In this blog post, we will be covering the different ways you can be more authentic on social media for your brand and be on your way to creating your dream life!

Building your brand authenticity is important because it is the only way you can build online trust with your audience to create strong connections and build a community of loyal followers that will continue to invest in your services and products.

Let’s first define authenticity…

Authenticity is when what you say and do is aligned with what you truly believe in!

Here are the five questions you must ask yourself in order to be authentic on social media: 

1. What are your brand’s core values?

This is one the very first things you want to do as you are building your brand identity.

Core values drive every brand to lead from an authentic place long-term, which will also create consistency between what you say and what you do online and within your business.

Every brand should develop a set of 3-5 values that their brand will live by. Core values shouldn’t simply be nouns, they should be actionable full sentences that you believe in.

Once defined, you can communicate these main core brand values through your social media content. This way every time you show up and speak online you will be demonstrating these brand values. 

2. What is your brand story? 

Humans love good stories and we love to find connection points between us and those brands we are loyal to and purchase from.

To start finding your unique brand story you need to dig deep within yourself to understand how to use your own personal history, background, and lived experiences to build your brand story.

For example, I am an immigrant woman living in the US and I make the conscious effort of connecting this personal experience with my brand story. I share this aspect of myself because it is true to me.

Why? 

Because…

Only you will come from that one background. 

Everyone will have a unique and different point of view. 

No one else will have the exact experiences you have lived through. 

Even when there are so many brands offering the same service as you, you will stand out to your true ideal audience and draw in followers that align with you and relate to your authentic story.

Not sure where to start with this? I’ve created a FREE storytelling template for just this thing!

3. Are you in search of a loyal community or a huge amount of followers?

A big way people build online trust and show up more authentically for their brand is by focusing on community versus followers – it’s all about finding your ideal client!

So what is the difference? 

A community consists of people who believe in what you believe, they cheer you on, they support you, and are present during any business pivots you decide to make. 

Think of Apple and their loyal community of people. The people that buy iPhones are very different from those that buy Samsung phones.

Apple can sell their loyal community any new gadgets and that community will continue to believe that this new gadget is the best quality because it was made by Apple.

However, followers are people who constantly come and go. They are nothing more than stats on your IG profile. 

A community invests in you. 

Through a community-focused lens you will show up more authentically because you are aware of what your people need from you.

You know exactly what your people love and in turn, they will love you for who you are and not for what you offer them right now in your business. 

4. Do you feel as if you are living a double life online and offline? 

A big issue for people wanting to show up authentically online is the feeling of pursuing too many different lifestyles and personas resulting in a feeling of not being the same person online as they are in real life.

The underlying issue here is not connecting personal goals and passions with your business. This is also known as the WHY of the brand.

Speak about what lights you up while simultaneously making an authentic and strategic connection between your passions and what drives you to what your business does.

This allows you to keep the online version and real-life version of you consistent, reeling in your community of people naturally. Check out the Vision Book I created to for a guided way to center yourself both personally and in your biz – you’ll be able to see where the overlap lies!

5. Does your brand voice align with your brand WHY? 

Authenticity comes through in how a brand communicates their message online.

The way you communicate is your brand voice and it should align with the values and persona of your brand. 

So if you have done everything we have discussed in the past 4 points in this blog post, this part should be easy to build.

Solidify why you do what you do and remember this every time you create content and write your captions. 

Don’t use language you wouldn’t use at dinner time with friends. Stay away from industry jargon and keep things simple.  

One of the most typical mistakes I see digital entrepreneurs make online is copying other people’s voices and content.

Your community aka the people who really matter to you and your business will notice in a heartbeat because it isn’t YOU so it will never come through as authentic or believable!

And remember, great leaders inspire those around them to trust them and take action because they want to not because they were forced to.

I get it, it is difficult to put together all the pieces of your brand and navigate the world of social media while still maintaining your authentic self online.

If you are ready to build an online brand that allows you to live a freedom and joy filled life, check out my brand development coaching program. This program gives you hands-on experience creating your brand from scratch, including messaging and social media strategy.

If you’re an entrepreneur ready to bring your big brand vision to life, the Social Media Branding Package may be just what you need. This is a one-stop shop service for building a cohesive, stand-out brand AND content strategy that work hand in hand. 

If you want to find your authentic brand strategy, check out this brand strategy quiz I created to help you understand how to show up in your business in alignment with your unique energy, personality & Human Design.