A lackadaisical approach to customer relations has never worked.
But in today's ever-connected world, customers expect more of the brands they patronage.
People don't just love the feeling of a social cause, they have come to expect it.
In today's digital age, customers want corporate social responsibility (CSR), brand activism and a brand mission that aligns with their own moral compass.
And did you know your customer service should be top-notch and beyond reproach as well?
That means today's successful brands will be required to do more. MUCH more.
In this article, we’ll discuss the top ways that you can ensure that your brand remains authentic while staying competitive in today’s digital landscape.
Strategies such as providing consistent customer service, investing in quality content creation and leveraging influencers will be discussed in detail so that you can remain true to your brand identity while also staying relevant to changing market trends.
Let's get started!
Brand authenticity is the process of aligning a company’s values, mission, and goals with their public image.
Being authentic means that an organization's brand is consistent in its message, language, and tone across all points of contact. It also involves being true to the beliefs, products, services and standards that a company stands for.
Marketing is secondary to your operations.
You might talk a good talk with the right marketing soundbites, but you're living a lie, your hypocrisy will do more harm than good to your brand.
When it comes to brand authenticity, first make sure you nail your mission, practice what you preach, and then tactfully let your target audience know where you stand and hold your ground.
Companies need to make sure that their message, language, brand voice and tone are the same across all of their platforms.
Also, they should stay true to the products, services, and standards they believe in.
Differentiate yourself by telling and flaunting your brand story.
If you're able to properly craft your message, you'll be able to grow your margins and move your brand up-market.
Market why you are different and why that matters.
Let customers know!
One of the key components of maintaining your brand's authenticity is providing consistent, quality customer service.
Having a repeatable and reliable customer experience will help ensure that customers can trust the quality and consistency of your products or services.
Customers should be able to expect a certain level of service from your business each time they interact with it, regardless of their location or platform.
Support customers as if your business depended on it because it surely does.
This means providing a reliable level of customer service in person, on the phone, and through digital channels such as websites, social media, and mobile apps.
In other words, build brand authenticity in your standard operating procedures, not just your marketing message.
Content has always been the cornerstone of marketing.
However with the rise of digital media and short attention spans, content creation has become even more important.
It’s now essential to create content that resonates with customers and builds trust in your brand.
High-quality, well-researched content can help you stand out from the crowd and convey your values to a wider audience.
It's a fact that active brands receive more inbound vs. outbound leads. Authentic brands are active brands in their own channel(s) of distribution.[/caption]You will also want to diversify your digital marketing between both content type and distribution platform.
If you want to maintain authenticity, you need to be preemptive in putting out fires before they get out of control.
Enter brand monitoring.
An authentic brand is an engaged brand.
An engaged brand will know when poor content is being written about them online.
Monitoring customer (and even non-customer) feedback is key to staying authentic and gaining trust with your customer base.
How quickly you respond to customers on social media matters to your brand.
Doing so allows you to address issues before they become major problems, while also giving you an idea of how customers perceive your brand.
Another way to monitor customer feedback is through a robust customer service system, such as live chat, where customers can ask questions, provide feedback, and report issues.
Being transparent with customers is essential for maintaining brand authenticity.
Companies should be honest and open about their business practices and values, as well as the products and services they provide.
A polarizing brand that takes a position is better than a brand that has no vision of what they want.
You can't be everything to everyone, but you need to be transparent in what you believe.
Doing so will build trust between the company and its customers, which is critical for sustaining long-term relationships.
You don't just want customers, you want loyal customers.
The right type of customer loyalty can be extracted and drawn upon for years to come.
By leveraging data, companies can understand their customer base and create more targeted and effective campaigns.
Companies should use data to measure the success of their campaigns, as well as analyze customer behavior to gain valuable insights into their target audience.
This will help them create content that better resonates with the right target demographic.
As we always like to say:
Data don't lie, but people do.
As we have stated in our digital marketing manifesto, business is always personal.
Focus on each customer as if they are the only customer and they will return time and again.
That's why it's called a customer relationship management (CRM) system and not a customer sales system.
You're not selling people, you're building relationships.
What makes brand authenticity important to your overall strategy is the way you use it to build long-term relationships with loyal clients.
Remaining flexible while staying true to your core values is essential for maintaining brand authenticity.
Companies must understand customer wants, needs, and preferences in order to create meaningful content that resonates with them.
At the same time, companies must also remain consistent in their core values and messaging so that customers can trust the company.
Sometimes customers may disagree with your ultimate approach to how you solve problems are look at issues that occur within your business.
As long as you maintain your core values, you are more likely to retain the respect of your core audience, even if you need to be flexible in how you implement your strategies.
And destroying even perceived brand authenticity takes a single moment, email, tweet or gaff.
In today’s digital landscape, maintaining brand authenticity is essential for any business to succeed.
By leveraging data-driven strategies such as providing consistent customer service and investing in quality content, businesses can build trust with customers and gain a competitive edge over their rivals.
Additionally, companies must remain rigid in their core values while also being flexible in their approach when it comes to solving customer issues. Doing so will help them stand out from the competition and create meaningful relationships with customers that last long into the future.
Customers expect brands to be genuine and honest in all aspects of their operations, from customer service to marketing campaigns.
Brand authenticity helps build trust with customers and gives them a reason to choose your business over the competition.
Let our digital marketing agency help craft the right message for your target audience to ultimately make your brand authentic.
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