All me, baby!

The most important business relationship a company can have is between them and their clients. It turns out that authentic brands tend to have the upper hand in the market, in being a more favourable choice for clients.

90% of consumers value authenticity above all else. An authentic brand – one that’s genuine and realistic – carries with it associations of originality, credibility and honesty. How can your brand be more authentic? Read this article to find out!

Social proof

By showcasing positive reviews or comments from previous customers, people who were teetering between the decision of purchasing or not can be reassured that they’re making the right choice.

The human touch of other people’s real opinions adds a touch of authenticity to your brand, and using your customer’s words in marketing provides an additional boost of heartfelt honesty.

User-generated content is seen as the most authentic, according to consumers. It’s mostly a rising market, with social media accounts run by businesses still attempting to hitchhike off of trends and other content.

three women frolic in a park listening to music

Feedback

As much as you may place value in brand communication, your customer’s reviews and queries are also a good way to see what they think of your brand. If you respond to their problems in good time, with politeness, as well as providing answers for any questions they have, they will often have more reason to become repeat customers.

Involvement with an audience through social media allows regular communication. Even if you aren’t replying to every single message you get, the audience knows that there’s always the option to speak to you directly. Consider prioritising social posts in order to let your audience know you’re listening to them and their suggestions.

Storytelling

Emotive language is all well and good, but when you’re a brand, you can do more than just peppering in a few buzzwords. Telling your brand’s story pulls on the heartstrings, especially if you came from humble beginnings or are working towards a worthy cause. If people can relate to something and feel sympathy, they will associate their own emotions to the cause, and be more likely to act.

Also, your audience want to be invested in your company completely, and giving them background information may help them feel closer to your business. They might have grown up in the same city the business started in, align closely with your values or just be interested, so mention anything you’re comfortable with people knowing.

three women stand in front of a graffti-covered wall

Transparency and consistency

Open and honest communication provides anyone you’re speaking to with an image of your company as reliable and trustworthy. In email communication, customer-facing dialogue, social media posts or even error announcements, you should be displaying your brand as having high integrity.

Along with being transparent, it’s important to be consistent. If your brand isn’t easily traceable back to your business, you could lose out on customers. Having consistent branding allows for an audience to build up their relationship with, and own thoughts and feelings about, your image.

Now you know!

So, that’s about it. Just be yourself! Show your audience that you’re the right choice for them, and you should build up your rapport! You can do this by getting involved with social media, being transparent as a company and aiming to provide a good story!