How to do Authentic, Effective Marketing?

Every good brand is aware that they don’t need flashy marketing to gain customer’s trust and loyalty these days.

It is something that they have to earn.

It may be simple to win sales through promotions and rewards. However, to make someone believe in your brand requires a deeper and genuine connection. This is the reason why brands are now focusing on authentic marketing.

See it this way, when you market your brand in a relatable and real way, then you not only win more sales, but you also gain customer loyalty.

If you ask me, one of the best practices in marketing is authenticity. It is the best way to do marketing to millennials, younger audiences, and customers.

Remember, your audience is intelligent. They can spot any kind of false advertising or false claims about any product.

In marketing, authenticity is essential for customer engagement.

With all the directions marketing can go, you have to stay focused on B2B lead generation. And you can only do that when you stop pretending to be something that you are not.

Simply put, authentic marketing is rooted in a simple idea that truth sells. Whether it is B2B or B2C, genuine brands are the ones who drive connections.

Power of Authentic Marketing

Most marketers are looking for new ways to brand or rebrand themselves. They are veering away from traditional push tactics that customers will no longer stand for. They are focusing on brand authenticity, which is a smart move.

Where research shows that consumer buying decisions are mostly influenced by emotions, not logic, authenticity is the way you can increase sales.

Authenticity is not concerned with statistics or logic; it’s just being honest.

What does it provide us?

Trust!!

Just with being authentic in your marketing, you are capable of building a real connection with customers.

How to do Authentic, Effective Marketing?

Authenticity is an essential component of branding, but there are good and poor ways to communicate authenticity.
So, let’s see how we can do it effectively.

1. Remember Your Core Values and Find Your Voice

Talking about authentic marketing, you need to figure out what’s your voice. It can be humorous, authoritative, and even strange. So, don’t overthink; just be genuine with your own voice.

Figure out what are the core values of your brand. When you have determined the essential values, then the next step is to market them. However, make sure that they are communicated through all of your advertising channels.

Remember, authentic marketing is beyond just making a profit.

Let me explain to you with an example:

In the year 2004, Dove began a campaign for real beauty that is now the Dove self-esteem project. This campaign transformed the soap company to a company with a vision.

Dove made consistent efforts with the mission statement of “Beauty should be the source of confidence, not anxiety.”

Their authentic marketing included a focus on Dove’s values, real people, emotional connection, clear and consistent message. By this campaign, they were able to change the public perception of their brand, and their sales jumped up from $2.5 billion to $4 billion.

2. Forget Formal Language

Remember, people hear formal styles of marketing everywhere, so no one wants to listen to it. Formal or corporate language of communication creates a barrier between you and your audience.

You don’t have to be excessively formal. Loosen up your marketing language to promote yourself effectively. If you use too rigid language to communicate, many customers will turn you down. Too much formality can contradict the individual styles of your customers.

Your marketing should be targeting the needs of your customers to build authentic relationships.

3. Focus on Users and Identify Their Pain

Ask yourself which brands do you buy? Or which ones appeal to you?

Remember, people buy a brand that has an emotional connection with them.

Authentic marketing will work when you are focused on the users. This is the heart of authentic marketing as, in the end, user-experience matters the most.

Answer these questions:
Why should they use a specific product?
Why should they buy from you?

You need to research your target market and analyze what matters to them. Find the problems that directly affect your user.

You have to identify their pain and struggle with reference to your brand’s product.
Then bring the ball in your court and provide a solution to their problems with your product. Once you do it, then you establish their trust.

4. Focus on Facts and Respond to Feedback

In the marketing world, there is a lot of information that is false or misleading.

But now your customers can check on facts easily, so they don’t have to be manipulated by false advertising.

Respond to the feedback transparently. Your customers will take note of how you will address their problems.

Remember, don’t send generic responses to suggestions, questions, or feedback. Approach your customers in a way that they like but stay away from offensive language.

Here, we can take an example of Careem, which is a transportation network company. They have designed a mailing system that automatically sends an email to its customers after each ride. If their feedback is poor, then a representative from Careem replies instantly, and the customers also receive a call from Careem to address the complaint.

5. Connect Through All Marketing Channels

Your authentic marketing is effective and truly magical when everything comes together for a campaign.

In this digital age, it is highly essential to learn to market on different social media channels. Nike had a campaign named “find your greatness” during the Olympics. It connected a huge number of customers around the world.

Nike used both online and traditional marketing to make their brand more trustworthy among its customers.

You have to capture the right moment, which follows your brand’s value and create a genuinely memorable campaign.

Pro tip: It’s important that every element of your messaging tells your prospective customers why they should trust your brand — including the links you’re asking them to click on. By using a tool like Rebrandly URL Shortener to brand the links you share, your audience will know that you pride yourself on quality and security — which are essential building blocks on the road to trust.

Final Thought

As consumers are increasingly becoming belief-driven, authentic marketing is no longer just a practice; it is a necessity.

If you want your marketing to be effective, remember that your strategy should be unique, relatable, and personal.

Authentic marketing is a reflection of your company’s soul.

If you have a great product and you market it with honesty, there is no doubt that you will be successful.