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1) Authenticity

“But above all, in order to be, never try to seem.”

― Albert Camus, Notebooks, 1935-1951

 

What Does It Mean to Practice Authenticity in Marketing?

Being authentic means that you are real and genuine. When you shake it all down, authenticity means you’re being true to who you are as a brand. You’re presenting yourself and your brand from a place of sincerity and genuineness. -- Haley Walden 

• Authenticity comes down to knowing your audience

  • Know what they value

  • Know why they seek you out

 

Consider your website

Being authentic through your website can start with a strong about us page, showing prices, and/or creating a FAQ page.  The most important thing is to show transparency.  Having a video would help a lot as well as using photos of your team members.  Keep in mind that while it’s tempting to use stock photos, overdoing it can hurt authenticity.  

 

2) Content is king

"Content marketing is all the marketing that’s left" - Seth Godin

 

"Content is king" - Bill gates

 

When Bill Gates immortalized the saying “Content is king” in his 1996 essay, the digital world was still in its infancy.  Bill Gates could envision though that this timeless fact would hold true as it did in broadcasting.  “Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the Internet, just as it was in broadcasting.”  

 

Focusing on content, whatever medium it may be, will never be a waste of time or money.  It is where most of the equity of your brand is built.   

 

Community is queen

 

While this is all true, keep in mind that if no one is consuming your content you really aren’t getting the most bang for your buck.  Make sure to write content your community actually wants to consume and also invest in getting that content out there so it is seen.

 

3) Consistency is key

Consistent, high-quality, and engaging content impacts audience decision-making more than any other technique.

Content marketing can account for 29% of B2B marketing budgets according to a State of Inbound report. Make sure that the content is consistent with your brand, authentic, and engages your community.

4) Overthinking is a waste of time

You don’t have to get everything right the first time.  If you are seeking perfection, it will be hard to get the product out of the door at all.  Imperfections show authenticity so do not be afraid if it isn’t perfect just yet. 

 

In the software engineering industry, it is common to ship first then fix later.  This works very well for small startups and small businesses in general.  Larger companies can’t take that ethos too seriously though.  For marketing purposes I still like to live by that idea a bit so I do not obsess over small perfecting changes.