In an age when our digital experiences are shaped by the countless branded messages we are served, it is becoming more and more difficult for brands to connect with consumers in meaningful and authentic ways. Whether they see businesses as spammy, too corporate, or only out to make a buck, 42% of people do not trust brands. Brand authenticity builds trust with consumers, makes interactions between a company and its customers more human, and encourages more genuine conversations. Here are 5 things your business can do to make its brand more authentic.
1. Tell Your Story
Storytelling is an enormously powerful way to connect people and telling your brand’s story in a way that is honest and humble is a highly effective way to make your brand more authentic. People are not inspired by products as much as they are inspired by stories.
2. Don’t Just Take Feedback, Implement It
Whether it is coming from customers, employees, or other stakeholders, feedback can provide valuable insights into what your brand is doing right and ways you can do better. Listening to feedback is one thing but taking action and implementing the feedback you get proves to people that you actually value what they have to say. Showing consumers that your brand cares about their opinions is a great way to build trust and make your brand more authentic.
3. Be Faithful to the Brand
Remember why you are in business, where you came from, and what drove you to buy into your brand’s story. Whether it is codified in a mission statement or a mantra that you and your team strive to live by, stay faithful to the things your brand set out to be. Live by those values and ideas, let them influence the way you make business decisions, the way you design products, and the way you interact with consumers. Staying true to what your brand set out to achieve is so critical to a brand’s authenticity because if you are not faithful to your brand, how could anyone else be?
4. Commit to Quality
You cannot sell consumers on a product, experience, or idea and then deliver them something less. Hold yourself and your business accountable for delivering the quality your consumers expect. Delivering anything less than what customers expect will make people feel like your brand has not been genuine. On the other hand, consistently meeting and exceeding people’s expectations will foster a trust in your brand. Committing to quality is a must for brands to become more authentic.
5. Always Strive to Become More
There is something exciting about people and businesses who are consistent in their pursuit of greatness. Don’t let your business and your brand become stagnant, instead, try to find ways to make your business mean more to your, community, and the customers you serve. Make your brand more than just a vehicle for profit, be something that you and your team want to scale, build-up, and take all the way. By always striving to be more, to grow, and to be better, people will come to respect you and your brand’s hustle in a genuine and authentic way.
Brands that transcend the constant messages people are bombarded with and cut through all that noise must deliver their own messages in ways that are authentic. Telling your story is a powerful way to build authentic interest in your brand. Implementing feedback builds authentic brands as it shows customers that they are being listened to. Being faithful to your brand is a very authentic thing for a business to do as it shows consumers that brand is what it says it is. Committing to quality is critical for any authentic brand because it shows consumers that a brands cares about customer experience. Always striving to become something more shows people that a brand is ready to put in the work and do what it takes to become what it set out to become. By doing these five things, brands can create experiences and relationships with consumers that are more authentic and build trust.
Written by:
Eric Sheppard, Social Media Manager, We-ReL8