If you can be authentic in everything you do and say, then your customers will do your marketing for you through word-of-mouth, social media, email, or any other marketing avenues. It builds stronger connections. In a time where it’s becoming more difficult to gain customer’s trust, we take a look into how building a more authentic brand can have a positive impact on your customer relationships and the steps to achieve this goal.
“The crucial ingredient in the success of any brand is it’s claim to authenticity.” – Al Ries
Adding social proof
Social proofing your brand is one of the best ways to add trust within it. Social proof provides evidence to other customers that your brand delivers on it’s promises. Even before lockdown, scouting the reviews, social media channels were a popular method in deciding whether a customer would choose your brand over another. We’ve seen this sky rocket during and after the pandemic as customers demand that business’ are operating within guidelines and with prices going up in some industries, they’re expecting higher standards. Anywhere you have space to vouch for yourself such as websites, landing pages and social media posts, make sure you’re using them to your advantage!
Use real images
Customers want to feel connected to brands and by posting stock images, they aren’t able to feel close to what they’re potentially buying. Sharing photos of your products, team members, and customers on social pages will help create closer relationships with customers. If you’re seeing customers smile on photos for example, it’s a great indication whether the product or service is worth it (It’s unlikely they’ll give permission to take a picture if they’re not satisfied). If you have room in your budget, it’s wise to hire a professional photographer to take pictures, which will allow your products to have a more authentic feel.
Take feedback constructively / be transparent
Pay attention to what your customers say about your product/service and address concerns where you can. When marketing your brand it’s easy to get lost in talking about yourself, but allow some time to take into account what your customers are saying about it. Audience research methods such as social listening, surveys and reviews will build up trust within your brand and will allow you to grow. If you want to build a truly authentic brand, you need to practice what you preach and stay transparent with your customers. Openness is key in any healthy relationship, including the one between you and your customers. So when you next make a mistake, be open to solving the problems constructively.
