Being authentic means being YOU. You need to be you, all the time both online and offline. That means sticking to your path, sharing your knowledge, experience, and interests with your audience. You need to let people into your world. Let them get to know you. Show them your likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses.
Those in my tribe know that I’m a scotch and bourbon lover. They also know I’m a Star Wars fan and enjoy playing Pokemon Go with my family! Not only will being authentic mean that your tribe will get to like and love you – but they will trust you too. And trust is everything in business.
If someone doesn’t trust you – if they see you say one thing on camera and then act a completely different way in person, at a conference or meetup, for example, they’re not going to want to do business with you, plain and simple.
Market like a magnet
Being authentic is all part of what I call magnetic marketing. You want to attract the best and repel the rest. You want to become somebody’s favorite. The aim here is for your audience to know, love and trust you.
So get out there! Don’t worry about being ‘social media perfect’ or needing the latest equipment because you want to show yourself in the best light. The phone in your pocket is all the equipment you need to get started. What matters is that you keep showing up and sharing your message consistently.
Being vulnerable
Being authentic also means being vulnerable. You have to go behind the scenes and share more of yourself. Now that might make you feel nervous. And I know why. You might not even realize this but the reason why so many of us hold back from showing our authentic selves is because of fear.
Fear of rejection. Fear of not being liked. Or loved. Think about it – even on social we have thumbs up and hearts for people to click – we crave being loved and appreciated. However, Don’t let those negative voices, and we all have them, don’t let them get the better of you. Your audience follows you because they recognize something in you that they like and trust.
Being authentic takes courage. It takes a lot to stand in front of the world and say: “This is me.” and not worry about whether you fit in. But be bold and do it anyway. It’s that uniqueness that sets you apart from any competition in your niche, and it’s also going to be the defining reason why your audience will fall in love with you!
So be YOU, all the time. Day and night, rain or shine!
Being authentic takes courage. It takes a lot to stand in front of the world and say: “This is me.” and not worry about whether you fit in. But be bold and do it anyway. #Youpreneur Click To TweetWrap Up
If today’s video has helped you in some way… perhaps answered a few questions you’ve been having, or helped you develop a new idea or two.. let me know what your biggest takeaway was! I’d love to hear from you.
And don’t forget, you can watch my free training course ‘The Youpreneur Launchpad’ over on YouTube… it’s focused on helping you build, market and monetize your expertise better than ever before. I’ll see you in the next video!
Chris founded Youpreneur® in 2015. He is a serial entrepreneur, keynote speaker and author of the bestselling books “Virtual Freedom” and “Rise of the Youpreneur”. He hosts our podcast, live events and coaches our clients inside the Youpreneur Incubator. Chris is based in Cambridge, UK.
