The phrase ‘brand authenticity’ gets thrown around a lot in the marketing industry and you often hear marketing experts talking about how essential it is. So, what is brand authenticity, why is it important and how can your brand be authentic?

Well firstly, brand authenticity refers to if consumers perceive a brand as honest or not. To be deemed as an authentic brand, consumers need to feel you are reliable and trustworthy. A brand is authentic when it decides to be transparent and consistent in its messaging and branding initiatives. It has business values it remains true to, and therefore, it is honest. When your brand is genuine, it will resonated and help create a good relationship between you and consumers.

Brand authenticity is important because:

1. Staying above the noise
   Consumers are being bombarded with new products and services all the time that the market has become so oversaturated. If your brand can be authentic and put out genuine messages, this will help you stand out to customers and stand out from your competitors.
2. Brand Loyalty
   If you can stand out to consumers, they will feel a stronger connection to you brand, and therefore would be more likely to purchase from you. This helps to boost your brand emotional marketing efforts. Additionally, customers will do your marketing for you through word-of-mouth, social media, etc.
3. Attracting Customers
   Studies have shown that brands with high levels of authenticity are able to attract more consumers, particularly Gen Zs and millennials. This is because studies show that those in these age groups have an increase in positive feelings about a brand if they have an association with a social cause. Therefore, they want companies to support issues they care about.

How to be authentic:

1. Have Brand Values
   Before you can be authentic, you need to decide, as a brand, the values you want to stand for and the identity of your brand. As we stated earlier, brand authenticity is essentially being honest and transparent with consumers. If your brand values are weak or fake, consumers can see through this and will not trust your brand. As a result, it is important to have a clear idea of what these values are. Brand values can also include brand social values, for example a commitment to sustainability.
2. Be Consistent
   Consistency is KEY! Brand consistency is when you convey messages that are in sync with the identity and values of your brand. These messages can be conveyed via social media platforms, client interaction, PR messages, in person meetings, etc. Therefore you should ensure that your brand message aligns with the brand identity and values you have set out, and is consistent throughout all channels. Inconsistent messaging can lead to mistrust.
3. Be Real
   Finally, it is important that the messages you put out matter to the business. Consumers can see when you’re being fake so it’s imports nt that you really believe in the content you put out. It is also important to be real in the sense that the consumers know who is behind the company. Consumers like to know that there are real people and voices behind the messages, which also helps make the brand more relatable. In recent years we have seen an increase in companies using TikTok to showcase the personalities behind the brand. This can also help create a two-way dialogue with clients, to show you care about their feedback too.

To conclude, brand authenticity is about building an identity for your business. The messages you put out should be true to what the brand stands for. If you can boost your brand authenticity, this will in turn attract customers.

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