4 ways to be more authentic in your marketing

Authenticity is all the rage right now, but is it really just the latest marketing fad? I would argue not. It is one of the most fundamental aspects of joyfully growing a business you love that connects with the right people.

The Cambridge Oxford Dictionary defines authenticity as “the quality of being real or true”. When we spend our time trying to follow some-one else’s perfect formula or be who we think we need to be in order to have a successful business, we are often met with frustration, shame and limited results for the effort we put in. This is because we are not being real or true to ourselves.

We are living in an age where women want to feel connected, are more savvy and dare I say wary of marketing hype. As a solopreneur you are your brand and your biggest superpower is actually who you are. The whole package, quirks and all. Your dream clients will be drawn to you for your energy, your unique take on your subject and sign up when they feel you can help them with the transformation they seek. They want to work with someone who has shared values and they feel a connection with, someone who feels safe and knowledgeable.

Often times when we start our business, we feel we have to be or act a certain way to succeed. We think that there is a right way to do things and we need to follow the teachings of all the gurus out there to be a success. As we try to mould ourselves into something we are not we lose our authentic voice and sometimes even our passion for why we started in the first place.

In this blog I want to remind you authenticity is about being who you are, allowing yourself to do what feels right, to experiment and know there is no one single way to do things. If you follow your passions, skills and heart you will connect with YOUR people and you will love your business, and it will grow naturally.

So, how can you find your sweet spot? The place where YOU feel safe to uncover and be your true self in how you create and market your business. The space where you feel empowered to share and invite others into your world? This is the place where you design and share your business and offering from that place of authenticity – your heart.

This can be a scary and uncomfortable place to let your guard down. Below I have outlined 4 elements to think about to help guide you towards allowing yourself to show up as your REAL self in your business.

1. Articulate Your Value

Living according to your core values is the epitomy of authenticity.

(What are your core values? What do you believe to be true? Think about how you run your life and business. Do you value freedom? Service? Health?)

Getting connected with your core values will help you decide how you want to run your business and your life. It is here you can get focused on what is really important to you.

This also comes into play in your marketing activities. Does it feel ‘wrong’ to DM people in a specific way? Does it feel salesy/insincere to say you are the #1 person in your state?

When we try to do things that are not congruent with who we are at the core, it doesn’t work. We essentially fight ourselves when trying to grow business and we end up burnt out or worse – we quit.

I want to highlight here the difference between being out of alignment and out of your comfort zone. Out of alignment (inauthentic) feels plain wrong – that horrible feeling in your stomache. You will never succeed at these methods even if the gurus tell you it’s failproof. Why? Because it goes against your values. Getting out of your comfort zone leaves you feeling a bit nervous and a bit excited too. Follow that!

I also invite you to review the values of your current clients – do they align? How about your dream clients? Working with others with shared values will allow you to market your business in a way that lights you up and connects with your dream clients. Talk about your values in your marketing and let it guide your strategy and actions too.

2. Get clear on your Vision

Articulating your bigger vision for yourself, your clients and your greater mission will help you to focus and get re-inspired when things get tough. It will help you to see where you should focus your efforts. Getting clear here will enable you to choose activities and promotions that fit in with this bigger vision and the people you want to serve.

Sharing your vision attracts those who relate to this mission be they clients or collaborators.

(Why did you start your business? How does it serve you and how does it serve your clients?

Where do you want to go with the business? What is the bigger mission you are here to for?)

3. Own your gifts

We all have skills, qualifications and innate talents. It is the combination of these that make us the best person to serve our clients.

I see many women who are afraid to own their gifts, often for fear of judgement. They struggle with imposter syndrome or fear others will say they are arrogant etc. Sometimes they simply learnt to stay small.

The reality is that your clients work with you because they feel your expertise and believe you can help them. If you don’t tell them, who will?

It is critical that you can own and articulate why you are the best person to help and how you help. You need to be clear on what makes you special in order for your dream clients to choose to come into your circle and pay attention.

When you do this, you start to share your business with passion and purpose, understanding that it’s not being salesy but truly serving those you are here to help.

4. Let your Personality Shine

You may sometimes feel like nothing special, however we are all unique. Our personality has many facets and is magnetic to those who resonate.

We often hide for fear of not being liked. When marketing your business as your true self and allowing others to connect with you as you truly are, you add a powerful force to your business.

You will become magnetic to those that relate and appreciate you. They will appreciate your style and unique perspective. You will also repel those that do not resonate, leaving you with a connected community of people you would love to do business with and who can become raving fans. The result is more inspiration, more sharing and more dream clients.

5. Your Communication Style

Honour your communication style. Do you have the gift of the gab? Have you loved to write since you were little? Does being on camera light you up?

When you share your business it is important to choose strategy and activities that work to your strengths. If you have always struggled on camera, forcing yourself to do facebook lives will result in awkwardness and procrastination. Likewise, you love to talk and don’t have the skills or inclination to write then starting a blog will cause endless hours of stress.

Working with your innate communication style and strength will enable you to let go of any hinderence of the vehicle and focus instead on authentically sharing your genius and connecting with your tribe.

I am hoping that you now see that Authentic marketing is not just a marketing trend – it makes good business sense and as importantly good life sense. Connecting with and sharing who you truly are – warts and all – will enable you to build a personal brand that feels good to you and magnetises your clients.

Being authentic in your marketing will enable you to do your best work because you will no longer be worried about what others are thinking or what you ‘should’ be doing and it will allow you to love your work. The result? I growing business you love where you attract your best clients and you are primed to help them create the ultimate transformations.