Business Strategy Tip - Authenticity is Your New Currency!

Social media is such a hot topic lately and there is so much buzz around how to truly capitalize and monetize this new marketing medium. Why is Facebook such a phenomenal? With over 500 million active users it is demonstrating our need to be part of a community. Think about it for one moment. The average person spends 18 minutes per day on Facebook while the average person views a website for less than 30 seconds. What I believe is that Facebook is meeting our human need to connect and although we have the most amazing technology this world has ever seen we still need to belong and feel like our life matters.

When I am coaching my clients who want to build an online platform the first thing that comes from many of their mouths are "Can I separate my business from my personal profile?" My follow up question to them is why. Why do you feel you need to have a separate page? Their answer, "Because I don't want people to see what I am doing on the personal side". This is when I get on my soap box and share that social media is about three things (1) connection (2) authenticity and (3) integrity. The consumer is sick and tired of people showing up one way in public and behind the scenes they are totally different. My response is who you are is who you are. If you are a jerk in private then be the jerk in public. In simple language, be authentic. Stop wearing the mask! If you think that you are going to show up online whether it is twitter, facebook or linkedin and be less the authentic or geniune then don't bother because you will be found out.

Let me get off of my box and share with you that if you show up in your greatness and with all of your flaws people with embrace you. People will trust you and ultimately people will buy what you have to offer. It really is about being comfortable in your own skin. No one is expecting you to be perfect but we are expecting you to be real. So if authenticity is your new currency, how do you want to show up? I will encourage you to embrace who you are and to celebrate your many different personalities (the light and the dark). When you show up like that you give other permission to do the same and then you have an amazing community who will celebrate your victories and lift you up when you feel that you are all alone.

Remember (1) Authenticity (2) Integrity and (3) Connection is what social media is all about. Start spending your currency today!