We’ve all seen bad marketing. It happens before our eyes every day, whether it’s a commercial, a magazine ad, or a banner on a bus. But slimy marketing—that’s something that is wholly preventable, and it’s something your company should strive to avoid at all costs. This includes:
- Persuading or Manipulating Customer-base
- Failed or Fudged Promises
- False Urgency and False Facts
These tactics may make you some dollars here and there, but the more you employ them, the fewer customers you’ll have in the long run.
What Is Authentic Marketing?
Consumers today are savvy, and they’re up to your games. With the break-neck speed of our marketplace, bad news travels fast, and it can have a detrimental effect on your business.
That’s why so many companies are pulling up the shades and giving consumers a peak into their operations and practices. Why? Because authenticity is the new cool in the marketing world—and you’d be wise to hop on board before it’s too late. What are some ways authenticity can improve your company?
- Makes your business relatable to customers and prospects
- Lets consumers know what you offer is top notch quality
- Builds your brand and image through trust and influence
It may seem unnatural, or go against everything you’ve learned before (shucks), but your prospective customers will appreciate the new you. That’s because if you’re an authentic company, you don’t just talk the talk—you walk it too, and back it up whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Pick a handful of companies you’re familiar with and look up their mission statements. Read them aloud, and ask yourself: does this company or brand follow through with what they say? Unfortunately, an alarming amount of companies can’t or don't. I’m sure they believe what they say, but there customers are another story.
It’s important too, because authenticity leads to more likes, fans, and followers who are jiving with what you’re putting out in the world. In fact, many times these fans become walking advertisements for your brand. If they love it so much, they’ll attract more attention to your brand. After all, everyone’s going to Google you to see what you’re all about!
There are plenty of opportunities to outlet your authentic voice, including:
- Emails
- Blog Posts
- Website Content
- Landing Pages
- Social Media
- Interviews
- Conversations
- Commercials
How Can You Make Authentic Marketing Work?
Make It Relatable:
This becomes difficult if you’re forcing it, but being relatable with your audience can have wonderful effects on your sales. But before you get all gung-ho about it, the best course of action is to bring it back to the beginning.
Ask yourself who you are, who you want to be, and how you want to get there. Too many companies focus their efforts on looking authentic when all they have to do is be authentic.
Like I said before, you can’t just put all this effort into an awesome mission statement if you fail to follow through on it! That’s effectively the opposite of authenticity. Follow the inbound marketing methodology to ensure you’re not just giving customers what they need, but delighting them with your services in general.
Make It High Quality:
Being relatable is fine and dandy, but you can’t be authentic if you’re pumping out bullshit—as in, low quality, zero value fluff that isn’t helpful to anyone but your ego. Give the people what they want… and what they want is high quality content that proves you aren’t just phoning it in.
Your reputation is a major differentiator for your brand when consumers are comparing products and services between different companies. That means your track record of quality content production is more important than ever before.
Think about your own experiences online. I’m sure you’re able to discern a quality company from a cruddy one pretty quickly, based on their content alone. So give consumer searching for an authentic company a real reason to stop by that doesn’t involve marketing slime—i.e. loud noises and click bait (looking at you Buzzfeed).
Build Trust & Influence:
Transforming your marketing strategy by making your brand more relatable—while providing customers with quality content and services—are major factors to making your business more authentic. And the reason you want your business to be authentic comes down to two words: trust and influence.
When a consumer trusts your brand, they’re not only more likely to continue to use your services, they’re also more likely to tell others about their experience with you. And having your customers advertise your services is a powerful tool. In fact, 84% of consumers say they trust recommendations from family and friends more than any other source. Word of mouth is still a powerful incentive to ensure you’re engaging with customers in an honest way.
Consumers who are trusting are also more likely to reach out to you with questions about the industry and related products. This gives companies influence over their customer base, which can be used to both further your reach and engagement levels. Just ask Starbucks and Apple.