What is Authentic Marketing?

A colleague asked why I qualify “marketing” with “authentic” — what do I mean by authentic marketing?

In all ways, authentic marketing is about not pretending.

To be truthful about where we are in our journey (instead of suggesting we are farther along, to try to impress), or that we are a bigger company, or more polished than we usually are in everyday situations with our clients.

Let’s apply this at 2 levels:

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1. In selling a product or service, authenticity is matching the marketing with what the typical buyer/client will actually experience (i.e. not using hype)

2. In content, authenticity is finding and expressing one’s own real voice, instead of trying to copy others’ style because they are “successful.”

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Authentic Selling

Maybe you’ve had this experience:

A program / service / product is sold as being life changing — it will make you a 7-figure income, bring you true and lasting love, or you’ll live healthy forever.

It sounds so good, why not just try it, right?

You buy, and after a little while you realized you’ve been duped again.

(Or maybe you forgot those promises, because you’re already onto the next shiny new object!)

Selling by using hype is tempting for marketers because it works.

Human-beings, especially good-hearted people, are easily tricked by marketing. It’s only after multiple disappointing experiences (sometimes losing thousands of dollars) does someone become a skeptical buyer.

Hype-selling works in the short-term, so marketers keep using it, unaware (or not caring) about the negative effect on their long-term brand loyalty.

As authentic marketers, we care about the long-term, because our conscience, heart, soul, won’t let us do otherwise.

It “feels” off to lie. It’s contrary to our higher values, so we feel bad when we do it. Telling the truth is simply the most sustainable marketing strategy, for our inner life, as well as for our business long-term.

However, it takes more courage initially to tell the truth… but eventually, buyers/clients will see that we are different, and worth sharing with others.

How to do authentic selling?

1. Carefully observe what promises we are making in our marketing materials (e.g. our website) and in our conversations with potential buyers. Are those promises likely to be fulfilled for the average buyer of our service/product? Or are the success stories we are telling the rare cases? Of course this also means we are diligently improving our service so that the average experience of the client gets better over time.

2. Notice our intentions: When we say we care about the potential client, are we being authentic, or just using it as a way to make more sales? If we authentically care, then we will sometimes decline a client (or refer them onward) when we see that we aren’t the best ones to serve them, given their situation.

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Authentic Content

When it comes to our content, “fake it ’til you make it” is terrible advice.

In our videos, are we trying hard to look polished? To seem more successful than we actually are?

A good rule is to be as you would be with an ideal client.

If someone is an ideal client, they don’t need you to posture in any way, or to seem like you’ve got everything together. They hope you’ll be comfortable as you work with them, so that you can most effectively express your unique genius. They like everything you do naturally — they are an ideal client!

Imagine that person when you make content. Make your content for them.

Be comfortable, so that your real voice and genius can be expressed.

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Be Your Best Authentic Self

Lastly, to be authentically yourself is not as simple as it seems.

Sometimes, you are authentically negative: angry, sad, fearful, desperate, etc.

Other times — usually when you’ve gotten enough sleep, aren’t hungry, and feeling loved — you are authentically courageous, naturally brilliant in your own unique way, and genuinely caring.

This is the kind of authenticity I hope you will bring into your business and marketing: your best authentic self.

Therefore it is your responsibility to practice self-care everyday, and in as many moments of each day as needed, so that you can be authentically your strongest, kindest self in business and marketing.

If you have seen any examples of authentic marketing, I’d love to know about it. Looking forward to your comments below.