The Power of Authenticity
With the ever-growing digital landscape, marketers often feel the pressure to become thought leaders on the internet. To make a bigger splash online, there’s an urge to comment on every post, weigh in on topics across sectors and industries, and have impressive opinions on, well, everything. It’s especially easy to feel this way when there are multiple marketing leaders and strategists filling up social feeds with what feel like brilliant ideas, messaging, and expertise. The rush to be included in the conversation often comes with posting about things you’re not necessarily an expert about.
Well, I’m here to tell you that sometimes less is more. If you don’t know enough about a certain topic, there’s power in being humble about your knowledge. You don’t need to weigh in on every topic just because society says you need to. Let’s dive into the power of authenticity, where we’ll go over owning your lack of expertise in a subject area, how posting ignorant comments can harm your reputation, and what you can do if you decide to post about a contentious topic. Let’s dive in.
Confidence in unfamiliarity
As a digital marketer, it can be natural to feel that you need to chime in on everything online in order to stay relevant. With the heated complexity of social, economic, and geopolitical factors seeping into social feeds, paired with the growing competition of professionals in the digital landscape, it’s tempting to want to see your name and icon with a snappy comment under a social post. While it’s important to stay on top of trending topics and consistently take steps to grow your online presence, contributing to a topic you know nothing about can ultimately be harmful for your brand and damage your reputation.
A big part of developing a strong, credible, online persona is staying true to your strengths in some areas and owning your lack of expertise in others. Just because you don’t know something about a certain topic doesn’t make you any less credible or important. In fact, having confidence in your ignorance and choosing not to post says more about your authenticity than a mindless, poorly-researched comment ever can.
At the end of the day, if it’s not in your wheelhouse or in your area of expertise, the best thing you can do is to stay real with your audience and let others do the talking.
The harm of ignorance online
While it can seem harmless, posting ignorant information online can actually do great damage for your reputation and lead to negative consequences for both your personal and professional brand. Once you post something online, it’s there forever. Even if you delete it, some archive somewhere will have a record of exactly what you said and when you said it. Posting something harmful, untrue, or insensitive can alienate your community, cause your audience to question your reliability, and pose questions about your morality and trustworthiness as a thought leader in your industry.
In situations where you’re just not sure about the details, it may be better to be a passive consumer rather than an active, and ignorant, contributor. Remember that as a human, you have free will and it’s normal not to have an opinion about every single thing to “make it” in this field or even be reputable in it.
There may, however, come times when you feel it’s necessary to contribute to an important conversation and give your community a voice through your platform. If you don’t have all the facts, how should you go about entering the conversation?
Do your research
We’ve talked about how having an opinion and comment about every single thing online isn’t necessary to “make it” as a digital marketing professional. But what should you do when you do feel strongly about a contentious topic and want to contribute?
The first thing to do is to fully understand the context behind a post or comment. Are there additional materials that go with it, or any other perspectives you should consider? Once you’re sure about the conversation you’re choosing to engage in, the next, and one of the most crucial steps in the process, is to do your research. Rely on reputable sources, fact-check any sources you cite, and explore diverse sources and viewpoints. Having a comprehensive, fact-based foundation will help you ensure you’re contributing in an informed, credible way.
When engaging in heated conversations online, remember to always remain professional and respectful. Ask clarifying questions, approach conversations with an open mind, and let your audience know you’re committed to continuous learning. If you happen to be an expert in the field, pass along any resources to others and speak with grace, poise, and integrity.
If you want to develop a more research-based approach to your content, fill out the form to get started.
Conclusion
Today’s social feeds and digital forums are home to heated conversations on everything from marketing strategies to book recommendations to wars, political tensions, socioeconomic issues, and more. I’m here to remind you that it’s OKAY not to have an opinion on every single thing and sometimes, staying quiet is the best thing you can do.
Just because you don’t have something to say on every single topic on the internet doesn’t make you any less successful or esteemed. In fact, many thought leaders with the most engaged audience focus on a niche topic and rarely contribute outside of a small range of their expertise.
If you want to craft a research-based, thoughtful approach to creating and managing your content online, I have over 13 years’ experience working in higher education and nonprofit marketing to create high-quality, reliable content. Fill out the form to get the conversation going.
