Brand Authenticity: What Does It Really Mean for a Business

In an era where misinformation circulates easily, brand authenticity plays an important role in fostering loyalty and establishing deeper connections with customers. Read more about it below.

In this new age of business, the rapid development of technology and social media affected how customers perceive a brand. Customers are more actively seeking information about a brand’s background, identity, and reputation, and what they find will influence their shopping behavior. 

This phenomenon marks the importance of strong brand authenticity. Business needs to align brand experiences with consumer values to earn consumer’s trust and loyalty. Read on to find more about brand authenticity and tips for building brand authenticity to connect more deeply with customers.

What is Brand Authenticity

Brand authenticity is a brand’s ability to stay authentic in terms of core values, purpose, and identity. This also involves being genuine, transparent, and consistent in aligning the brand’s message with what it truly stands for in its operations and interactions with customers. 

Nowadays modern customers are skeptical customers—aside from the goods’ quality, they are also actively looking into a brand’s reputation. They want their money to go to the brand that designs with purpose and honesty. Customers now will not hesitate to look for other alternatives when they find a brand inauthentic.

A brand with excellent brand authenticity means that its values and branding are in resonance with their consumers. In its operation, the brand is genuine and straight-forward.

This purchasing behavior of generations today makes strong brand authenticity a crucial aspect of a brand’s marketing strategy. In fact, Zendesk cited a Gartner research stating that 83% percent of consumers say they won’t do business with brands they don’t trust. This way, failing to catch the customer’s trust will impact the whole business operation.

Why Brand Authenticity is Important

With how information is easily made up with AI, customers' skepticism is not without a reason. Brand authenticity makes sure your brand is veritable and worth their loyalty.

Aside from winning customers’ trust, here are some reasons why being an authentic brand is important in this day and age.

Makes a Brand Appear More Human

By establishing brand personality and values, it will be easier for your customers to relate to your brand. Incorporating a fun and engaging tone builds a closer emotional connection between a brand and customers, because they can see the genuinity in your marketing campaigns. Your customers will feel like they interact with a real person, not just a robot.

Makes a Brand Stands Out

Related to the previous point, having a distinct personality will differentiate your brand from the crowd. Nowadays, a unique logo and a quirky combination of colors will mean nothing if the brand has a weak presence. On the other hand, brands with a clear sense of purpose and value will easily worm themselves into the customers’ hearts.

Easier to Navigating Crises

According to Bernstein Crisis Management, essentially brand crisis management is about crafting and executing a strategy that aligns with a brand’s core values. If your brand already has a solid foundation, it won’t be hard to manage damage control and immediately mitigate the risks.

How to Build Brand Authenticity

In this hyper-connected virtual world, consumer trust doesn’t come easily. Observed from modern consumer’s behavior, brand authenticity is not a temporary marketing trend that will get away soon. It’s important for brands, both old and new companies, to establish a credible and reliable brand image.

Gathered from several sources, here are some tips to build a trustworthy brand authenticity.

Define Your Brand’s Purpose

Deciding on the core purpose of your brand—and your whole business—is essential for long-term success, Spellbrand stated. Understand why you started the brand in the first place and use it as a base to build a strong brand identity. Whether you aim to inspire or empower your customers, make sure it’s able to resonate with them.

Maintain Consistency

Once you find the identity and values of your brand, try to consistently convey the message in every marketing approach you do. Create guidelines that align with your brand’s vision and make sure every platform follows this rule closely. Ensure those messages are incorporated in your brand’s interactions with customers.

Don’t be Afraid to Get Political

Nowadays it’s impossible to avoid things like social issues, politics, and other cultural topics. As a brand, taking your stance on a certain issue means being authentic about your values, Content Marketing Institute stated. You don’t have to acknowledge every issue; choose ones that intersect with your brand’s mission statement.

Engage with Customers

The last tip is to keep in touch with your customers. Customers love a brand that develops a two-way conversation with them. It doesn’t only mean giving them informative content, but also responding to their questions and concerns. Be active in social media, leave a trace in customers’ reviews. This way, your audiences will feel valued.

Final Thoughts

At its core, brand authenticity is about discovering your brand’s own identity and how you implement those values in your brand operation. An authentic brand shares its challenges and accomplishments with its audiences, creating a closer connection than just a business relationship.

Next Read: Branding vs. Marketing: Exploring the Key Differences and Importance