What Makes Someone's Marketing Authentic?

I talk a lot about being authentic.

I talk a lot about authentic marketing.

AND...a lot of people tell me that "authentic" has become a buzz word and doesn't mean anything any more.

Well, it does to ME.

To me, being authentic is defined as, "doing or saying, what I would do or say, WHEN I would do or say it."

Now, here's the thing that makes authenticity so tricky in marketing...authenticity is an INTERNAL feeling, and marketing is generally focused OUT on your target audience. So, we start to ignore our feelings about something, and instead we focus on what other people want to hear from us.

Breaking the possibility of it being authentic.

So, today I'd like to explore in more detail what makes something (including your marketing) authentic, and one important thing that does NOT (skip to the end if you just want that one 😉).

Let's go.

Doing or Saying...

Let's break down that first part of the definition shared above. Which means, yes, SOME action is being taken.

You are doing something. Or you are saying something.

Either way, you are CHOOSING something.

You choose what to do. You choose what to say.

Authenticity doesn't exist in a state of NOT choosing. Because there is always SOMETHING you would choose do or say...even if it's NOTHING.

The power here is in recognizing your CHOICE.

YOUR choice.

No one MAKES you do something (even if all your competitors are doing it). No one MAKES you say something (whether that's a stand your taking or mirroring generic content in order to avoid offending anyone).

YOU CHOOSE.

...what YOU would do or say...

So, what would YOU do? What would YOU say? If you erased all those filters you're putting on yourself today?

The tricky bit here is...most of us don't know the answer.

A lot of times, we know what we WOULDN'T do.

But we don't necessarily know what we WOULD do.

And do you know why?

Because no one ever asked us that.

People just showed us ways of doing things and expected that we would do them the same way. Parents. Teachers. Coaches. Managers.

We don't have any PRACTICE in knowing what we would do (or say).

So, we just do what's fed to us. Because it's easier.

But no authenticity lives there.

Authenticity is about practicing your choices until you become empowered in the belief that you are making the right one for you...regardless of whether that specific choice is right for someone else💡

Only then can we truly choose what WE would choose.

...WHEN you want to do or say it.

A common misconception about Authenticity is that it's about revealing everything about yourself to everyone, all the time.

Nope.

The power in authenticity is in owning your choices. Which means, sometimes you will choose to do or say NOTHING. Or choose to do or say nothing YET.

I always use the passing of my High School basketball coach as an example in this arena. When he passed away during COVID, it really hit me how much he had believed in me. When it came to basketball, my experience is that he was the FIRST person who believed in me and saw me for the unique player I could be. So, when he was suddenly gone, so many emotions came forward.

I knew I wanted to say SOMETHING about it, but I couldn't find the words (I had to process the grief first). And about a month after finding out, the words just flowed out of me. I was ready to talk about it, and I CHOSE to do so.

And it has an immense impact on me, as well as the rest of the basketball community. So much so that his wife asked me to speak at his Celebration of Life (which I did with my pride and many tears).

It's not that a month later is the RIGHT time to speak about loss. It's not that you have to share your stories on social media. The point is that was the right process for ME...which is what makes it authentic.

Bringing It All Together

At the end of the day, authenticity is about YOU.

It's about how YOU feel doing or saying a thing.

Does it feel like something YOU would do or say? Perfect?

If not? Just don't 💖

The Important Thing Authenticity is NOT

Nope, I didn't forget that I promised this 😉

What is authenticity NOT?

It's NOT what other people think about you.

There's an interesting dichotomy here...because most people who practice authenticity WILL be perceived as authentic. Bot someone else's opinion of you has absolutely NOTHING to do with whether or not you are BEING authentic.

I've had experiences - in real life and on this platform - where I created an authentic message and someone interpreted it in a different way, which led to an interpretation that I was inauthentic. But no one can TELL you that you are or aren't authentic EXCEPT YOU.

If someone doesn't like what you say, that doesn't make you NOT authentic.

And if I don't agree with someone else, that doesn't make them NOT authentic.

Sure, maybe we have misaligned values. Maybe we don't choose to belong in the same spaces. Maybe we will never vote the same way.

None of that is related to authenticity.

I think a lot of people get on their high horse and assume "being authentic" means agreeing with all the things I believe are right. And while that might be YOU being authentic, it doesn't make someone else inauthentic if they don't match you.

I think this is why it's so hard for people to comprehend in a marketing capacity.

It's not about what people THINK of you (your reputation).

It's about what YOU think of you.

Bringing Authenticity Into Marketing

So, if I asked you, "what do YOU think of YOU when it comes to your marketing?" what would you say?

Are the things you're doing what YOU would do?

Or are they something you've been TOLD to do?

It doesn't make them BAD if you wouldn't do them. Although in some cases this is definitely something to look at (I'm looking at you cold calls and InMail messages).

It just means that, for YOU, those activities are a bad fit.

So, what would you do?

If you need a partner to explore that, let's chat ✨