There’s this guy I know, let’s call him Bill. He’s a great guy to hang out with at the local pub, funny and witty in conversation, and actually quite the gentleman. We really like Bill. Problem is, when you look Bill up online, he looks like a drunken man-whore who borders on being illiterate. He hangs out with trashy women (many of whom he’s never actually met) online, and posts photos and alcohol-fueled wall posts that make him look like a fool. It’s all a mask, of course. But it’s a mask that’s starting to cost Bill in his personal and professional life.

There’s a lot of businesses that share Bill’s problem- organizations that project an image online that has very little to do with who they actually are. As with Bill’s sad state of affairs, these businesses need to be aware that their lack of authenticity is truly costing them lost business and lost good will. Things have changed online in the past 17 years. These days, it’s all about telling a story that resonates with your audience, and starting conversations that cause them to take action. You don’t want those actions to include trashing your brand when it doesn’t reflect reality.

One of the first things we do when we become a client’s digital agency of record is
to find out everything we can about them. We call it an authenticity audit. Here’s how it works: we visit their offices whenever possible, and we get the client to open up and talk about themselves. We want to know who they are, how they see themselves, how they think the world sees them, and so forth. We get a feel for the organization’s hopes and dreams, its successes, and its problems and failures. We ask tough questions. When possible, we talk to vendors and customers. The end result is a very simple document that succinctly and accurately depicts the organization.

Armed thusly, we go online. Most businesses these days are using multiple online channels, so we conduct a full audit of everything they’re doing. We look at blog posts, company websites, twitter feeds, Facebook walls, you name it. We often find that a company is projecting something quite different online than what they’re like in real life. It could be because of a lack of shared vision among the people representing the organization online. Sometimes it’s merely something that ‘falls between the cracks’. Occasionally it’s a willful action mandated by someone in the company who feels that a mask may suit the organization’s goals much better than reality. No matter the reason, we confront the client with any disparities before we begin any creative work.

Why go to all this trouble? Because if you do, you’ll end up with a cohesive, focused message that not only drives a successful online campaign but also helps your brick-and-mortar operations perform brilliantly. In the end, Shakespeare had it right:

This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Farewell, my blessing season this in thee!

He was also quite prescient when he said: “All the world’s a stage”. That’s reality. What your organization projects online can make or break you these days. Our buddy Bill is starting to realize that, and he’s got to drop the mask and make some changes and project an online persona that represents his actual lovable self. We’re thankful, because it was starting to get embarrassing to admit he’s our buddy.

Is your company wearing a mask online?

Mask photo by Smaku