How to build an authentic brand that truly connects

Creating an authentic brand is more important than ever before. Consumers are more aware of and more informed than ever before, which means they’re able to identify when a brand isn’t genuine, and are less likely to be taken in by those brands. This is where an authentic brand comes into play — authentic brands are ones that connect with their target audience on an emotional level, allowing them to feel as though they know the brand personally. It doesn’t matter if you have a small audience or a large audience, an authentic brand will always connect with everyone on some level because it has been created from genuine shared empathy, emotions, and experiences rather than a marketing strategy. In this article we will go through everything you need to know about building an authentic brand so that your business thrives on authenticity instead of just relying on marketing strategies and tactics alone.

‍

What is An authentic brand?

When you think about the term "authentic brand" you probably immediately think about a brand that is natural and real, one that people can connect with on an emotional level. However, there are some different ways to define an authentic brand. One is as follows: "An authentic brand is one that connects with its target audience on an emotional level, allowing them to feel as though they know the brand personally." Another way to define it might be something like "an authentic brand is one that has been created to truly understand and stand with its audience through shared stories and experiences." Whichever way you decide to define it the common thread is that these types of brands prioritize real customer brand relationships of transactional ones breed by most marketing strategies. Every company wants to build their own personal brands these days and the best ones have created something that people can resonate with on a deeper level. It doesn't matter if your business has one year under its belt or ten years — building an authentic brand will bring your business more sustainable success all the same.

‍

How to build an authentic brand?

Authenticity matters because people are no longer as easily fooled by common place marketing tactics. The rise of mindfulness and increaces self-awareness has enable consumers to understand better what they’re looking at, and to know the difference between brands that put on a facade to persuade or manipulate them and those that are real and aim to add true value to their lives. If you want your customers to feel as though they know you and your brand personally, then authenticity is your best tool. Authenticity is often hard to achieve with traditional marketing methods, but success can be achieved through social activation campaigns, for example, participating in pride month in a meaningful way, showing up where your customers are and creating a unique share experience. Another avenue is social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok. Brands must be authentic in order for their communication to resonate with people on a more profound level rather than just a surface level.

‍

How to build an authentic brand

To begin, the aim is to develop a foundation of honesty. At the heart of any brand is a core value or values that should guide every decision they make. Whether it’s honesty, quality, or innovation, all brands should have a deep-seated sense of what they stand for. You should make sure this is clear in your brand values and that your teams all know and align with them. By doing so you can rest assured that your brand will stand true to and stand by those values despite outside influences. If you want your business to thrive on authenticity, then it has to start at the beginning with responsibility, a responsibility to respect your audience, their attention, and give them the honest and most genuine version of your brand. The truth of who you are as a company and what you stand for will help build trust and transform an “us and them” mentality with customers into an “alliance” mentality where everyone is working together for the same goal without any differences. This means your marketing strategies can focus on how better engagement benefits the entire audience rather than only highlighting one specific demographic in order to maximize conversion rates.

‍

Create a genuine voice for your brand

As social creatures we place alot of value in what people say to us and even more so on how they say it, the same is true for brands. The voice and tone of a brand has to feel sincere in the minds of its audience. Achieving this can be done through establishing a unique perspective on the world and sticking to it, Apple and Nike are spectacular examples of this principle standing by their values of sustainability, inclusivity, and diversity throughout their marketing and business practices. The goal is to ensure that there are no doublespeak tactics or marketing jargon that contradicts your brand values or the promise your brand has made to its audience. Your brand will be viewed as genuine and authentic as long as it consistently maintains an honest and sincere perspective on who the brand is for, what the brand does, and how the brand does it. Create a brand that is able to express emotions in a way that people want to connect with, because authenticity will lead to lasting connections with your audience and ultimately brand loyalty. At the end of the day, an authentic brand is only successful if it resonates with its audience. Make sure you’re creating something meaningful for those who are meant to embrace it.

‍

Final words

Build a brand that is adored by authentically connecting with your audience. Keep in mind that authenticity is not something that can be manufactured, but rather it must be genuine and come from the heart of your business. The people of your company are a big part of what makes the brand authentic too, so ensuring that the entire team stands by the values because when they have a personal connection to the brand, it will make it more genuine and successful. The key takeaways:

‍

• Your audience is always watching and listening, so be mindful and move in truth.
• Authenticity comes from the heart of your business and not marketing strategies alone.
• Set and stand by your values, consistency is more important than ever before.

‍