5 Easy Steps to Authentic Marketing for Your Business

If you read part one in this two-part blog on authenticity in marketing, you’ll know why being authentic in your brand and messaging is so important in building customer trust and loyalty.

Catch up on part one here, if you missed it.

But how exactly do you ‘do’ authentic marketing? What practical actions can you take to start putting this into place to help your business today? That’s what we’re talking about for this second blog.

Step 1

Get clear on your values

Think about why you started your business in the first place. What made you passionate about it? Why do you care so much about this cause, product or service? Define what authenticity means to YOU – and by extension, your brand. Sharing the story of your business – why it was created and how you know it can help people – is one of the best ways to connect with your audience and start building relationships that will get your customers coming back to you again and again.

Step 2

Reach out to your audience – and listen

Your business is there to solve a problem or fulfil a need for your customers – and there’s no better way to demonstrate how you do that than by reaching out to your previous customers to get their feedback on what they loved about their interactions with you, and where you might be able to improve.

Hopefully, you’ll end up with some fantastic stories from real people about how your product or service helped them – and word of mouth as well as reviews from families, friends and other ‘real life customers’ are still by far the most powerful forms of positive marketing which turn potential buyers into your customers. More than any other form of paid advertising, these kinds of reviews are seen as trustworthy and helpful when customers are looking to make their latest purchase and they need to decide between the vast number of options available. That’s because when they read, hear or see a genuine case study from one of your satisfied customers, they can see themselves in the struggle your customer faced – and how you helped to provide the solution to it.

And in the worst case, you’ll come away with plenty of feedback that can help you to understand and refine your product or service so that you’re delivering the vision you set out to create back when you first set up your business.

Step 3

Educate and give value

It may seem like a waste of time and resources to educate your audience about how they can make the best buying decision – but if you educate your audience, not only are you building trust with your potential customers and establishing yourself as an expert in your particular area or industry, but you’re also increasing the likelihood that the next time that potential customer is looking for a product or service you could provide – that they’ll come to you for it, because they already know you, and trust you.

A fantastic and easy way to do this is to provide value to your potential customers and let them see your expertise on display. You can do this through your website, blog, emails and email newsletters – even social media can be a great place to share with your customers. Advice, news, trends or innovations in your sector are good topics to consider for inspiration.

If you’re not sure where to start, try thinking about the kinds of questions new customers have when they find you, or the things you wanted to know, before you first started your business. You should also have a good idea, from step number 2, about the kinds of questions or problems your customers are looking for help with now. These are ideal opportunities to share your knowledge and expertise, giving value to your audience that will build relationships and loyalty to you and your brand.

Step 4

Speak with emotion and honesty – let the true you, shine

Catchy advertising slogans and flashy campaigns may create a lot of noise – and even draw plenty of clicks and impressions online – but real, authentic voices cut through the cacophony of today’s world, where we are constantly bombarded with information and sensory input every waking moment.

An honest, transparent voice speaking with passion and emotion about the topics and causes they genuinely care about, can create a far greater impact with their message than most paid advertising campaigns could even dream of! And if that sounds far-fetched, look at how Greta Thunburg, a 17 year old school girl from Sweden, has managed to create a huge movement that has gained massive support, speaking in front of the UN and helping to change the conversation on climate – because she spoke passionately about a cause that she believes in, and her authenticity shines.

This is what will make an audience connect with you. This is what will make people care about your story, and what you have to say. They want to know that it’s real – they want to see the real you.

And you don’t need to be a 17 year old climate activist to make this kind of open authenticity in your message really work for you. Follow steps 1-3 and keep them in mind while you’re sharing your story and talking to your audience with openness and honesty. If you can do this, you’ll be well on your way to creating authenticity in your marketing and building long-lasting relationships with your customers.

But if you REALLY want to get your message out there more widely, and you have a cause or issue you are particularly passionate about, you can also try the bonus step 5 to take sharing your authentic message to the next level.

Step 5

Take a stand

The most important thing to remember, if you’re going to come out on a controversial issue or topic that you feel passionately about and want to take a stand on – it absolutely must be genuine or it will not work, and worse, could blow up in your face.

If people think you are trying to ‘cash in’ on a social issue or your approach doesn’t come off as sincere, then you could be facing backlash for speaking out on a topic that you might have thought would win you some socially conscious business points (think Pepsi and the Black Lives Matter protest ads https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/05/business/kendall-jenner-pepsi-ad.html) – and sometimes this kind of backlash can be costly indeed.

However, when there is a genuine desire to engage with the topic or issue at hand, taking a stand and speaking out can be a wonderful way to help the people who are already aligned with your values and ideals to find you – and they are more likely to buy from you when they do.

Case study – taking a stand (and courting controversy!)

A recent example might be the Gillette ad which moved away from their traditional ‘The Best A Man Can Get’ slogan, to ‘The Best A Man Can Be’ – they released an ad calling on men to be a part of the #MeToo movement and to call out toxic masculinity when they see it. The ad divided opinion and they did receive some backlash online. However, overall their sales were negatively or positively impacted. So, what’s the point in that? You might be asking (fair enough!) – but the point is to build relationships, to send a strong message to their future buyers – here’s what an official statement from Gillette’s parent company had to say on this:

"Conversations on these profound social issues can be difficult for all sides but we believe they are important and that, by sparking the discussion, we can play a part in creating meaningful and positive change.” (Read more about the Gillette campaign story here: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gillette-advert-toxic-masculinity-sales-impact-a8745966.html and https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/15/gillette-metoo-ad-on-toxic-masculinity-cuts-deep-with-mens-rights-activists)

They were clear on the objective of the campaign being ‘connecting more meaningfully with younger consumer groups’ – so the purpose, for this campaign at least, was more about sending a very strong, clear message, particularly to younger generations – about the story of Gillette – and about the kind of person who buys their product. This kind of messaging may not create immediate impact (more sales the next day), but it does have the ability to build long-term loyalties from customers who feel that the product or service they are buying from you truly represents who they are.

You don’t have to be a big brand to make authentic marketing working for you – but the absolute key is that it must be genuine, it must be sincere. It must be REAL. That’s how you’re going to let your audience see your passion and start to build relationships and trust that will create a solid foundation for the future of your business.

I hope you liked these steps to creating authentic marketing for your business! Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

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