Customers Are Craving Connections with Brands at Personal Level
Today, consumers in general are skeptic about brands whose messages and actions are not aligned, because some brands speak and market in ways that are not genuine, and might trick consumers into thinking that they are buying a good thing; when in reality, it’s not.
Therefore, it’s more important than ever for companies and individual business owners to show authenticity and establish trust upfront with their customers in genuine ways that will allow their relationships to flourish.
Building an authentic personal brand is essential for both individual business owners and public-facing executives at larger companies. Because consumers in this digital economy crave for connections with brands at personal levels, so brands need to make the efforts in meeting their customers where they are at.
Cultivating an Authentic Personal Brand
Being authentic is multi-folded, it means that:
1) You’re not afraid to express yourself, because you know who you are deep down. You speak your mind with candor, yet respect others on their opinions and give them space to speak theirs.
2) You’re being transparent, and you don’t come with an agenda. When you are genuine and show interest in listening to what others have to say, you will win their hearts first and their minds second. Because most humans appreciate honesty and transparency, your authenticity gives them the visibility into your thoughts and feelings, and that encourage them to open up and have candid conversations that will lead to powerful outcomes.
3) You’re not afraid to step into fear with courage and commitment. You don’t let fear gets in the way of holding you back from taking a positive step forward, whether it’s doing scary things like kayaking in the sea for the first time, swimming in the ocean, taking a stand on something that you thought it might be embarrassing yet fascinating to others, or taking a solo trip to places that you have never been before.
4) You’re not afraid to share your vulnerabilities. Because you take the courage to share your struggles, your fears, and your doubts, someone else may be on similar journeys as you are. Hearing your stories enable them to reflect on theirs, which could turn out to be valuable lessons for others to learn from, and give them strengths to go through what they are going through.
5) You peel the onion as far back as you’re able and comfortable with. Don’t doubt or regret on what you’ve shared. People who resonate with you will identify with you, and may want to form deeper connections or do business with you.
Amplifying Your Authentic Personal Brand
Once you understand what it means to be authentic, you can amplify your authenticity by showing up and role modeling on what it means.
For examples:
You call out when you see something that is misleading the truth.
You teach others on how to act and live authentically.
You’re always in deep alignment with your values and beliefs, your thoughts and feelings, your relationships with self and those with others.
You help people share their stories authentically and powerfully.
In sum, cultivating and amplifying your authentic personal brand means that you are giving yourself a voice and helping others in finding theirs.
You hold a genuine presence and an approachable persona that attract your tribes to you.
You earn a reputation on what you stand for, and you possess a soul that never gets tired of being true to yourself — all of which will make your more WHOLE in living out your authenticity to its fullest degree.
