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Be More Human: Weaving Your Personality & Values into Business YouTube
In the crowded digital landscape, simply showcasing your products or services on YouTube isn't enough. To truly connect with your audience and build a thriving business, you need to show the human behind the brand. For many entrepreneurs and small business owners, this can feel daunting. How do you balance professionalism with personal authenticity? How much of yourself should you really share? And how do you overcome the fear of being on camera and putting yourself out there?
The key isn't to become a caricature of an influencer, but to build thought leadership by authentically sharing your personality, values, and the real stories behind your business journey. This "anti-influencer" approach focuses on genuine connection, building trust, and fostering a loyal community that goes beyond transactions.
Why Authenticity Matters for Business Channels
Think of the businesses you admire most. Chances are, you connect with their mission, their story, or the people behind them, not just what they sell. On YouTube, this connection is amplified. As the team at Think Media Podcast highlights, being yourself is the easiest way to be unique in a crowded space. While expertise builds authority, personal connection builds the trust and loyalty that drives long-term customer relationships and conversions.
Sharing aspects of your personal narrative, core values, principles, and even life experiences creates a multi-dimensional brand. This allows viewers to connect with you as a person, not just a source of information or a vendor. It’s about becoming an "Attractive Character" that people want to follow and support.
For small business owners especially, your personal brand is often your business brand. Weaving your humanity into your content adds a relational piece that makes you more relatable. It shows you're a real person facing real challenges, just like your audience.
How Much Personality Should You Show on Your Business Channel?
This is a common question, and the answer isn't a one-size-fits-all. It depends on your comfort level, your audience, and your business type. However, the general principle is: more than you think, but strategically.
You don't need to share every intimate detail of your life. As discussed in YouTube strategy insights, it's about selecting moments and perspectives that reveal who you are beyond your professional role and add value to the audience relationship.
Start by identifying a few key aspects of your personality, values, or even quirky interests that you're comfortable sharing. What are three words that describe you? What life experiences have shaped your perspective? What are you truly passionate about, even outside of your business? Weaving these elements in naturally, rather than forcing them, helps people connect with your unique vibe.
For example, a business coach might share a personal story about overcoming a past failure to illustrate a lesson in resilience. A product creator might show behind-the-scenes glimpses of their creative process, revealing their passion and dedication.
The goal is to be relatable and genuine. Your personality, energy, and how you explain things are what truly differentiate you from others in your niche. It takes time and practice to become comfortable on camera – don't expect perfection from video one. Embrace your quirks; they make you human and memorable.
Sharing Company Values Without Preaching
Authentically communicating your business values is crucial for attracting customers who align with what you stand for. On YouTube, this isn't about corporate jargon or preachy statements; it's about demonstrating your values through your actions, stories, and the content you create.
Here’s how to weave values into your content:
- Tell Stories: Share the origin story of your business, highlighting the values that motivated you to start. Talk about challenges you've faced and how your values guided your decisions. Videos like "How I Built A $1M Business From This Starbucks" by Starter Story (758K views) or "I was arrested 6 times, then became a CEO" by Leila Hormozi (90K views) show the journey and underlying principles.
- Show, Don't Just Tell: If a core value is community, showcase your interactions with customers or highlight their successes. If it's sustainability, show your eco-friendly practices.
- Address Relevant Issues: If your values intersect with social or industry issues, address them thoughtfully and authentically from your perspective. This can build thought leadership and attract an audience that shares your concerns.
- Feature Your Team: If applicable, show the personalities and values of your team members. This further humanizes your brand.
- Behind-the-Scenes: Share glimpses into your daily operations and company culture. This allows viewers to see your values in action. @XXLscrunchie (374K subscribers) often shares behind-the-scenes vlogs about running her small business, providing relatable insights into the daily realities of entrepreneurship.
Speaking through your personal lens, sharing your own failures and successes, and relating to your audience's struggles because you've been there yourself are powerful ways to embed values and build trust.
