Authenticity.
It seems to be the word of the year here in 2017.
I know I’ve certainly been preaching it.
Saying things like:
- “Be yourself”
- “Share”
- “Publish”
- “Show your flaws and ideosyncracies”
- “Be real”
But have we gone too far?
Because there’s some serious oversharing going on in Facebook (among others) these days.
And I’m pretty sure that level of TMI (too-much-information) isn’t helping anyone… or any business.
But can you be authentic while simultaneously NOT oversharing?
I say yes.
And a good example of this is one of my hero’s Seth Godin. (He’s one of the reasons I ended up so passionate about marketing. Actually… he may be THE reason I’m so passionate about marketing)
Seth is a thought leader. An amazing marketer. An inspiration to millions. And a genuine human being. His work has transformed my work and my life in the most positive ways possible.
Seth is open (incredibly open) about the trials and tribulations of putting yourself out there, creating something work remarking about, and making a ruckus.
But what Seth doesn’t do is share every single tiny detail about his life on social media, on his blog, or during interviews.
- No pictures of his kids on vacation.
- No images of fast and fancy cars
- And no selfies working from the beach or wearing cat pajamas
(Fun Fact: Even one of the most prolific content creators of our time, Gary Vaynerchuk, posts almost no pictures of his family on social media, and yet still puts our VOLUMES of content every day.)
So why no oversharing?
Because it’s not important to the message.
Sure, you can show the odd family picture here and there. Be human. Be real. Stand up for what you believe in. And post about it without too much hesitation.
But make sure that all that authenticity adds and doesn’t subtract from what you’re really trying to achieve.
Because being authentic to your message is the most important thing.
