The Importance Of Building An Authentic Brand

Authenticity: Not false or copied; genuine and real.

In a time when there are so many fakes, scams and liars, authenticity in your brand's message can help separate you from others who are building businesses without being authentic.

Authenticity could quite possibly be the most important thing when building a brand. There is no denying that each individual person has a story to share and tell, but how you go about telling that story is crucial. Many go on social media and use it to portray something they are not, such as that they make a lot of money, believe in something they do not actually believe in, travel to certain places, etc.

Often, when businesses or entrepreneurs are building brands, they rely on putting content out there that they think others will like, regardless of whether it is their true self. This is a recipe for disaster down the road. As an entrepreneur, what you put out should be authentically you, regardless of whether you think others believe in your mission and vision. You will build a community based upon those who like your authenticity and who align with your vision, mission and values.

A true brand is authentic to its core. The brand is formulated around the company or entrepreneur’s values, and builds on that foundation as it grows. The greatest compliment that you can hear is that you are the same offline as you are online. This is a true testament that you’re building something people can relate to, follow and be impacted by.

Share your story through your own words because if you aren’t seen as authentic, it will only kill your brand credibility. You are also doing others a disservice because your story might be something someone needed to hear to start that business, quit that job, no longer abuse drugs or just go after what they want in life.

Authenticity, however, requires you to be truly vulnerable, allowing those who follow you inside your world, which isn’t easy at first. We are born and raised (usually) to remain tight to the chest and not show all our emotions or share everything we have gone through. But if you genuinely want to build a strong brand, you have to get past this obstacle. Once you can conquer this fear, your brand can sprout its roots and begin to grow and impact those who follow you on your journey.

Be true to yourself, and be real to those who follow you.

Now, once you become truly authentic in your message, you have the ability to establish the direction of your brand. There are many individuals today who utilize social media platforms such as Instagram to build their personal brands in hopes of impacting others, building new relationships, creating business opportunities or making money

However, something that seems to get lost is knowing what your brand aligns with. Just because you may have 1 million or more followers on Instagram does not necessarily mean you can just post anything and people will buy it. Those who have that kind of influence are major celebrities — and even then, they align themselves with products or services they know people will buy.

If you take Dwayne Johnson (a.k.a. The Rock), for example, even though he is a major celebrity, his brand is extremely polished. Everything that he does, talks about and sells aligns perfectly with who he is as a person, making it more attractive to his audience. He is very big into fitness and healthy living, so it makes sense that he partnered with Under Armour to create a clothing line and shoes for those who love fitness. This aligns with who he is; it's not like he's on Instagram selling a cleaning service.

Having a brand that aligns with your mission and values will create more opportunities for you as your business expands because others who also align with your mission and values will be more likely to support and follow you and your brand on your journey.

Therefore, when you begin the journey of building your personal brand, how you present yourself is how people will perceive you. This will dictate what your audience expects from you and what they will buy from you.

Overall, there is a major importance in being fully authentic with your brand because it will allow you to then align yourself with a service or product you may want to offer to your audience. Be you, and the brand will align.