Examples of Businesses Showing Personality on YouTube
While finding specific "small business" channels that heavily feature raw personality can be challenging through broad search alone, we can look at channels that successfully integrate a clear personal brand or share their journey to illustrate the concept.
Channels like @CEOEntrepreneur (138K subscribers) use the founder as the central figure, building a connection through his expertise and on-screen presence. Although the parsed data focuses on his professional appearance and clear communication style, the consistent use of the same person builds familiarity and allows personality to shine through over time.
Similarly, channels in niche business areas, like @BizBuddy (39.3K subscribers) focusing on LLC services, often feature the same host who, through consistent appearances, develops a recognizable persona and rapport with the audience. While the parsed data highlights professional visuals, the human element comes from the consistent presence and communication style of the individual presenter.
Looking at videos that perform well when searching for "business owner sharing story" provides more direct examples of personality and vulnerability. Videos like "Entrepreneur Thomas Skinner tells his story" (179K views) and "How I Started My Construction Company: My Full Story" by Jesse Lane (118K views) demonstrate the power of sharing personal journeys, including challenges and triumphs. These videos succeed because they tap into the relatable human experience of building something from the ground up. Even short, impactful story snippets like Alex Hormozi's "This Story Still Gives Me Goosebumps" (101K views) show how brief moments of vulnerability or reflection can resonate deeply.
These examples, from individuals to established channels, show that sharing your story, your challenges, and your authentic self is a powerful way to connect.
Overcoming the Fear of Being on Camera
Fear of public speaking and being on camera is a major hurdle for many business owners. It's okay to feel awkward or nervous at first. Remember, it takes time to get comfortable. YouTube strategy experts suggest it might take 30-40 videos before you truly start to relax and let your natural personality show.
Here are some tips to help you overcome camera shyness:
- Start Small: Begin with simpler video formats like screen recordings or voiceovers if you're not ready to be on camera.
- Practice: Record yourself often, even if you don't plan to publish. Watch the recordings to get used to seeing and hearing yourself.
- Focus on Your Message: Shift your focus from how you look or sound to the value you're providing your audience.
- Talk to One Person: Imagine you're talking to a single ideal customer or a friend. This can make it feel less like a performance for a large audience.
- Embrace Imperfection: Don't aim for perfect. Stumbling over words or having a bad hair day is relatable!
- Get Feedback (Selectively): Share early videos with trusted friends or mentors for constructive criticism.
Remember that showing up authentically, even with nerves, is more impactful than trying to be someone you're not. Your audience wants to connect with the real you.
Building Community and Driving Conversions
Infusing your channel with personality and values isn't just about feeling good; it's a powerful business strategy. When viewers connect with you on a human level, they are more likely to trust you, engage with your content, and become loyal customers. This builds stronger brand affinity and trust, directly leading to increased customer loyalty and conversions.
Authenticity fosters community. When you share your genuine thoughts and values, you attract an audience that shares those values. This creates a sense of belonging and encourages deeper engagement in the comments and beyond.
By building this foundation of trust and connection, your call-to-actions become more effective. Viewers who feel connected to you as a person are more likely to take the next step, whether that's subscribing, visiting your website, or making a purchase. They are buying into you and what you stand for, not just the product or service.
Tools & Resources
Building an authentic presence on YouTube requires understanding your audience and analyzing what resonates. Tools like Subscribr can support this process. You can use Subscribr's Research Assistant to gather information on your niche and audience, and its Channel Intelligence features to analyze performance metrics (like view counts and engagement rates) to see which types of content, including those where you share more of yourself or your story, are performing best. Subscribr's AI Script Writer can also help you structure your thoughts and stories into engaging video scripts, ensuring your personality shines through.
Conclusion
Humanizing your business YouTube channel by weaving in your authentic personality and core values is no longer optional – it's essential for building deep connections, fostering trust, and driving sustainable growth. While it may require stepping outside your comfort zone and confronting fears about being on camera, the rewards in terms of audience loyalty and business success are immense. Start by identifying the unique aspects of who you are and what you stand for, and then find authentic ways to share those with your audience. By being more human, you'll build a more connected and successful business.
