Gone are the days of driving by billboards or paying twenty-five cents to pick up the local newspaper to see what’s new. Especially when you’re doing the 9-5 rat race in the deep depths of the concrete jungle, everything just seems the same. All of the seven-dollar lattes start to taste the same and it all just blends together. You have your routine and set schedule; If you want to find something new, you simply Google it. There’s nothing wrong with that, as literally every person is guilty of it, but what happened to the days of genuine connection and authenticity? It’s not gone by any means, but it is a dying art form, to say the least, and consumers have started to notice.
In this article, we’re going to go over why authenticity is important in marketing and how to do it.
Why Is Authenticity Important?
Fosters Genuine Connection
Of course, convenience can be king some days, and the corporate giants on the corner can get your money simply by saving you time, but have you ever had a barista remember your order or even your name? It makes your whole day. Forget the coffee. At that point, they have already given you the boost you need. Let me tell you, people will go out of their way to get that feeling. They will drive the extra ten minutes or pay the extra couple of dollars, all for that interaction. Now, I know all businesses don’t have a barista or even a storefront in this digital age, so what’s the equivalent? To start, call people by their actual name and respond to comments. Nearly 90% of people value authenticity and can see right through it if it's just a sham. It’s hard to remember working behind a screen most days, but every time you hit send, another person, just like you, receives it.
SEO Improvements
Believe it or not, authenticity can actually boost your SEO. Why does this matter, you may ask? Well, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is all about improving your visibility on common digital search engines such as Google, Safari, Microsoft EDGE, Yahoo, etc. This is all based on the products you sell, services you provide, or any other fields of expertise your business resides in. You want to be within the top couple of websites or at least on the first page. This should be a top priority as less than 1% of people actually click on the second page of Google when searching for a product.
Increased Brand Reliability
Need a car that doesn’t break down? Drive a Toyota. Need to return a purchase from over a year ago? Costcos got you covered. Being reliable and sticking to your policies is the cornerstone of building authenticity within your industry. Becoming a reliable brand doesn’t happen overnight, it takes months, even years of consistency and living up to the expectations you set.
Boosting Awareness
We all know when you apply the foundations of authenticity to any business, you will tend to have repeat customers. Those repeat customers tend to produce the holy grail of marketing, UGC, also known as user-generated content. UGC seems to do it all: Boosts awareness, drives engagement, and builds credibility, all of which are needed when making your brand more authentic. The reason for this is that UGC doesn’t come from the brand but rather from the users themselves. Consumers seeing their peers having a blast with your product will indefinitely create a sense of FOMO.
More Authenticity, More Money
What’s a business called that doesn’t make money? A hobby, a really expensive one. While everybody knows you have to make a living, coming across as an approachable brand not only increases the chance of a first-time purchase but also increases the chance of repeat customers. Repeat customers can be hard to get, but as soon as you have them, the chances of them making a third or fourth purchase only go up. Leading them to share their experiences through online platforms or even non-digital ways such as word of mouth.
How To Be Authentic
Transparency
Nobody is perfect. The same motto should apply to your brand as well. When you screw up, own up to it. Be willing to accept your shortcomings and show your audience you want to change. Your customers will value your honesty even when it highlights potential errors and mistakes you’ve made. Not only does this apply to shortcomings, but the overall mission statement your brand follows.
Example: Airbnb
The popular short-term rental platform Airbnb was put on blast after some news about racial profiling came to light. If you are interested in the specifics of what actually happened, you can search elsewhere; here, we’re focusing on what the brand did and how they handled it. They didn’t try to hide the facts but rather took it head-on and addressed the problem very publicly. It began with the CEO and co-founder of the company, Brian Chesky, sending out an email explaining everything in detail. Airbnb did not take this lightly and implemented several solutions to eliminate this problem. Then, finally putting the matter to rest with an ad that aired during the 2017 NFL Super Bowl. The main takeaway from this is that the brand faced the problem head-on, dealt with it openly, and didn’t try to sweep anything under the rug.
Tell A Story
Telling a story or having a narrative is a great way to let your target audience know who you are. A quick background story can give them the why and who behind the brand. It shows your morals and what they can expect from you in the future if they decide to become a customer.
Example: Burt’s Bees
Believe it or not, Burt’s Bees started completely by chance. In the 1980s, Burt Shavitz pulled over on the side of the road to pick up a hitchhiker, who turned out to be fellow co-founder Roxanne Quimby. The two immediately hit it off. Burt, a beekeeper at the time, spent his time selling honey, while Roxanne, a local artist, discovered a book with recipes to turn his beeswax into lip balm and candles. What a pair! Even with their huge following and success, the main mission of their original story has never changed.
“What you put on your body should be made from the best nature has to offer.”
That's just one. They have a variety of other slogans that push the same goal. The brand is now 40 years strong and has donated over eighty-seven thousand acres of Maine wildlands to the National Parks Service.
Utilizing UGC
With roughly 70% of any target audience looking for UGC before making their final decision, it’s crucial you utilize it in as many ways as you can. Whether it’s a photo, video, blog, or written testimonial, it will always be more authentic in the eyes of the people than branded content. Even most industry professionals trust peers within their industry over statistics and journalists. This means everyone, from the CEO to the consumers themselves, seek out UGC.
Example: Sephora
Now, you may recognize this example from our previous blogs, but that should speak to how well they’re killing it when it comes to UGC. Rolling out branded content when the new products drop, then completely relying on UGC afterwards, is a power move. They show anyone and everyone all over their socials using their products, but they don’t stop there. Sephora's Insider Beauty Community is what you call a grand slam. Bringing everyone together and showcasing real results from real people. It doesn’t get more authentic than that.
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