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It's Day 2 of the Branding Unmasked series and we're starting with a little story.​
​If you missed Day 1, you can read it here.

OK, on to the story.

Suzie was feeling lost with her content strategy and wasn't quite sure what to post.

She knew she needed to create content to reach new people and get her brand seen, but after spending hours on social media to get "inspired" she was left more confused.

She saw a post about AI and although she'd dabbled in it before she thought, "What harm is there in getting a little help?"

Suzie went to ChatGPT for a little inspiration and gathered 10 content ideas for social media.

Awesome!

Then Suzie asked it to share more details about each one. Ok, she thought this was so helpful.

Then before Suzie knew it she was copying and pasting a full social media post to go with her picture. She felt great that the content went out and it got some engagement too.

Suzie continued with this cycle for weeks, even months, until she started to notice something - she'd forgotten how to effectively communicate with her audience without the help of AI. She was also having trouble coming up with ideas to share!

Suzie had become dependent on something outside of herself to share her message and brand with the world.

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Now you can sub anything you want here for ChatGPT and the point remains.

You can't copy and paste your way to an authentic brand!

People are craving more authenticity than ever before with the rise of AI and regurgitated information online.

86% of consumers cite brand authenticity as a key factor when deciding what brands they like and support.

And I know that’s hard to hear because we want it to be easier. And, while I'm not saying there isn't a place for AI in marketing (because there is) you're better off NOT relying on it!

AI is only amplifying something that's been a problem in online marketing for years.

Copying, mimicking, and imitating what others are doing isn't new, it's just more widely accepted in the form of trends, AI, and following "proven" frameworks.

But, the more you start to mimic/copy/imitate someone else the more YOUR authentic brand and personality blend in.

And the only way to stand out today in your industry is to break through the noise.

Based on surveys of my audience and diving deep into the top questions around branding - I know that what most people desire is to STAND OUT ONLINE!

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Moving Forward. So, what do we do?

We stop using these tools as a quick fix for our business and develop better ways to tap into our own stories and the stories of our audience to create highly valuable content.

We take the time to understand our audience and create content from an authentic place, even if it might be scary and not "proven" because flexing our brand voice is essential!

We use our own lives and experiences as an inspiration in our brand to deeply connect with our audience.

And we stop downloading free offers that say “Fill-in-the-Blank Social Media Posts to Skyrocket Your Engagement and Get you $10k in a Week!”

If you want to stand out, truly stand out, and build a community of fans over followers, then these shortcuts are not the answer, especially if they compromise your ability to craft your brand messaging and copy yourself.

Even if you don't yet believe it, I know that you have everything you need already inside of you to stand out on social media, you might need a little help in tapping into it but don’t mask it with the generic copy.

The goal is to find a system that allows your most authentic qualities to shine through.

Your language.
Your personality.
Your voice.
Your unique characteristics.
Your style.

If you want to stand out online, then it's time to stand out!

Let's save those amazing AI tools for repurposing our content, coming up with ideas, brainstorming when we feel stuck, answering our questions, and more, BUT refrain from relying on them to solve our problems and authentic brand builders.

Eventually, you'll lose your ability to tap into your authenticity naturally - and this is how brands last, despite the trends and fads.

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P.S. When I ask you, "What type of brand do you want to create?" what comes to your mind?

Tomorrow, I'm addressing this question and a really big issue I'm seeing among business owners today. Stay tuned.

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