It’s no secret that consumers are drawn to authenticity. Genuine brands stand out. This gives their audience a reason to connect with them. Brand Authenticity will elevate your business above competitors, who are just using traditional marketing methods.   It will also show your audience that you are reliable and trustworthy. Unfortunately, entrepreneurs don’t know how to brand authentically. Below are some tips to help:

1. Include photos of yourself– Your audience wants to see who they are connecting with.   Having a professional photo on your social media profiles and about us page, will give your brand a personal affect. This will give your audience a reason to want to connect with you. If you’re working with a team, then include photos of your team members.
2. Get personal on your About Us page– When writing your About Us page on your website, don’t just include credentials. Yes, it’s wise to let them know why they should trust you. However, they also want to know about you, on a personal level. Tell them your story. Let them know why you’ve decided to start a business.
3. Be Real on Social Media– Have a real conversation with them. It amazes me how many entrepreneurs only sell or talk business on their social media pages. Social Media allows you to have real conversations with your audience. Take advantage of that. Talk to your audience. Let them know you as a person. Talk about your hobbies, faith, and favorite foods.
4. Share your emotional connection to your products or services- Have you tried your products/services? Let them know. Have you failed at something, and your product helped you succeed? Telling your story will make your audience feel emotionally connected to you. This will give them a reason to buy your product.
5. Show off your uniqueness- The best thing about being yourself is that there’s no one like you. What’s different about your brand? Highlight your uniqueness, and let your originality attract people to you.
6. Be truthful- Mistakes are fixable, but it can be impossible to recover from a lie. If your audience doesn’t trust you, they won’t purchase from you.
7. Be Empathic- How well do you know your customers? Do you know your audience’s pain points? Have you ever shared any of your audience’s pain points? When they know that you understand their pain, they will connect with you.
8. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate- You need to be consistent with your communication. Communicating makes your audience know you. Once they feel like they know you, they will like and trust you. They will become loyal to your brand.
9. Be Creative- Spice up your blog and social media with pictures and infographics. Audiences love seeing a variety of valuable content.
10. Stay true to brand promise- Are you keeping your brand promise? I’m a Digital Marketing Coach, and I promise to help my clients brand with excellence. I let them know that they should expect quality when signing up for my services. If I fall short of my client’s expectations, then people can start saying that I’m a fake. With the internet, things go viral fast, and my entire brand will be ruined.

 

Authentic brands builds brand loyalty. People trust genuine people before they trust a brand. If you need help with your online marketing message, consider hiring a Digital Marketing Coach that specializes in authenticity.

Nicole Martin-Bender is a Digital Marketing Coach that specializes in social media and online marketing.  Nicole has a 10 years of marketing experience.  Article is free to be reprinted as long as bio remains.