Authentic Marketing: Why it Matters for Countryside Customers

People buy from people, not robots. I think this is particularly pertinent for countryside customers, where reputation can play a huge part in buying decisions. When someone hears about your service and looks you up online, does your online presence match the real-life reputation you’ve worked hard to build?

There's so much content being created now, and people are consuming it quicker than ever before. Social media posts, emails, blogs, adverts and even website pages are increasingly sounding the same with the rise of AI.

Content starts off interesting, but then it starts repeating points, sentence structure and generic words. So you scroll on by, and nothing about it sticks in your mind, exactly the opposite of what good marketing is supposed to do.

For women running service-based businesses with countryside customers, there’s a real need to do something different. I’m not talking about making silly Reels or sharing every detail of your life online, but letting people see a little more of the real person behind the business through authentic advertising.

Because people buy from people they know, like and trust (not robots)

What do I actually mean by authentic marketing?

There's a difference between showing up unapologetically as yourself and authentically as yourself. I always say authentically.

To me, unapologetically suggests there's something you might need to apologise for in the first place. That you're deliberately showing up in a way that might cause offence, or that being controversial is somehow part of the plan.

Maybe you're more blunt than is considered polite. Maybe you deliberately throw in a few f-bombs. Maybe you hold strong opinions and don't leave much room for anyone else's perspective.

That might work brilliantly for some businesses, but I'm not convinced it works particularly well when you're marketing to countryside customers.

Authentic marketing isn't about deliberately making yourself louder or more controversial. It's about allowing the personality, values and real life behind your business to come through.

Think 'chat with a neighbour'

I often think of marketing to countryside customers as being a bit like chatting with a neighbour,  ideally, one you'd quite like to stay a neighbour afterwards.

You can see different perspectives, occasionally agree to disagree, and at other times, just let sleeping dogs lie. 

That's very different from sanding every opinion out of your marketing until there's nothing recognisable left. You can have personality without being deliberately provocative.

And when your customers are countryside people, that neighbourly kind of marketing can create a much more genuine connection.

Authenticity in social media marketing

This is where I think some business owners get nervous. We're constantly told to "show up" online, but what does that actually mean? Do people really want to know what my dog had for breakfast?

No, it doesn't mean your customers need unrestricted access to your personal life; you get to set the boundaries.

When I work with my clients, this looks like the woman who is a proud, busy mum as well as a thriving entrepreneur, but isn’t comfortable sharing her child’s face online.

So it can be the pile of tiny shoes by the door as you rush out. Or the piece of artwork on the floor (or the wall) that appeared while you were deep in spreadsheets at your desk.

We’ll relate, while you hold your boundary.

Sharing life without over sharing

Authentic marketing examples from real businesses 

There's a temptation in business to only show the polished version, with a smiling selfie that definitely didn’t take you 20 attempts and a filter.

But the real story is far more interesting and memorable to your audience.

Think about the woman running a beautiful glamping site on her family's working farm. Of course we want to see the gorgeous accommodation and the countryside views. But we want to see the mucky side too.

If she's up at 5am sorting the cows before spending the day doing changeovers, that doesn't make the business look messy or unprofessional. It shows dedication, and it tells you something deeper about the woman you're potentially buying from.

The accountant who once shared her amusing to-do list at the start of the day, and progress as the day went on. But she felt it was a bit silly or try-hard.

It was great behind-the-scenes content, funny, and relatable. Who doesn’t want an accountant with a sense of humour?

Being your authentic self can be daunting, as that can mean ditching perfectionism and admitting your flaws. But it is what makes you you and what makes you, real.

These are often the bits we edit out because they don't feel polished enough to count as marketing. But they're exactly the bits that can make someone remember you.

Sometimes authentic marketing looks like Cain Dingle

I talk quite openly about my love of Emmerdale. Not because I've identified "women who enjoy Emmerdale" as a lucrative audience segment; it’s my guilty pleasure and I know people can relate.

I recently opened a workshop with a collage of images, a few talking points, as people were settling in with a coffee. Someone always has a working cocker spaniel story to tell, but what I didn’t expect was for someone to think that Cain Dingle was my husband.

An excellent, if entirely inadvertent, icebreaker.

Sharing small snippets of what makes you you, gives your audience something to connect with. Those little details give people an easy way into a conversation and help someone build a picture of who you are beyond the service you're selling. They're helping people who have already heard about you work out who you are. 

That's what authentic content marketing looks like.

The icebreaker in question.

Can advertising still be authentic?

Of course. Authentic advertising simply means that when you put money behind your marketing, you don't suddenly start sounding like a completely different business.

If someone sees your advert, visits your website and then speaks to you, it should feel like they're dealing with the same person throughout. Getting more clicks isn't much use if you're attracting people who don't actually connect with you or your business.

So, how much of yourself should you put into your marketing?

I can’t give you a percentage, and I'd be suspicious of anyone who tried.

Instead, think about what you're genuinely comfortable sharing. Your hobbies, what you stand for and what you find funny.

Then think about the conversations you have with customers in real life. What would you talk about if one of them was standing in front of you?

There's probably more useful marketing material in those answers than you realise.

You don't need to invent a personality for your business, you've already got one.

Ready to become more you in your marketing?

That’s exactly what I help with.

Ready to work it out for yourself?

My membership, The Marketing Larder, gives you the tools to do that with a library of marketing recipes, regular marketing masterclasses and live weekly mini-training and co-working with me. 

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