What Makes A Brand Authentic – 5 Ways To Make Your Brand More Authentic and Engaging
To attract the right audience for your business you must appear authentic. What makes a brand authentic? Read on to learn more.
Hi Trish Davies here and today I want to focus on what makes a brand authentic.
Every brand strives to stand out and make a lasting impression on their audience.
However it’s not easy to cut through the noise of today’s fragmented media landscape. How do you stay relevant, memorable, and connected with your target audience?
Any brand can launch a new product or marketing campaign. However it takes real authenticity and engagement to build a long-lasting brand that resonates with your audience.
In short: Your brand needs to connect with your audience in an authentic way that makes them feel something. Either positive or negative.
Whether we like it or not, people judge brands almost instantly by their logo, advertisements and products. Even their website design and social media presence.
If any of these things seem unauthentic or disconnected from your target market, it’s time for an intervention.
Read on for 5 ways to make your brand more authentic and engaging:
What Makes A Brand Authentic – Be Transparent & Have A Voice
Any successful business will tell you transparency is a key building block for lasting customer relationships. In fact, a recent study found that consumers expect brands to be more transparent than ever before.
Today’s customers are more likely to switch companies in light of data privacy issues and brand scandals than ever before.
What does this mean for your brand? Well, it’s time to let go of any media strategies or tactics that aren’t being authentic to your customer base.
Transparency comes in many forms:
It can be as simple as showing your employees in your marketing materials or posting about your company culture on social media.
Your customers want to know that you’re real people behind the scenes, not just an avatar on Instagram or a logo on a billboard.
Develop Your Own Culture
When the internet first came around, the brands and companies that were able to capitalize on it were the ones that understood their audience.
They provided a unique experience that involved a certain type of language, brand imagery, and personality.
Therefore – WHAT?
- Do you stand for?
- Culture do you want your company and content to reflect?
- Are your values?
- Is your mission?
- Kind of language will you use in your product descriptions?
- Will your customer service emails have a certain level of positivity?
Are you going to be transparent with your customers in the way you talk about your brand?
These are the kinds of questions you should be asking yourself.
Have A Point Of View
A brand’s point of view (or POV) is the perspective it uses to engage with its audience. It’s really important for your brand to have a distinct point of view.
However what does that mean?
The POV of your brand will identify the main topics you talk about, the type of audience you want to attract, and the language you use.
In other words, your POV tells your customers who you are and what you stand for. Then they’ll make their judgements based on that information alone.
Once you know what your brand’s POV is, it’s time to put it into action. You can do this by producing content that illustrates your POV.
Everything you create – from visuals to website copy, to social posts and videos – should reinforce your brand’s POV.
Commit To Quality Content
The way we consume content is changing. If you want your brand to stand out, you need to commit to publishing high-quality content.
Not sure where to start? No worries.
The first thing is to determine who your audience is and what you want to achieve with your brand. From there, you can start brainstorming topics and themes that resonate with your customer base.
Once you’ve identified what types of content you’re going to produce, it’s time to put a strategy in place. You need to know when, where, and how you’re going to publish this content.
Once you have a content strategy in place, you can start to focus on the quality of your content.
It’s important to remember that the quality doesn’t just come from the topics you choose. It also comes from how you present that content.
Give Your Audience Ownership
The best way to make your audience feel like they’re a part of your brand is to let them take ownership of it.
Letting your audience take ownership means giving them a voice and letting them know that you’re here to serve them. Also to make their lives better in some way.
You can do this by asking for their feedback and ideas when it comes to products, marketing, and content.
You can also get involved in any conversations that are happening around your brand and reach out to your customers.
Also, don’t forget to post on social media! One great way to get involved with your customers is by hosting an event or contest around your brand.
This will help you engage with your audience while promoting your products and bringing more attention to your brand.
You’ll also be able to collect their information and generate leads while you’re at it.
What Makes A Brand Authentic – Bottom Line
Your brand’s goal is to make an impact on your audience.
You want your customers to remember who you are, what you stand for, and why they should choose your brand over others.
You can accomplish this by building a more authentic, engaging brand that resonates with your target audience.
Now, it’s up to you to make it happen. The good news is that now that you know what it takes to build a more authentic brand, you have the power to make it happen.
For more information on what makes a brand authentic check out my free training program called Build Your AU.
Register for the program here.
Helping you build your authenticity, authority and audience.
Trish Davies
Build Your AU
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