In an era of infinite information, how do you make your brand stand out online? Audiences today are met with a seemingly endless stream of advertising, news, and media. With so much content to sift through, it’s easy for misinformation to end up in the mix. So, how do you find an effective way to counteract this and effectively market your business? You focus on a key aspect of your brand, authenticity.

To market your business in a way that feels authentic, you need to define a strong identity for your brand, maintain consistent messaging and, of course, be honest. By demonstrating a commitment to authenticity, you’ll develop a strong relationship with your audience based on integrity and gain their trust and support.

3 great ways to embrace authenticity in your marketing strategy

Define your identity

Before settling on your marketing strategy, you should first define your brand’s identity. Ask yourself the important questions. What is your brand’s mission? What do you offer? And, most importantly, who is your brand for? When defining your brand’s identity, your audience should be the centre of your focus. Consider the ways your product or service can help your customer or bring them joy. Empathise with your audience’s desires and needs and allow this to inform your brand’s personality and POV. Audiences will favour brands they feel authentically understand them.

You should also think about how your business’s values align with those of your audience. Audiences today, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, favour brands they feel align with their ethics and support causes they care about. A 2020 global survey, commissioned by WP Engine, found that “72% of Gen Z is more likely to buy from a company that contributes to social causes.” Customers today don’t just want to buy a great product or service, they also want to support a business they feel contributes positively to society.

When audiences see that a brand upholds their shared values, they’re far more likely to trust them and view them as authentic. So, when outlining your brand’s identity, consider whether it will be reflective of your audience and what matters most to them.

Be consistent

Once you have a clear brand identity, make sure to present it consistently through your marketing. Consistency is crucial to building authenticity within your brand and strengthening your relationship with your audience. Inconsistent or off-brand messaging can cause confusion or suspicion, which in turn can make your business seem unreliable and untrustworthy.

Before creating content for your social platforms, establish branding guidelines to guarantee that it’s always consistent. This will ensure that everything, whether it be the font of your logo, the style of your visuals or the tone of your copy, clearly expresses your brand’s identity in a united way. This will increase your brand’s recognisability, which will enhance your image of authenticity. A survey from Onbuy.com showed that 71% of customers thought it was important that they recognised a brand before making their purchase. When audiences receive consistent messaging, they’ll more easily remember your business and feel confident that they’ll have the same, positive experience with it each time.

Your interactions with your audience online should also be consistent. Whether you’re replying to a comment publicly on Facebook or a DM privately on Instagram, the same tone of voice and rate of response should be maintained. This will further assure your audience that your brand is dependable and your goal to provide them with a positive experience is authentic.

Be honest

While it’s essential that your brand’s messaging is consistent, it’s equally important that it is honest. Audiences today are more socially aware and well-researched than ever before, and they can quickly discover which brands are authentic and which are not.

Aim to be as transparent as possible with your audience about your business. A 2018 study by Accenture Strategy found that, “beyond price and quality,” 66% of customers found transparency to be an attractive quality in a brand. This included the business being open about “where it sources its materials” and how “it treats its employees.” When marketing your brand, be as informative as possible about what it is you aim to provide and how you plan to do so. Clearly explain how and where your products are made or how your service is delivered. You should also be honest about your business’s charitable and social causes and openly explain how you are making meaningful contributions to them.

Audiences that suspect a discrepancy between a brand’s purported values and their actual actions will quickly deem them as inauthentic and look for other brands that reflect their values. When you are open and honest in your marketing and demonstrate a commitment to your business’s principles, you secure your audience’s trust.

These are just a few great ways to market your brand in an authentic way. By implementing these tips, you can create marketing strategies that are audience-focused, consistent, and honest. In doing so, you’ll be sure to enhance your brand’s image and boost your audience engagement.

Want more guidance on how to market your business with authenticity? Feel free to shoot us a message. We’re always here to help.