What Does Stacey Solomon Have to Do with Your Marketing Strategy?
Why Authenticity Isn’t Just a Buzzword, and Should Be Front and Centre of Your Marketing & Content Strategy.
If you’ve been anywhere near social media over the last few years, odds are you’ve heard the term ‘authenticity’. In truth, authenticity in business is not a new concept, but it has been at the forefront of social media strategy in recent years.
Although it's a buzzword that gets thrown around, it's something all businesses need in their marketing strategy. Being able to present yourself in a way that is true whether your audience sees you online, meets you in person, or the experience they have when they go through your processes and services.
It’s important to your business as being able to be authentic online, means you are more able to build trust and credibility, build more meaningful connections with your audience, stand out in a crowded industry, drive engagement and brand retention, not just from your audience but your employees too, and lastly, it will attract the right clients, and repel those that aren't a good fit for your brand.
Authenticity in Business
Authenticity (in the context of business) is the alignment between a company's actions, values, and communications. It means you do what it says on the tin. Wherever your audience meets you, it’s the same experience.
It involves being genuine, transparent, and consistent in how you present yourself to your stakeholders, including customers, employees, investors, and the public. It means that in all your actions, you’re staying true to the core identity, purpose, and principles of the organisation. In practice, this means continuity in voice and tone, delivery method of content, and finding ways to present yourself in your content that gives your audience touch-points with you, being yourself.
But what tangible outcome does it have for your business, other than an increase in sales, of course?!
Well, when a brand is transparent in its communication, it tends to help build trust and encourage the know, like, trust, and fan funnel. And when you are consistent with that communication, their confidence in your brand will grow. That consistency of presence gives them a chance to know and like you, and being authentic will encourage that trust. And once you get to the ‘fans’ part in the funnel, you have brand advocates that will sell on your behalf!
This is where Stacey Solomon matters in your business!
You might know her from the old X-factor days, or perhaps you’re a fan of her new show ‘Sort your life out’… but wherever you see her online, there is consistency. I was lucky enough to hear her speak last month at the #SBS event in Birmingham, and I can report that what you see online, is EXACTLY what you get in real life. She sounds the same, moves the same, has the same energy, and is just as supportive to others in real life as she is in her online persona.
There is a good reason that she is so successful, not just with her 5.9M Instagram followers, but in her business ventures too. She has built up that trust over time and invested in those relationships, so that you can be sure that she is going to do exactly what she says she is!
Authentic Leadership
It goes further than just our brand, though. Authentic leadership within that brand is just as important. If you are able to translate that front-facing integrity into the back-end of your business, too, essentially foster a culture of transparency, you can create an environment where your team, whether remote freelancers or in-house employees- feel valued, empowered, and trusted. What this does is give them ownership and accountability in their role, and by leading by example, you encourage them to be transparent and genuine in their relationships with your clients, too.
And further than that brand experience, authenticity in leadership means that you can have a real positive impact with those who work within your organisation, and when morale is high, so to is productivity.
Content Strategy
Achieving this authenticity can be achieved in a number of ways, from how you offer customer service and support and the quality of your services, right through to your social responsibility projects. But your content strategy is a big way of translating your brand for your audience in a way that is genuine.
When looking at the types of content you are putting out there, there are some key ones that will really help with this.
Repelling/Attracting
Content that clearly communicates the brand's values, mission, and identity can help attract like-minded customers who resonate with those values while repelling those who do not align with the brand's ethos. You really do want your audience to know exactly what you stand for, and creating content that can do this makes sure that your brand attracts the right audience, and has the chance to build a relationship with them.
Storytelling
If you can tell stories that share your brand's history, successes, challenges, and milestones, in an honest way, it can emotionally connect with your potential clients, and show the real face behind your brand.
Guiding
Guiding content doesn’t seem to have much to do with authenticity on the surface, but showing your processes and using content that educates and guides clients through their journey with your brand helps to show your expertise and commitment to helping clients succeed. This builds trust and credibility and will also show authenticity as you are saying exactly what is going to happen for your potential client if they book with you.
Behind the scenes
This is probably the quickest and easiest way to show authenticity! Think a behind-the-scenes look at how your office is run, who the people are, how you work, how you operate, and what it is like to be a team member in your organisation! And this doesn’t have to be dancing videos and Dad dancing- you can be really creative in how you present this content.
Culture
If you’re a solopreneur, this can be a harder type of content to create, but creating content that highlights your brand's culture, including values, and your mission, all helps to show sincerity.
Opinion
I’m not suggesting you be contentious and against the grain for the sake of it, but when you’re able to share content that gives your perspective on relevant industry topics or current events, you are expressing genuine opinions and viewpoints- all of which connect you to your audience. All of which give you chances to be authentic.
Lastly, User-generated Content (UGC)
This is content about your brand and your services created by others. When others share about their experiences with you, you get that person's value as well as the value you are building for yourself, and you are almost able to leverage their status to boost your own. The more viewpoints you have from others that support your brand in a way that aligns with your values, the better!
This would also be true to some extent of content you create too- think testimonials, video interviews, or infographics.
Standing out & Connection
All the work that you do on your content strategy and each piece of content you create to try and convey your authenticity, all adds up to you standing out and being more memorable in your industry. Each piece you create is an opportunity for a touch point with your audience. And with each touch point comes a chance to connect, and guide them on their customer journey.
It showcases what makes you different from others, and also shows your unique personality and perspective. All things which layer up trust with your audience, and work on that know, like, trust, fan funnel.
All that to say, authenticity isn't just a buzzword (as cringy as it might be to hear it!); it's a fundamental aspect of building trust, fostering meaningful connections, and making a success in your business relationships.
By prioritising authenticity -realness- in your business, you can attract the right audience, ones that will actually resonate with your brand, and it will help to differentiate you in a competitive market.
by giving your content strategy some real thought, you can showcase the real face behind your brand and work on those genuine connections with your audience.
Ultimately, authenticity is the key to standing out, being memorable, and building lasting relationships with your audience and potential clients.
It's what sets you apart.
If you would like to book in a free strategy call to see where you are with your own content strategy, and see how we can help you, please book in here: