Introduction:
We are living in the age of social media. Everything is online. Brands have to work particularly hard because one negative comment or a review can affect their goodwill. In short, they have to deliver what they promise. Here is where brand authenticity marketing comes into the picture.
Brands have to fulfill the claims they promise. With social media, the relationship between an brand and a customer has become transparent. Everyone with a smartphone and an internet have the freedom to share their thoughts and opinions online. This means that companies should always be on their toes. The only ones who will survive are the ones who are authentic. Basically, every brand should focus on transparency and honesty when it comes to dealing with customers.
In this article, we will explore brand authenticity in detail and look at how brands can convey authenticity through marketing.
Importance of brand authenticity:
Over the years, consumer behavior has changed drastically. The audiences hold companies to a higher standard. Consumers want to be invested in a brand. It is a fact that companies rely on the loyalty of its audience to stay relevant in the market.
Did you know that 91% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase from an authentic brand?
How to increase authenticity?
1. Relationship building:
This aspect takes time. It is a long-term process. Everytime a brand interacts with a customers is an opportunity to build a lifelong relationship. In general, consumers value trust. One way to do that is by giving the customer what they want and listening to their needs. Understanding your audience is a great way to start! Lastly, a brand should be appreciative of its customers. It can be as simple as sending out personalized communications.
2. Values:
Your brand should have a fixed set of values and it should continuously perform according to such values. What your business stands for is hugely important in today’s world. Some questions to ask while determining values are: “why does my business exist?”, “what do I want to do with my business?”, and so on. As soon as you are clean on the purpose of your existence and values, you can start marketing the same and make the audience aware.
3. Consistency:
The values you decide on should be used consistently across all platforms, online, and offline. This ensures that customers think that your brand is unique, dependable, and trustworthy. However, not enough brands focus on this. The kind of message you send out to your customers should be evaluated carefully and applied all over. Making your customers comfortable and sharing your values with them goes a long way.
4. Engagement and conversation:
This is yet another important part. Audiences appreciate brands that communicate with them. An easy way to do this is to be active on social media. Engaging with your customers on social media makes them feel valued and heard. Two-way conversations give your brand a touch of humanity.
If you are wondering how to communicate with your customers, here are some ways:
- Sharing news, trends, and other information through newsletters and blogs.
- Answering questions asked by customers on social media.
- Asking questions and seeking the audience’s opinions on some matters.
Another way to do this is by having an FAQ page on your website. However, you have to ensure that this does not sound rehearsed or mechanical. Answer genuine questions that your customers have asked you. You can even allow your visitors to ask you questions – which you can then publicly post on your website.
5. Honesty, transparency, and integrity:
Being honest is super important if you want customers to consider your brand as authentic. If you end up making an error, accepting it and resolving it is the way to go. By doing this, you can connect with your customers on deeper level. Show your customers the process of your work, how things go around, and so on. When your audience knows what you are doing, it build trust and forges relationships.
Wrapping up:
It can be safely said that the way business works is changing every day and it is high time brands incorporate such changes. The new generation demand authenticity from businesses. Social media works great as a starting point for building relationships with your customers. No matter what you decide to do, authenticity marketing is here to stay. It is not an option anymore – it is a necessity. Remain true to your audience and they will in return be loyal to you.
We hope this article has been helpful to you. Thank you for reading and all the best with your brand!
