INTRODUCTION
Table of Contents
Is there a value to being genuine? Are you being and showing the real you to others? Do you understand what being genuine is? How can it help your online marketing business?
Today we take a short look at this topic, and provide an example from a popular video that is going viral at the moment…It may seem like it is not related, but you will see how I tie it in…
Many of us are trying to make money online with our own online marketing business…In those efforts, we present ourself to others in the market…
Others see our efforts through what we present…We choose to show them what they see., or what they think they see…You are in control of that…
Reaching clarity and a comfort level on what to present of your self and then communicating that throughout your business is a positive thing.
I call this being genuine. This means you can have a central theme in all your work. So we start off with the video, then tie it into your online marketing efforts, and lastly provide some guidance (OK, suggestions) on how to make being genuine work for you…
Let’s get started!
APPEARANCES CAN BE DECEIVING
The short video below is going viral, and when I first saw it, it got me thinking about a bigger point…That we will discuss, but first, have a look at the short clip…
[videoframes src=”” skin=”8″ headline_text=”The Emporer Is Wearing No Clothes!?” headline_color=”#000000″ headline_size=”22″]
This video brings all kinds of questions up…People perceive you a certain way, based on what they see…What they see is not necessarily what is real…
You know it’s not real, but others do not. When this is the case, it can cause dissonnence within a person. They may feel uncomfortable inside when being in front of others…
The people you interact with, on the other hand, may somehow feel that dissonence but not understand why they feel it. After all, the person appears to be normal that they are facing…but…
YOU know that this is not the case, after all, you have no clothes on! It is hard to act normal when you know you are vulnerable…It will eminate from your being, people will sense it…
What if ONE person mentioned the fact that you have no clothes? That one person can audibly state the fact, and EVERYONE will know! So what you are presenting (body paint, not clothes) means you are at risk…
Do you present the real you? How much of the “real you” should you show?
REAL LIFE AND “THE EMPORAR IS WEARING NO CLOTHES”
It is a fact that we choose what to share of ourselves with others in the public, That “public” includes your presence on the internet as in your website, your social sites, and any other interactions…
We have to decide what we can live with, how much we expose ourselves to others, what “clothing” we will wear in these situations (i.e. body paint or real clothes)…
How Much Real You Should You Show?
The more we expose ourselves, out innermost thoughts, the more vulnerable we become to someone calling us out, attacking us for our feelings or beliefs, etc…
Walking around with body paint all day is a risky business! This is an extreme case of risk perhaps, but the principle is the same…I recommend being who you are and can feel commfortable with when you interact with others online…
Make sure that what you are exposing of yourself is something that you can live with. Also make sure that what you are exposing is not going to make too many waves, or at least know what waves you can live with (by this I mean keep the controversy down, unless that is what you are looking for)…
HOW CAN YOU BE MORE GENUINE
So, somehow we have to come up with a balance between what we “show” to others and what we can live with and feel comfortable with internally.
This is vital for our success as marketers and indeed for us as individuals. There is what people see, what people think they see, and what really is…
The best is to think about this, come up with a reasonable (for you) level of risk of showing the real you that you are willing to share with others…
The best level I think is one where you can truthfully add your ideas, thoughts, and efforts for others…
If you are presenting what people think they see, it may not be what really is. This will cause miscommunication at times, and in some cases, can hurt you…
Lost relationships, lost business, and lost opportunities…
Let’s look at one example (there are hundreds)…
I have worked with people that are only interested in sucking up to the boss. Whatever they do, the ultimate goal is to curry favor and recognition from the boss.
Surely you have been around such people? They can be identified easily and controlled, or manipulated if you will, to make sure that not too much harm is done…
How successful are these people over time? Mostly, they are not successful. Rather they are despised, and others will compensate for their actions by setting them up for failure…
Such people are not at peace with themselves and it shows. They have not thought through what it is they want to be and how to get there…
This shows through in how they interact with others and with the boss…They may try to show they are wearing clothes, but we can see they are not…
Being Genuine…
The goal of being genuine is something else. You want to let people know who you are, show them your clothes, in terms of the viral video, but also have you feel comfortable with what you show…
Considerations on what to show…
Having a thick-skin is sometimes useful in this internet world, people today seem somehow emboldened by the obscurity of the internet…If you show too much or a particularly sensitive part of you, you are in danger of being ridiculed or worse…
Let’s face it…The internet and the cover it provides means that some people may take a go at someone, and this harder and more intensely than they would face-to-face…
Such people may say or write things they would not say in person, and they may overreact using text or pictures…In short, they will try to hurt you, because they can…
So you must decide what to show others, and what you feel comfortable with..Body paint or real clothes? Each represents a different level of exposure you open yourself to…
Interact Using Your Comfort Level…
If you can get that formula together, as in wearing what you feel comfortable with, and be true to your inner feelings and beliefs, it then makes it easier for you to communicate that ease throughout your content that you post.
Whether it is in posts such as this one, your tweets or retweets, facebook posts, etc. this holds true. By understanding what the line is for you in regards to your public standing (i.e. clothes or body paint?) the more congruence you will feel…
Result? Consistency…
This means that there will be a consistency in all your content no matter what kind it may be, either tutorials, reviews, videos, explainer content, etc.
People will “feel” this when they read your tutorial, see your video, and when they listen to your opinions…This makes it easier to build trust, a professional relationship, and eventually, conversions…
Bottom Line…
So are you wearing clothes or body paint? The bigger point is do you feel comfortable with what you are wearing? If not consider making some changes…
CONCLUSION
Today we took a quick look at being genuine….Genuine to yourself first, then making sure that this genuineness permeates throughout all of your content and interactions online.
The importance of this cannot be overemphasized. It will allow you to have congruence internally and externally with all of your potential customers, your current customers, and your peers.
Additionally, internally you will also feel at peace. You are comfortable with the “face” you present to the outside world and can operate comfortably in public…
Whether you have clothes on or are wearing body paint, the truth is that most importantly, you are being you. People will see what you show them…
FINAL POINT(S)
This section is where I implore you to take just a small portion of your time to take the following easy to do actions…
(1) Rate the post. You will see that I have a star rating element at the top of this page right under the title (to the left side). If you would let me know what you thought through giving me a rating (5 star being best), it will help me get better at my trade, and it helps prospective readers too!
(2) Share the post. If indeed my post today on being genuine was helpful share it with your friends…There are social sharing buttons near the top-right side of this page for this…
(3) Comment. Please add in your own thoughts in the comment section. We all learn when we share and discuss…I do look at and answer comments all the time…
Thanks in advance…
Cheers!
ABOUT DAVE:
Dave has been involved in sales for 20 years with offline products and has been fortunate to have traveled the world while realizing up to $4 million USD a month in gross sales of products he promoted.
He has brought that experience to the online world and this is one of his online ventures. This site is intended to present ideas, products, tools, tips and more that will help all those seeking to make money online have success.
Subjects covered are diverse, but in totem, you can learn a lot about the things that you will need to have success with online business right here. This includes things to do and things NOT to do!
Enjoy!