An ode to authenticity.

// SalesChange?

I was just like you, when I started out posting content I was scared of showing my face and showing up as ‘me’. I mean, who would have thought I was going to have imposter syndrome and genuinely I was worried about what other people would think of me.

I was also completely inexperienced - I had no idea what would work when posting on social media.

My first post on my (then, SalesChange) Instagram page was one which was inspired by Gary Vee (check it here) and it’s definitely not up there with my design standards now. But I didn’t know how to communicate my message without using someone else’s style and thats where I was falling down.

The problem was, as I grew into my ‘brand’ of SalesChange, I out grew it at the same time. I was pigeon holing myself into a place where I could only talk about sales and I hated it - you see, there is so much more to me and what I can do than just sales.

But this realisation didn’t happen overnight - it kind of happened by accident and as I didn’t feel congruent with the content I was sharing (mainly because it was badged up as something else) and so I needed to ‘kill’ the SalesChange brand. It’s why a personal brand is so important - you are the vehicle to sharing your knowledge and people resonate with you.

I created another instagram post about this (you can see it here) - I love seeing the design differences in the two years of really focusing on what I can do with Photoshop.

// The risks.

When you create a brand that's not true to who you are, it’s like wearing a mask. It might look good from a distance, but up close, people can tell it’s not real. This disconnect can lead to a lack of trust and ultimately, fewer followers and customers. The fact that I was showing up as a ‘brand’ meant people didn’t know the real me - they didn’t know what I did or how I did it, they knew how my brand did it and thats (what I think) was hurting my sales.

Pretending to be someone you’re not requires continuous effort - I was trying to ‘be’ a company and it wasn’t a company, it was me. The whole SalesChange thing was started from a podcast and it never really was meant to be a front facing brand. I think the reason the Joe Rogan podcast has been successful is because it’s built on his name - imagine he’d called his podcast ‘Weed, Conspiracy and Chat’ - it probably wouldn't have had the same impact.

The pressure to consistently act in a way that aligns with the inauthentic brand can lead to burnout and that’s exactly what I suffered with. I was burnt out from creating content for clients on the side, while trying to serve a consultancy client(s). Nothing really matched up and I felt like I was constantly pretending to be something.

As you can see from my Instagram page - as soon as I ‘rebranded’ as @immattking - I kind of relaxed and I then found the space and mindset to not put pressure on my content. Whilst it allowed me to stop posting on Instagram, it then allowed me to be ‘me’ on Youtube and in real life. I had been trying to create a brand for so long that when I stopped, it was a relief.

// The rewards.

Your followers are drawn to you, not just because of what you do, but because of who you are. There was no bigger example to this then when I created my YouTube channel and started posting vlogs. There is no place to hide when you’re creating content in video form - you can’t fake a smile or create a scenario which isn’t real because no matter how much editing you need to do, it won’t change the narrative.

When I was showing up on video I was letting my true personality shine through, and I was building deeper connections that went beyond superficial interactions. One of the first examples of this was when I recorded and then released this particular vlog (it’s here)- nothing really exciting happens in the vlog - I get a drone in the post and then go to buy some suit trousers for an event in the few days after.

It was at this event that I got asked about the video, how I recorded it and more importantly - the suit trousers that I went on a mission to get.

The authenticity of my quest to get the trousers and my joy of receiving the drone in the post was a wonderful thing (even when I look back now) and that authenticity created loyalty and trust, which are the foundations of any successful brand. I couldn’t fake it and all I did was just record my life and what I do.

People trusted my authentic self showing up and believe it or not - I gained business from just posting about nonsense. It was forming a connection by showing up as me.

// The Expert

The nonsense I talked about on my Youtube channel wasn’t really nonsense - it was my way of learning video and how to create a story. It followed a similar pattern to my Instagram page which, if you look back over the 221 posts, tell a story of someone who experimented and honed a craft.

I talked about things I knew about (which is the crucial part) and I never tried to show off or talk about things which I didn’t know about.

While expertise is crucial, it's your relatability that keeps people coming back and that’s why I think people showed up day after day to catch up on my posts on Instagram (and then Youtube). I knew my stuff and then shared it (in a really cool way) but it was never perfect.

Sharing your struggles, your victories, and your journey gives people a sense of kinship. They resonate with someone who tries - I heard an amazing story from Jimmy Carr (the comedian) the other day and I’ll paraphrase - he said “People will be envious of where you are and what you’ve achieved but they will never envy the work that’s gone into it”.

I loved it because its true - it’s easy to see the millions of followers people have or the thousands of views on a Youtube channel and then be envious and wonder why you’re not in the same position but I bet you look at them and never think “I wish I worked that hard on creating that success”.

Everyone wants to score and run like Ronaldo but no-one want’s to put in the 14 hour shifts of training and the constant work on diet and nutrition.

This vulnerability of your failures make you more human and more likable and it brings people along with you on the journey. You don’t have to just share your success and hope that people resonate.

// Tell Stories.

One of the biggest failures of my early Instagram page was the lack of storytelling - I never brought people with me. Stories are the threads that connect us all and even in this blog article, I try to weave in the lessons I’ve learned along the way to show to you that I have a story to tell and you can join in with me.

By sharing genuine stories about my experiences, I’m inviting you into my world.

It’s a natural thing which writing has allowed me to build upon because whenever I meet anyone, I try to understand their stories and I love to tell mine. I’m always telling people what I’ve been doing in the days or weeks leading up to meeting them and hoping that it builds some form of connection and writing/video is no different.

This not only makes you memorable but also builds a strong emotional bond with those you meet or the followers you have on social media.

It’s authentic to tell stories - people use them everyday to put a point across.

The greatest example of storytelling in my life is every weekday when I come in from work and my youngest, Theo will recount the many stories and tales of what he’s been up to at school, what he’s planning to do and where he’s been. It’s how we bring people into our world and make them feel a part of something.

You should show up as you and tell your story - if you’ve failed, share it. If you don’t know something, share it. If you want to try something, tell people.

// My lesson to you.

What am I trying to tell you here? When I started to post online or I started to try to share about my business, I showed up like everyone else with a business veneer spread on.

Every video had to be perfect, every Instagram live needed to be scripted and crazily, I couldn’t show myself.

As time went on, I grew into the fact that I needed to show up as myself and show my face (a lot of people, maybe you, don’t get there) but as soon as I did start showing up as ‘me’ - I felt boxed in by sticking to a brand name.

I want you to learn from my experience - don't box yourself in.

Don’t be a one string musical instrument because none of us play just one note. We all have multiple instruments, we have crazy amounts of volume and every single one of us tries to turn it down online.

I want people to shed that fear and be themselves because when I started doing that, I felt better and more freedom.

Stay flexible, stay true, and let your brand evolve with you