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While many brands, companies and people think the internet is a great way to mine for business leads and referrals, they’re missing something important.  They hear that “content marketing” is the way to go.  They hear that “you have to build a community” online.  They hear a lot of things.  So they immediately look at what tactics they can use to speed up the sales process.  Which often leads to creating and spewing out slick marketing copy across social media platforms.  Ugh.

Big mistake.  Who wants that?  Do YOU go online to spend your time searching out people and companies that want to sell you something you probably don’t need right now?

Probably not.

So let’s look at…

WHY DO PEOPLE CONNECT WITH YOU?

People connect with you because of your story.  They connect with your story based on how and why your story connects to their story.  This is true whether they tell their story publicly or they just tell it to themselves; either way: They have a story that they want people to connect to.

While talking with my good friend Tim McDonald this morning he shared a quote he heard while listening to an interview with Dorie Clark:

“Don’t put out content to sell yourself; put out content to explain who you are”

SO…

How do you know “who you are”?  Where do you start?

AUTHENTICITY IS THE KEY

Be authentic.  This is how you separate yourself from the noise.  What is the noise?  People creating “content” or “stories” with the primary goal of selling.  Go online to any social media platform.  Open a newspaper (online or the paper version).  Turn on the television.  Notice the noise.  Do you really enjoy listening to that?

Rising above this noise requires authenticity.

How can you be (more) authentic?

Share things that are personal to you/true reflections of WHO you are, WHAT you do and WHY you do it.  These are the basic components of your story.  The order of those 3 things is actually reversed; but most people find it easier to explain who they are and what they do.  Getting to why they do it is the hard part and the heart of your story (Simon Sinek talks about this in detail during his TED Talk: “How Great Leaders Inspire Action”).

Try this today – write out the answers to those 3 questions.  Then use “Why” to start telling your story.  If people care about why you do something then they might want to learn more about what you do and who you are.

  • WHO are you?
  • WHAT do you do?
  • WHY do you do it?

Not convinced yet?  Let’s look at…

WHY SHOULD AUTHENTICITY MATTER TO YOU?

The actions you take determine the results you get.  If you start with inauthentic actions, craft fake stories with ulterior motives you attract people who aren’t genuinely connected to what you do.  With that being said: What happens when you connect with those people?

  • On Twitter: You use the hash tag #eventprofs because you might be able to make money in the event arena BUT you don’t care much about events.  You build a following around something you don’t love spending  your time doing.  What’s Next?
  • On a dating site: You put in your profile “I’m wild and adventurous and love to try new things” BUT you’re actually mild mannered and love a good book on a quiet night.  You attract what you asked for.  What’s Next?
  • On the issues: Your clients (and potential clients) really care about environmental issues.  So you talk about the environment to get their attention BUT you know little about the issues in depth and don’t want to learn more about them.  When you connect based on this you have nothing to talk about.  What’s Next?

The answer to “What’s Next?” for those examples above is the same: BUSTED.  You’ve created inauthentic connections based on inauthentic stories.

Don’t set yourself up for relationship (professional or personal) failure.  Tell your authentic story and connect with the people who share your story or want to learn more about your story.

“Don’t market content. Tell your authentic story”

 What story will you tell about yourself TODAY?