"Authenticity" is the new "Sustainable" But Also, Now?

The most tossed around word in my radar is "authenticity."

• Be more more authentic.

• Write authentically.

• Less targeted, more authentic.

I catch myself advising small businesses to be more authentic in their content marketing.

"Authentic" seems to be the new "sustainable."

What do they mean when they say "be authentic"?

Here's what it is: don't chase what the others are doing. Take a note, reconfigure it to your brand, your ethos.

There's no one way to be authentic to yourself or your brand. Like attracts Like. Your truth, your content shows your values. Resharing content that aligns with your values is also another way to stay authentic to your brand. If that is the action you can take, then that is the action you can take.

For those of you who are content creators, you know where you stand. And if you didn't, I'd hope you educate yourself. Those with a big platform - you don't have to publish content to protest every day. That's not what your followers are asking. They're asking you if you are on the right side of history. Jayde Powell's newsletter this week was about content creators and social responsibility. Here's her LinkedIn post that summarizes it.

Creating content for our small businesses can be hard when you struggle with understanding their values or brand positioning. This still ties into authenticity and showing an honest view of the business's beliefs.

Questions I ask my young team when they send a draft to me for review include "Would you put this up on your own website or social media? Are you proud of this work? Does it sound like it would come from the business owner?"

If you can't answer these questions for your own brand, then I think you can infer that the content isn't "authentic." It's a pretty good litmus test.

How do you define authenticity?