Six Beneficial Changes Occur When You Start Being Authentic in Business

Raw sincerity at first makes you feel exposed and uneasy. But it’s worthwhile.

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Since you’ve heard the word “authenticity” so frequently, you probably consider it to be a buzzword. There shouldn’t be. It is significant to a whopping 88 percent of consumers when choosing which brands to support.

And when I say authenticity, I mean a genuine congruence between your inner self and how you communicate with or present it to your audience. Here’s an illustration of what being genuine in your business may look like:

ensuring that your principles go beyond a website page: When your audience engages with you, they should sense them.

interacting with your neighborhood and maximizing user-generated content

Using candid brand photography as opposed to manufactured corporate-looking photos will help you stand out from the competition.
Being a leader means being self-aware and introspective.

Unfortunately, many businesses and entrepreneurs preach authenticity, but few actually practice it. At least not completely. After all, hiding behind a persona and copying what our rivals are doing is far more comfortable.

Therefore, I don’t blame you if you keep promising yourself that you’ll be more honest but you’re too afraid to attempt.

But even if it could take some getting used to, I assure you: The advantages are worthwhile!

1. You’ll draw people who understand you and agree with your values.

Why do so many business owners shy away from being themselves? My observations indicate that this is primarily due to their concern that they will appeal to fewer people. In actuality, you miss out on people who would adore you by disguising who you are in an effort to win over more people.

I am living evidence of this. I chose a classic-sounding name and a traditional white and gray color scheme when I first started out as a wedding photographer. It couldn’t have been more dissimilar to who I am. I simply followed the advice of my audience, and surprise, I ended up drawing in the most conventional brides.

I started attracting customers that loved bright colors and eccentricity in the same way I did after transitioning to personal brand photography for female business leaders and being real. Good-natured, imaginative, and enjoyable to work with clients.

If you’re a service provider, working alongside others of your sort will make every working day better. It will result in an army of devoted self-declared brand advocates for enterprises that sell products, particularly on social media.

2. You’ll cut through the clutter of bland headshots, buzzword-filled marketing copy, and blog posts that your rivals are also writing.

We feel safer when we appear and sound like everyone else in our field. However, why should our audience pick us above the competition?

On the other hand, when you start acting sincere, you can get their attention. Dare to add some personality to your B2B website, wow your audience with eye-catching images, publish articles that advance your sector, and so on.

3. You’ll get credibility more quickly.
Put yourself in the position of your ideal audience.

Sustainability is mentioned in a “our values” section, yet the actual products contain a lot of single-use plastic. You read about a corporation that claims to be a happy family, yet all of its images show uncomfortably posed workers.

Isn’t it difficult to believe them? Customers, particularly members of Generation Z, can see right through fake authenticity, which is a concern.

Your audience will be more likely to believe you if your marketing genuinely supports your claims.

4. You’ll connect with real people and motivate others.

Initially, authenticity can be downright intimidating! It makes us feel exposed and defenseless. Maybe that’s why you’re still trying to maintain that perfect business image where you’re always spotless and never make a mistake.

But what’s this? People, as in flawed, real-life people, buy from people! You’ll establish deeper connections once you start being who you really are. Even more, by being real, you can encourage others (workers, clients, followers, etc.) to follow suit.

For instance, many businesswomen frequently postpone their photo assignments because they experience extreme photo anxiety. Well, neither am I the most self-assured person nor am I the ideal weight. Instead of running away, I’ve continued to make an appearance with striking images and making-of videos.

After embracing what society encourages them to see as defects, this has prompted an increasing number of businesswomen to try it out as well. The most genuine brand images are taken at that time!

5. Instead of your business working for you, you’ll make it work for you.

Lack of authenticity frequently causes people to adopt the methods or tactics of others only because that is how things are done.

For instance, some solopreneurs feel compelled to use the pronoun we to make it appear as though they are a firm. Meanwhile, some competitors are raising their prices by capitalizing on the fact that there is only one of them.

Some photographers can feel self-conscious about working from home. Thanks to my pleasant home studio, I adore making my clients feel at ease right away.

But if you keep pushing yourself to mimic what others are doing, your business won’t be able to operate for your particular circumstance.

6. It will at last feel correct.

It may feel secure to adopt an image or to use other people’s standards of success.

But be sincere—does it also feel nice inside? It doesn’t for me. When I’m not being authentic, I discover that my business feels like pretending.

You established your company in an effort to improve your quality of life. If you’re forcing yourself into a mold that doesn’t fit your actual shapes, how can you achieve that?

Don’t misunderstand me. At first, being real might be unsettling and frightening. However, after some practice, it will begin to feel right and natural.

Every morning you’ll know you’ve created a company that is loyal to your core values and draws clients who share those values. Isn’t that worth a tiny bit of discomfort at first?