Brand authenticity has become increasingly important to customers globally. In fact, one survey found that 86% of consumers agreed that brand authenticity was an important factor to them when searching for brands to support.
Big companies are taking note of the consumer’s search for authenticity. And one doesn’t have to look far to find companies making big investments in the drive to connect with their audiences.
For example, Patagonia, an outerwear and adventuring company, has been donating one percent of its sales to non-profit environmental groups since 1985.
While investing in environmental protection is a good thing in and of itself, it also makes good business sense. This is probably why they proudly advertise their donations on the company website. Not only does it demonstrate the company’s values and actions and that those are aligned with the values of their customers, but it’s an investment in brand authenticity.
Luckily, committing to international philanthropy is not the only way to increase your company’s brand authenticity!
What is Brand Authenticity?
Brand authenticity has been viewed as extremely important to consumers. However, there is no universal method for improving it.
In a nutshell, brand authenticity is about making sure that your people and your company talk the talk and walk the walk.
Your customers also need to know about it. This is the customer’s subjective perception that there is an alignment between what your company says, what your company does, and the customers’ values.
Brand authenticity is becoming increasingly important for every sized company, and it is likely to become more relevant as time goes on.
Earlier, we mentioned that 86% of consumers said that brand authenticity was important to them. While only 80% of Baby Boomers found brand authenticity important, that number rose to 90% in Millenials.
It seems that younger generations are driving the trend, so it’s smart to consider growing your brand authenticity now, even if you are a small or young business.
The Four Dimensions of Brand Authenticity
Researchers have identified four dimensions of authenticity, including continuity, originality, reliability, and naturalness. The idea is that by focusing on each of these four dimensions, you can improve your brand authenticity.
Continuity and reliability are fundamental so customers can easily understand your brand values. If your messaging is inconsistent or contradictory, customers are unlikely to understand or trust your brand values.
This was evident in the aftermath of Volkswagen’s emission scandal. It was revealed that American-sold Volkswagen cars had a software device implemented into vehicles to modify the vehicle’s performance during testing.
To mitigate the fallout, the newly appointed chief executive Matthias Mueller said: “My most urgent task is to win back trust for the Volkswagen Group.”
Clearly, even giants like Volkswagen understand the importance of maintaining the perceived reliability of their brand. Mueller’s comment was made when the brand faced serious legal and financial penalties, yet consumer trust was still top of mind for the automotive giant.
Originality and naturalness are also important parts of creating authentic content, authentic branding, and brand consistency, which companies are attempting to cultivate as part of their marketing strategy.
Originality and naturalness in marketing show that customers are purchasing more than things—they are also investing in their own brand and self-image.
Social media influencers perform originality and naturalness really well, and it’s why influencers are booming. Consumers of “authentic” influencers are purchasing a sense of belonging to the influencer’s online image based on their recommendations.
The Importance of Brand Authenticity and Your Bottom Line
Each of the four dimensions is based on the customer’s subjective assessment of your company. This means that brand authenticity will become more important in driving sales.
Researchers have found that cultivating brand authenticity leads to an increase in brand trust. In turn, brands which have their consumer’s trust are more likely to be successful.
If customer’s trust your brand, you will have to spend less time convincing themselves to consider your product. You can spend more time on product development and identifying how your product can meet their needs.
When a company proves worthy proves itself worthy of this trust, customers will be less likely to doubt any of your claims of authenticity.
Finally, brand authenticity can also give your business an advantage when it comes to hiring. If you can confidently project the authenticity of your brand, people who share your company’s values will want to work with your organization. An investment in brand authenticity is also an investment in recruiting the most qualified employees.
Blogging to Boost Brand Authenticity
If you are a small to medium-sized business (SMB), blogging online is a cost-effective way to boost brand authenticity. It is also highly effective and affordable marketing with a long shelf life.
Regular blogging through a coordinated marketing campaign can help you present a consistent online image that represents your company values, increases word of mouth, and showcases your reliability.
Blogs can be released in a very controlled manner (via content calendars), so they are a very natural, grassroots way to disseminate information.
With blogs, you do not have to worry about third-party social influencers saying things that reflect poorly on your brand. And by selecting a professional blog writing company that hires professional editors, you know your content will be fact-checked, well-written, and well-researched. You can also review the content before releasing it to make sure it is consistent with your brand.
Moreover, you can plan a content marketing strategy that will develop your image through consecutive releases. This ability to release content over a long period with minimal risk of missteps or scandal is key to ensuring your brand’s messaging is consistent.
The Best Way to Blog for Authenticity
Blogs remain a very organic way to disseminate information. And there is a right way to do them.
Studies have shown that long-form content, including long-form blogs, performs better online than short-form content.
Articles that are 900 words or longer are shared more often, have more page views, and receive more backlinks than shorter articles. This means that potential clients will likely come across your blog content through organic search methods.
This factor is very important in ensuring your brand seems authentic and trustworthy since potential customers are more likely to trust user-generated content.
While the blog itself is not user-generated, the fact that friends share information has a huge impact on trust.
And, most importantly, you’ve learned a great deal about the industry in which you have grown your business. Take some of that knowledge and put it into a blog. You will soon be a trusted and reliable source of information! If you provide advice to potential customers, you can grow your brand’s reliability, and then that great advice will be associated with your company, also known as brand awareness.
Not a Writer? Not a Problem.
Blogs are a reliable way to increase your online presence in a consistent, low-risk, organic way, which builds the reliability of your brand. All of these factors have been shown to increase brand authenticity.
If you are looking to better your brand image, an investment in blog writing is the next investment your company should be making. Luckily, you don’t have to write the blog yourself.
okwrite offers various services from blog writing to content strategy planning which will help you increase your brand authenticity! If you’re not a content creator, don’t sweat it.
okwrite provides quality content creation and expert advice to optimize your content marketing strategy and increase your brand value.
