As I write this blog, I am watching Face-Off on the Sci-Fi channel. Have any of you seen this show? Basically, it is a reality TV show, where individuals compete to have the best creature makeup for the theme provided to them for the week. I love watching the competitors draw their visions on 
paper, and then do their best to recreate the vision on an actor. They will usually show how the artists transform a person into a creature in slow motion, so you can see how it was all created.
This got me thinking about all of us out in Internet World, and the masks and makeup we put on when we put ourselves out on social media, or our companies websites. Are you authentic with your brand, or do you try to cover up the cracks and crevices with shiny things that distract customers from what may be falling apart behind the scenes?
I do my best to be happy and honest about what is happening behind the scenes at SiteMast. Guess what, I do not always have good days. Now, I know not to broadcast and lament on social media about a client or how horrible a situation is. I do think it is ok to mention that things may not be flowing as well as usual. I believe that makes the brand human and relatable to customers.
When I see companies post that everything is great, and moving along smoothly every hour of the work day, I start to wonder what is going on behind the scenes. Are they just putting out shiny objects to gloss over problems that may be solved by asking a help question out in social media world? I just tend to question companies that make everything hunky-dory. Maybe I am too honest, I do not know. I just think my customers want to see a human side to me and SiteMast.
So my question for this week is: Are you authentic to you and your brand? Or are you one of the “Shiny, Happy” brands, that never has a problem in the world?
(If you want to check out Face-Off, just click on the name for more info. Great show!)
(Oh, and don’t forget The Media Barista is still rocking out her daily blogs…she deserves a shout-out! )