Brand Authenticity: What It Is and How to Perfect It
Brand authenticity is key to getting new customers through the door and having a more engaged audience on social media! Here’s how to perfect yours.
Posted 1 year ago
Written by
Mackenzie TaylorPosted 1 year ago
One of the biggest questions we get asked at Flick is: “How do I grow my accounts on social media?” And outside of having really great content and being consistent on your platforms, our biggest suggestion is brand authenticity. Because if your followers don’t believe in you or your brand, why in the world are they going to hit the “follow” button and stick around?
Spoiler alert: they won’t.
When it comes to growing your social media online in a meaningful and organic way, brand authenticity is much needed. In today’s blog, we’re going to break down everything you need to know about brand authenticity—what it is, how to build one, and why it’s so dang important for your social media strategy.
What is brand authenticity?
Well, the biggest and one of the most important questions to answer. Brand authenticity is when your followers, consumers, clients, and more actually believe in your product and service and keep coming back for more.
When your brand is authentic, your consumer believes in your brand and your brand values which is key to owning a business right now.
If you’re chronically online like most of us are, you’ll know that brands have to put their best face forward on social at all times. But you have got to be genuine because if you’re not, the social media trolls will sniff you out.
Honesty, integrity, and authenticity are essential to being a brand online at the moment, so don’t be fake. Embrace true transparency and authenticity and you’ll build a great base of followers.
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How do you know if your brand is authentic?
If you’re unsure if your brand screams “authenticity,” you might not be as authentic as you should be. But don’t fear! There are a few things you can ask yourself to make sure that your brand is authentic:
- The values that your brand states online—do you follow through on them? Do you change your mission statement a lot to whatever is convenient to you, or do you stick with one thing so your audience isn’t confused about who you are?
- Do you deliver on the things you promise your clients and audience? Do your products actually look like what you’re selling? Do you follow through on your terms and conditions?
- Are you serving your clients to the best of your ability or do you just not care? How are you best serving your client base?
Why is brand authenticity important?
If you don’t trust someone, would you ever want to buy anything they are selling? We’re going to go with a big fat “no.” The reason brand authenticity is so important is because when you establish trust and rapport with your audience, the more likely they are going to come back to you again and again, and even recommend you to others.
Trust is absolutely crucial when it comes to establishing your brand and building a relationship with your audience and clients. There are a number of factors why brand authenticity is important but the top ones to think about are:
- It helps you build stronger and more lasting connections with your audience. Have you ever read something online and instantly known that the person wasn’t being entirely truthful? Yeah, people think the same thing about brands that don’t seem authentic online. Build better connections and a stronger audience by being authentic in everything you write. Don’t try to be something you’re not. Stay true to yourself and your brand.
- It helps you stand out among the competition. Build up brand loyalty with your clients and we guarantee that you will stand out among the crowd.
- This goes along with #2, but when you are authentic throughout every part of your marketing, it’ll elevate you above everyone around you. Showcase your authenticity in your marketing ads, on social media, everywhere and your customers will see that, pay attention, and help you market your brand by talking about it with friends or posting about it online.
đź’ˇ Flick Tip: Need help in figuring out what content works best for your audience? Start a free trial with Flick to get a full rundown of your analytics and how your content stacks up against your competition.
How to build brand authenticity
Now that you understand why it’s so important to have brand authenticity, how in the heck do you build it?
Understand who your audience is
Just like with anything, you need to understand who you’re talking to! If you know your audience loves oranges and hates apples, you’re not going to go on and on about how you love apples. It doesn’t resonate with them!
Do an audit of your social media. Go through your data and understand your demographics. What is the average age of your audience? Where are they based? What kind of content is working best for them? Which one is working least?
Start a report where you keep all of this information so you can start thinking about a plan on how you can present your brand that resonates in a way your audience will love and appreciate.
đź’ˇ Flick Tip: Download our free audit guide to help you break down what is working with your content and what you need more help on.
Start working on a social strategy
Now that you have a basic understanding of what your audience likes from their brands, start thinking of how you can build a strategy from that. Ask yourself these questions:
- What are your brand’s values?
- What makes your brand different than others?
- Why should someone follow you and your brand?
- Is there anything from your brand you could be sharing online that you’re not?
Think of different ways that your brand can start a real connection with your audience—like your brand values, interests, thoughts, feelings, etc. How can you make those things into the content?
Some ideas of content ideas for brand authenticity are:
- Share behind-the-scenes glimpses of your brand’s operations, manufacturing process, or office culture.
- Introduce your team and share their stories, highlighting their experience, expertise, and passion for the industry.
- Feature real customer testimonials, reviews, or case studies that demonstrate the benefits and quality of your products or services.
- Provide educational content, such as how-to guides, tutorials, or industry insights that showcase your knowledge and expertise.
- Participate in social or environmental initiatives, and share how your brand is making a positive impact in the community.
- Show off your certifications, awards, or recognition from reputable organizations or industry leaders.
- Offer transparent policies, such as clear pricing, return, and refund policies, or ethical sourcing practices.
- Host Q&A sessions or live events where your audience can ask questions and learn more about your brand and values.
- Collaborate with other reputable brands or influencers in your industry to showcase your shared values and build credibility.
- Share your brand story, mission, and values to show what drives your brand and how you stand out in the market.
Evaluate how well your content is performing
If you actually focus on brand authenticity in the right way, the higher chance there will be of your brand having more conversations around it and better engagement.
If you’re a social media manager, you’ll start to notice and feel more connected with your audience. Whether it’s from chatting to your audience in your DMs or comment section, you’ll notice an increased rate of engagement once you start truly focusing on being transparent and authentic online.
Ready to take your social media up another level? We highly recommend working on your brand voice to go alongside your brand authenticity. Learn more about why brand voice is so important and how to make yours work for you by clicking here.
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