You’re perfectly polished, cool as a cucumber, and you never let your audience see you sweat. Your website is gorgeous, your Instagram is so flawless it could be mistaken for a lifestyle magazine, and your live videos are the picture of perfection. It’s aspirational- but it’s also costing you customers.

Here’s the thing, your audience doesn’t want a perfect paragon, they want a real person who understands their struggles and challenges because they’ve been there! When you embrace your imperfections, acknowledge the messy middle, and speak openly and honestly about your journey, stumbles and all, you create real connections with your audience that build trust and lasting relationships.

Why Relatability Builds Trust

We’ve all met people who seem to have it all together, and while we might admire that, it doesn’t feel very relatable, and it often just makes us feel worse about ourselves and our own imperfections!

When you let yourself be vulnerable in front of your audience, they feel seen and heard, and they trust that you truly understand the challenges and pain points they’re facing. Here are some easy ways to open up without oversharing:

• Be honest about the challenges you’ve faced and the lessons you’ve learned the hard way.
• Share candid behind-the-scenes stories even when you’re not feeling picture-perfect and camera-ready.
• Incorporate personal storytelling into your content by sharing the why behind your business, the passion that drives your mission, and the dreams you want to achieve.

Being open and honest about your dreams, challenges, and triumphs signals confidence, self-awareness and relatability that makes your brand trustworthy.

Authenticity Creates Loyalty

Your ideal clients are trusting you to have the solutions to their problems, so you don’t necessarily want to show up as the hot mess express. Authenticity is awesome, but oversharing can compromise your credibility.

Effective authentic marketing strikes the perfect balance between polish and personality- you’re being real while maintaining your authority and expertise. Here are some tips to keep your marketing message polished, but completely human:

• Use conversational language that mirrors the way your ideal clients speak.
• Write and speak as if you’re talking directly to a favorite client- it will connect far more than a message filled with corporate speak!
• Don’t script your videos too much. It’s fine to practice a little, but you want your video content to sound off the cuff- not like you’re reading lines.

Imperfection is an Asset!

Remember, your clients aren’t just looking for expertise, they want to work with brands that feel real, human and relatable. When you show up as yourself, you’re inviting connection, building trust, and creating deep emotional bonds with your clients.

When you stop striving for perfection and start embracing your quirks, sharing your journey, and balancing authenticity with expertise, great things happen in your business. Your engagement rates will go up, you’ll attract new clients, AND you’ll keep them coming back!

If you’re ready to ditch perfection and start building a brand that truly connects, the marketing experts at FMD Strategic Partners can show you the way! Learn how we build customized content marketing plans that showcase your personality, your expertise, and the attributes that set your business apart!