Consistent Authenticity: How to Build Brand Authenticity
Your brand authenticity is important, but to create it you really need to be consistently authentic. Here’s how to build brand authenticity with consistent authenticity that builds connection.
I’ve recently written about courageous authenticity and its beautiful combination of vulnerability, humility, honesty and purpose. It’s the mindset that is beyond ego, is outward looking and is about transforming your goals into purpose. When you have courageous authenticity you’ll find that you get out of your comfort zone, stop caring what people think and start living a fulfilling life that is completely congruent and on purpose.
Overarching courageous authenticity is the idea of purpose, attention out and, importantly, connection. And how you get that connection is through consistent authenticity.
Consistent Authenticity: How to Build Brand Authenticity
What is Consistent Authenticity
I have a favourite shirt that has a bright, wonderful pattern from the iconic Australian artist, Ken Done (in fact, I wore it in a video recently). I’ve been a fan of Ken Done since the 80s, and I can vividly remember my best friend had a Ken Done bedspread, with matching pillows. I just adored going over there and hanging out in her room.
Ken Done has a real signature style, focused on Aussie beaches and famous landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House, and featuring bright, bold swatches of colour. He’s been an active artist in the Australian community for over 40 years, and, in fact, had his first solo show in Sydney in 1980.
But still, today, even four decades later, you can tell an authentic Ken Done at a single glance. His style has developed over time, of course, but his central tenets, the themes that drive him and make him so instantly recognisable have consistently appeared in his art. And though he’s been copied by tourist shops and swag sellers for years, he’s so deeply himself, so authentically Ken Done, that no one can ever match him. That’s at the heart of what has made him iconic — his consistent brand authenticity.
Authenticity
Authenticity is being so much yourself that no one can match you. It’s about knowing who you are thoroughly and intensely. As a personal brand, you can think of yourself as an artist, like Ken Done.
We’re all seeking our own self-expression, whether it’s as an artist, as a writer, or a speaker, or a coach or something else entirely. Whatever your medium, when you’re building your personal brand you have to step into that art and really define it. What makes it special, unique, you?
As an artist, your signature look will show your artistic style. As a personal brand, it will show your unique brand presence.
Consistency
When it comes to your brand, consistency means creating every day. And to do that you have to organise your brand’s framework and systems to allow you to be prolific. Get outside help when you need it, whether that’s social media management, copywriting or something else. But keep up the volume.
I’ve written about how to be prolific previously (‘The Power of Prolific Expert’) but you can think of it as the Goldilocks Zone between crazy (where we’re so busy creating and working and doing all the things that we get burnt out and overwhelmed) and mainstream (where we’ll find it hard to stand out from the crowd because we’re just like everyone else). Between those ends lies prolific, where we’re motivated to create and work and so generate real income and success.
The Intersection of Authenticity and Consistency to Reach Consistent Brand Authenticity
How to build brand authenticity begins here. It’s the intersection of authenticity and consistency that ultimately leads to consistent brand authenticity and creates an iconic brand. It’s this framework that allows you to do the things that build and showcase who you are. And that gives you the space to deliver them consistently to your audience. But more than that, it’s this intersection that allows you to amplify your brand from unique and wonderful, to truly iconic and long-lasting.
The Benefits of Being an Iconic Brand
There are innumerable benefits to becoming an iconic brand. But one big one is that you’ll never be replaceable. I often hear people complain about being copied. But the sheer volume of your creations will make you impossible to copy.
You see, the more that you are authentically yourself and the more you are in your flow, the more you can create and the more iconic you become. Others, who are simply copying you, and not creating from an authentic place, can’t keep up that volume because they aren’t in flow. Instead, everything they create takes an enormous amount of energy… and they simply can’t keep that up.
Josh Shipp, American youth motivational speaker, best-selling author and TV personality said,
‘You either get bitter or you get better. It’s that simple.’
With an iconic brand, you get better. So the worry about being copied is simply no longer important.
Another benefit is that iconic brands can really leverage collaborations. Ken Done himself did many collabs which benefited both his own business and the business of his collaborator. I still have a beautiful Arnott’s tin with Ken Done images on it that are evidence of a very successful collaboration. And once you’ve reached this iconic status, you can leverage it for your success as well.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on how to build brand authenticity…
Jane Anderson is a strategic communications expert, speaker, business coach and the author of seven books including the upcoming Catalyst Content. She has over 20 years of experience helping people to communicate confidently. And she is obsessed with authentic influence and human connection to drive business growth in a world of disruption and automation.
Jane delivers Content Creation Bootcamps (Virtual and Face to Face), Coaching and Keynotes. To inquire about her working with you or your organisation please contact us here.