“It’s simple. Be a good person and good things will happen.” – Gary Vaynerchuk
As business leaders, we often get caught up in keeping up with images and appearances. As strong leaders, we have a tendency to place emphasis on controlling what we portray outwardly to our team, our investors, our competitors and, most importantly, our customers. The strong leader handbook (if there were such a thing) has trained us to lead with authority, avoid showing signs of weakness and keep the focus on the areas of our businesses where we are excelling when facing the public eye. The current landscape that we are all navigating together in one form or another, due to COVID-19, has caused a noticeable shift in this way of thinking, but it might have already been trending pre-COVID. Even before the onset of the pandemic, the desire to connect “authentically” started its rise as a buzzing concept, especially when brands began to try to master their social media game. Questions began to swirl around in internal meetings, like:
How can we put out messages that create engagement?
How can we create a community?
How can we connect authentically with our audience?
Spoiler alert: I know the answer, and it’s just be you – the real you, not the polished, poised you. Well, yes, some of that, but also just keep it real. Let’s explore some ways to connect authentically by just being yourself.
Tips To Tap Into Authenticity For True Connection:
Show your virtual personality.
Social media has been catapulted to the portal where companies and their leaders can connect with their audiences during times of crisis and beyond. A simple scroll through Instagram will show business leaders giving “talks” with unshaven faces for the men and hair in ponytails for the women. This is a detour from the mentality of showing a polished, professional, put-together image but a needed one. The dog barking in the other room or the child who drops into a live post uninvited shows your human side, shows your true life and shows that you are dealing with the same issues your audience is dealing with.
Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable.
Everyone is feeling unsettled during this pandemic, but the truth is being vulnerable has been trending for a while. Many successful, high profile entrepreneurs like Gary Vee, George Kao and Daymond John have hung their hats on telling authentic, vulnerable stories to their audiences with great success. The reason is an obvious one, it shows they are human. It creates something that consumers can connect with, a real image, not a sales pitch or a jargon-filled case study.
Tell a story.
Of course, lifting the bottom line is the goal, but there are many ways to get there. The stories we tell may be harder to attribute to a conversion, but the brand cache they create can prove more valuable than a one-time sale. Share the stories of your experience, put the inner workings of your business on display and show the world where your passion lies. You might find they resonate more with this than a discount.
Do things without a profit-driven motive.
As business leaders, profit is a motivator, for sure, but sometimes (especially in times of crisis), it should take a back burner. Even in “normal” times, the value of creating a strong connection for the sake of the connection can often add value in unexpected ways. Being a mentor to a younger professional, giving back to the community and even offering something at no charge as a show of goodwill can create a connection that goes beyond the numbers.
Xandra Marketing specializes in helping businesses and business leaders nurture those connections, achieve marketing success and find their authenticity. During the current climate and beyond, we are standing by to help you find the unique position that you and your business can thrive within. It all starts with a connection; let’s keep it real.
