What is Authenticity in Marketing?
Authenticity is achieved when brands are engaging deeply with audiences, building connections that feel personal, and making their customers feel heard and understood.
When evaluating a brand’s marketing success, authenticity is arguably the most valuable metric. Yet unlike other performance indicators, such as reach and views, authenticity cannot be measured or calculated. Marketers should worry less about finding the story behind the numbers and focus more on the story itself.
According to a survey conducted by Social Media Today, 90% of millennials agree that brand authenticity is key when making purchasing decisions. Among that group, 52% would recommend the brand to peers, and 49% would pledge loyalty to the brand. Although authenticity is crucial to both short-term and long-term success, it can be a challenging concept for companies to grasp.
5 Benefits of Authenticity in Marketing
Maybe you’ve heard about authenticity in content marketing, or even empathetic marketing, but aren’t sold yet on how it can directly benefit your business. It’s important to remember that even though authenticity is subjective, taking the time to talk about your products and services from a genuine place can garner huge results. Here are the most common benefits.
1. Amplify Brand Awareness
Today, consumers are conducting extensive research when choosing a product or service. The digital advertising company Criteo described shoppers in 2020 as detectives, citing the extended time between the consideration phase and purchase. Compared with years past, fewer buyers are beginning their product searches on engines and marketplaces, instead going straight to retailer and brand sites. This shows that buyers want more than a decent product and a good deal; they are hyper-focused on whom they are buying from and what a company stands for. Therefore, it necessary for marketers to differentiate themselves by using or developing content that tells their business' story, outlines their values and shows their contribution to society.
There is no way to be certain how a customer will find you, how long it will take them to decide on your brand and what it is about your company that led them to convert. To ensure your brand is successful in building awareness and leading buyers down the purchase path, your company must understand which channels your target audience is spending time on and meet them there with engaging content that consistently presents your brand authentically and creatively.
2. Increased Customer Retention
As mentioned, in 2020 there was a powerful shift away from reliance on third parties such as search engines and marketplaces and toward direct-to-consumer relationships. The luggage startup Away offers a great example of a brand using authenticity to foster brand awareness and retain clients.
Through strong social presence of elegant, millennial-targeting content, founders Jen Rubio and Steph Korey generated enough buzz surrounding their new brand of stylish luggage to persuade hundreds of people to pre-order their products for the 2015 holiday season.
Shortly before the holidays, Rubio realized they would not be able to fulfill their first orders as scheduled. Away turned what could have been a reputation-destroying fiasco into an opportunity to maintain client loyalty. Rather than simply sending apologetic emails to upset customers, Away published “The Places We Return To,” a hardcover travel book featuring interviews with 40 creative people, and mailed it to clients who had pre-ordered their luggage. The book appeased buyers as a special gift from the brand in time for the holidays, and was popular enough to sell out on Away’s website.
3. Increased Reliability and Brand Equity
It’s no secret that businesses across industries and around the world are facing a trust crisis. For over 40 years, Edelman’s Trust Survey has been publishing research on the global public’s trust in government, media, NGOs and businesses. Customers consider an institution to be trustworthy if it is transparent and competent, delivers on promises and actively contributes to the betterment of society.
Given the uncertainty surrounding the government and the economy in 2020, the events of the past year should be a wake-up call to marketers to find ways to boost trust and loyalty with consumers. Creating materials that feel true and organic requires content that goes beyond pushing a sales agenda; marketers should provide valuable stories, resources or information that resonates with their target audience.
In 2020, many companies expanded their capabilities to address issues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. General Electric, for example, strove to provide for hospitals nationwide that were low on resources. On its Facebook page the company told the story of one of its engineers, who traveled to a G.E. facility halfway across the country to help build ventilators. The Facebook post received an overwhelming amount of engagement, proving the best marketing stems from authentic stories that reveal a brand’s core values.
4. Improve Conversions and Increase Sales
Transparency and authenticity work wonders in driving sales and conversions as well. Consumers today aren’t only considering a product’s quality, look and price tag. They choose to invest in a company based on its dedication both to understanding its audience’s needs and interests and to addressing the needs of society at large.
Patagonia, a high-end outdoors company based in California, creates long-lasting activewear and gear while showcasing its appreciation of nature. During the 2011 holiday season, Patagonia ran an advertisement featuring its bestselling fleece jacket with the headline “Don’t Buy This Jacket.” The ad described the surprising environmental consequences of making and distributing just one of the jackets. It encouraged buyers to opt instead for used Patagonia products, promoting the company’s Worn Wear program. Patagonia was transparent about the fact that the production of its goods has negative environmental impacts. Through this ad, the company was able to creatively flourish its sustainability efforts and tout the quality and longevity of its products. Patagonia increased its sales 30% that year.
The lesson: authenticity is not about being perfect as a company or brand — it is about doing the best you can while being honest and open.
5. Grow Your Followers and Newsletter Subscriptions
With a strong focus on authentic content and brand storytelling, marketing spend has trended away from paid media toward owned channels. Brands are at the mercy of algorithms and error when it comes to paid social and digital ad placements. For long-term relationship building, it is important for marketers to shift budget and resources to platforms like their brand blog, email newsletters and owned social pages, where they have complete control of what is published and transparency into how users are engaging with it.
Through these channels, brands can connect with their audience on a more personal level and even engage directly with clientele. Additionally, having engaging channels is the best way to further understand your audience, as they provide accurate data that informs marketers and executives about the kinds of content and messaging that are actually resonating with buyers.
How to Ensure Marketing Authenticity Moving Forward
Authentic marketing does not have to be arduous. In fact, it should happen … authentically. Authenticity lies in remembering your company’s mission and core values. It is rooted in understanding the consumer, following through on promises and being transparent in all efforts.
Whatever your brand stands for and whatever your story, be consistent in sharing those values and narratives. Utilize an authentic content agency like NYTLicensing to accessThe New York Times’s depth of articles written by writers who are experts in their fields to supplement existing content and provide new voices to topics that your users care about.
