Are we instigating? Maybe. Did we poke the bear? Probably. The fact of the matter here is that authenticity is a winning strategy when it comes to building your online brand. But we've told you that before. Here is a fail-safe way to ensure that you are being genuine and building relationships with your consumers. After all, in the information age we are nothing without a few advocates in our corner.

Be Valuable

You have a lot of knowledge and experience under your belt. You may not realize just how much, but the reality is that your unique cocktail of skills and experience are uniquely your own. No person can do things quite exactly the way that you do them. So use that. Give your fans, followers and readers something to get excited about. Empower them to learn and become a piece of the expert that you are. 

Be Trustworthy

Give your audience reasons to really trust you. We chatted about the Honesty Economy here, and that is worth a read to really understand why trustworthy matters. Honest, unbiased information about your industry will get you farther from carefully crafted attempts to pull the wool over their eyes. The truth wins in business and this has never been more true than in the digital age.

Be Real

We often hear from our clients that their audience will visit their location and love that they feel they already know the team. Can you take a moment and re-read that sentence. Think about the power that has for your business. Your consumers will arrive with a level of comfort that you have previously spent the first parts of your first encounter earning. Social media and a good content strategy can shorten your sales cycle dramatically if you are B2B and also if you are B2C.

The magic ingredient: you have to be your true and authentic self. If your company is looking to gain real traction you have to represent the business in such a way that the interactions that follow make sense. Often, the ideal voice of the company emerges when the foray into social media is considered. This is a good starting point for evaluating the public perception of how you've been operating to date.

Be Regular

Get your calendar out and schedule in your social media time. You owe it to your audience to keep them hungry for more. You are not going to gain traction with once a month blogging and infrequent tips on social media. It just isn't going to work. You are wasting your time. When you really commit and acknowledge that you can change your business for the better with the simple effort of sharing your experience, you will get results. It is an easier transition than you think, and once people start to read what you're writing you will get excited about sharing your ideas and knowledge.

I want your business to grow and I want you to be excellent. If you have questions on how to be real online, demonstrate authenticity or showcase your industry without overtly selling (we know it is second nature to be the promo-king of the business), connect with us at H&C Inc. and we will answer all of them.