feel safe. But why do our listeners choose us over others?
When you start to appear authentic, on the contrary, you can attract their attention. Don’t be afraid to make your B2B website boring, surprise your audience with colorful images, write articles that bring something new to your industry, and more.
3. Build trust easily
Put yourself in the shoes of your dream audience. In the “Our Values” section, you will understand sustainability and then find more single-use plastic in real products. You’ve read that a company is meant to be a fun family, but all the pictures involve uncomfortable workers in rigid positions.
It’s hard to believe them, isn’t it? The problem with simulation accuracy is that customers can see it directly, especially Gen Z.
When your marketing really backs up your statements, it’s easier for your audience to trust you.
Related: 3 Ways to Use Authenticity to Build Customer Loyalty
4. You make real connections and inspire others
Accuracy can be scary at first! It makes us vulnerable and vulnerable. Maybe that’s why you still have that impeccable business person who always looks immaculate and never makes a mistake.
But guess what? People buy from people, as in, real life people! When you begin to show yourself for who you are, you will create more meaningful relationships. Your authenticity can inspire others (employees, customers, followers…you name it) to do the same.
For example, many business women feel incredibly self-conscious about being photographed and continue to delay their shoots. Well, I’m not the most confident person or the perfect size. But instead of hiding it, I continued to show it with bold pictures and behind-the-scenes videos.
This encouraged more and more businesswomen to give in after accepting what society wanted them to see as flaws. That’s when the most authentic brand photos happen!
5. You make your business work for you, not the other way around
A lack of authenticity often leads to accepting other people’s processes or strategies simply because that’s the way things are done.
For example, some solopreneurs are forced to identify themselves because we pretend to be a company. At the same time, some of them are charging more, thinking that there is only one of them.
Some photographers may be embarrassed to say they work from their own home. With my reception studio, I like to make my clients feel comfortable from the start.
But if you keep forcing yourself to copy what others are doing, you won’t be able to make your business work uniquely for you.
6. It will feel good in the end
It can feel safe to have someone or follow other people’s definition of success. But let’s face it: down, does it also feel good? Not for me. I feel like my business is playing pretend without being true to myself.
You started your business because you wanted to create a better life. How can you do it if you force yourself to create a mold that doesn’t match your actual shapes?
Make no mistake. At first, being authentic can feel scary and uncomfortable. But when you do it for a while, it starts to feel natural and right.
You wake up every morning knowing you’ve built a business that’s true to your core values and attracts like-minded individuals. Isn’t this little initial discomfort worth it?
Related: The Importance of True Love in Business
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