Is being "Authentic" Inauthentic? Engineering a Brand Built for Trust - Jennifer Anastasi

Is it possible to be inauthentic precisely because you are trying to be authentic? Well, yeah! This week’s Trust Cast is all about engineering the perfect trustworthy brand. To do this, you need to be true to your purpose and values.

Meet Jennifer

Jennifer helps entrepreneurs grow their business by bringing in more (and better) clients. She helps them create a professional strategy and plan that maximizes their marketing so they can attract those ideal clients consistently.

• Jennifer started her career as a software engineer.
• She was always interested in UX and the experience that a user has when they interact with software.
• Jennifer started her own business and had to do marketing and she realized that there were a lot of parallels between software engineering and marketing.

Engineering a Brand

• Engineering is finding a creative solution to a problem.
• There are a lot of ways to accomplish the same thing. The trick is finding the BEST way to accomplish the task. What’s the most efficient way to achieve the goal.
• At the end of the day, you start with a goal and create a step-by-step process to get there.
• It’s the same way in business. There are a million ways to make money.
• Marketing is the engineering to figure out how to get there.

Finding a Purpose

• A brand is all about having a purpose and values.
• Jennifer worked with an opera singer who wants to completely change the industry and achieve equal pay for women and men.
• Now that they knew the purpose, they needed to find the ideal client to align with that purpose.
• Talk to your target audience and learn about their pinpoints.
• Find data that backs up your assumptions.

How to make an authentic brand

• Don’t make the mistake of keeping your brand in your head. Write it down!
• Distill your brand down to a core framework.
• Every decision you make should now be run through those core messages to make sure they align with your brand.
• Your actions need to align with your brand values.
• Don’t fake it!

How do you come up with the right values?

• You already have an innate set of values inside yourself.
• What are you personal values? Start there!
• If your business values don’t align with your personal values there will be a misalignment, and it will come back to bite you.
• Other people that have the same values as you will be attracted to your business.
• Marketing is asking someone on a date. Branding is what makes them say yes.

Let's Talk about "Authenticity”

• Authenticity is a big buzz word right now.
• Everyone wants to be authentic.
• What does authentic actually mean though?
• If you have to try to be authentic, you’re automatically being inauthentic.
• Podcasts are a great way to learn who someone really is.

Execution: Creating a Trustworthy Brand

• Put your money where your mouth is.
• If you claim to be a high-end business, you need to make your experience “high-end”
• Create an incredible customer experience from the beginning.
• Great brands treat their prospective clients as if they’ve already spend money with them.

How Can We Convince More Businesses to Invest in Branding?

• It’s all about education. Thankfully, the market is moving in the right direction.
• We need to show them what is possible. Think about the lost clients that come because of bad branding practices.
• COVID seems to have helped. Big brands are creating great value messages.
• The Gen Z and Millennial generations care about brand. They are willing to spend more money to get a brand that they align with.

Funnels and Automation can Kill Relationships

• Funnels become an excuse to say that loosing potential clients is okay.
• We should only loose prospects if they don’t align with the brand and aren’t the right fit.
• We need to create real relationships and real interactions with people.
• Automation is a double edged sword. It can be a powerful tool, but it can also take human relationships out of business.
• Do something at least 5 times before you automate it.

Follow Jennifer:

• Jennifer Anastasi Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook Group: Strategic Marketing: From Winging It to Unforgettable Messaging<...