How to avoid the pitfalls of being too authentic

Thought leadership is one of the most solid marketing strategies for long-term growth for entrepreneurs. When leaders invest time and budget in strengthening their personal brand through thought leadership, it increases their business opportunities.

According to study by Semrush91.4% of organizations that engage in thought leadership create articles as part of their content strategy. This helps establish credibility, as almost half of corporations (48.7%) use internal and external experts to increase their thought leadership presence.

But thought leadership also applies to personal branding: survey by Thinkers360 shows that 85% of B2B decision makers imagine thought leadership content is vital when making purchasing decisions. It also delivers key business advantages comparable to customer trust (84%) and competitive differentiation (83%). Entrepreneurs who use thought leadership strengthen their brand while building long-term customer relationships and increasing sales for their corporations.

This is because people like to do business with people. The founder or CEO is the “face” of the company with whom people can interact and develop relationships. However, you may’t have a personal brand without a “personal” side. People won’t give you the option to relate, interact, or connect with you and your content if you are not authentic.

Leveraging personal stories, values ​​and expertise through thought leadership is a wonderful means to build authenticity and trust in your community. The stronger and more authentic your community is, the greater your corporation opportunities shall be.

When does authenticity go too far?

There is little doubt how vital authenticity is in building relationships in business. But can this go too far? Absolutely.

LinkedIn consultants have been very vocal about the use of authenticity on the platform, with many saying it will probably be overblown or feel performative.

Mandy McEwenLinkedIn trainer, in her interview for the “Live Better Sell Better Podcast” podcast, emphasizes the need to maintain balance. According to her, authenticity needs to be authentic and strategic, fostering real connections while remaining skilled and aligned with business goals. Thought leaders should engage in content and conversations that are directly relevant to their industry and target market – this is key to avoiding the trap of appearing inauthentic or off-brand.

I agree. Your thought leadership content strategy needs to be well-balanced between educating, instructing, entertaining, and promoting your corporation without losing sight of your core message.

Consistently promoting your core message builds authenticity and trust, which leads to growth.

It’s also an easy way to connect with your topics and build community. Personal posts are vital because they show the human side of your corporation personality – but when that side is pushed harder than the other, you may lose your audience and dilute your core message.

How to avoid overdoing authenticity in thought leadership?

To avoid going overboard with authenticity, try to find the right balance between personal and skilled content. An exaggeration may appear to be:

• Intimate stories about health or relationship issues that feel like a Facebook post. If so, it needs to be on Facebook, not LinkedIn. If you are sharing an intimate story, make sure it is appropriate for a skilled setting and provide useful insights or reflect on how the experience contributed to your skilled development.
• Sensitivity without skilled significance. Sharing struggles or dramatic life events can evoke sympathy, but make certain to tie them to meaningful, skilled lessons. Without it, your posts could appear more selfish than values-based.

Don’t let one pillar of content, comparable to personal anecdotes, overshadow your industry insights. You can humanize your brand by sharing personal stories or experiences, comparable to a post about getting a latest puppy. But these posts shouldn’t dominate your content strategy.

Here are my suggestions for managing authenticity without going overboard:

• Let the essential topic be content relevant to the industry, and holiday photos will come second. Entertain your audience with expert insights, suggestions and thoughtful ideas around your essential topic, and sprinkle in personal anecdotes to show your human side. For many leaders, a 70-30 ratio (70% skilled, 30% personal) works well.
• Weave your core message into personal posts. If you share something personal, connect it to a lesson or insight related to your work. For example, you possibly can share how your puppy taught you patience, relating it to the importance of patience in business.
• Don’t focus on vain desires. Personal posts can increase engagement, especially on LinkedIn – yes, all of us love the dozens of likes we get for sharing vacation photos or even a smiling selfie on our feeds. Beware of superficial connections and as an alternative build a community around your industry knowledge by leveraging your thought leadership.

Balancing these three points will aid you build an authentic presence without compromising the core skilled message your audience is looking for. Remember: While authenticity alone won’t be enough to sustain your long-term content strategy, it’s one of the most vital elements to connecting with your audience and growing your corporation.