There have been many corporate viewpoints over the years. Some prefer to go the route of insisting that their product is used by everyone everywhere, others reach for celebrity endorsement. However, one of the big things that has emerged in 2020 is authenticity. Let’s take a look at why it is so important.

Easy to Set Up

One of the reasons why so many brands are jumping on the authenticity bandwagon is that it is actually so easy to do. There are so many companies out there that are using their company history to craft compelling stories that they can use as part of their brand identity.
To get started, all you really need is a page on your website. Lots of different companies in many industries are taking on this challenge. Whether you want to look at this page about True Blue casino or you decide to scroll to the mission statement of a top cosmetics brand like Fenty Beauty, you can see that it is easy to introduce some information about a company and what they stand for.
The ease with which such pages can be set up is really no excuse to not add one to your website. Make sure a little clarity is added to your business now and throw in some information about what the company is, its model and mission statement.

(Image Source: Pixabay)

Image Production

There has been a massive call for authenticity online because of social media. The issue here is that far too often people and companies can and do lie on their social media. The drive to produce what is considered good or marketable content has resulted in some doctored images emerging that could be seriously so far from the truth they are laughable.

Let’s take a humble Instagram post. It could be completely staged yet has been manipulated and set up to look genuine or even candid. Photoshopping and other editing techniques may have been used to alter the actual image. There could even be some undisclosed affiliate links in the captions. While the average viewer might skip past these inconsistencies without thinking too much about it, there are others who do indeed notice these and they can point them out to others. This could create a certain sense of mistrust, and it could cause a ripple effect that causes you to lose followers in more areas.

It is entirely possible to create fantastic, believable content without falling back on tricks that have since been caught out by the public. As a brand, you need to be committed to producing the best possible content that you can. More often than not, this will coincide with the need to be authentic.

Social Media Posts

A big call for authenticity has also arisen due to the doctoring of social media posts. In a world where you can be anyone based on a username and a profile picture, it is easier than you might think to manufacture a fake persona and put out false information. Other brands try to do it all the time, with fake testimonials and other small claims that build them up to offer a potentially genuine outlook.

However, the big danger here is that someone is going to break through the charade. It is far easier to just be authentic as there is no chance that you will be caught lying. Though it can be difficult to build up recommendations and testimonials at first, they will be far easier to manage compared to if you were to just make up false credentials. Authenticity really does count, especially with something as crucial as reviews, and it needs to be something that you generate in an authentic and genuine way.

Public Demand

Again, thanks in part to social media, brands can get closer to their consumers than ever before. What the public wants in exchange for this closeness is often authenticity. They are used to seeing it with their favourite celebrities and role models. Famous faces can choose to either let people into their lives through social media or they can keep things at a distance. The flexibility is there, and people love learning more about those who do offer up certain facts for them to try.
One thing that brands have jumped on is the social media manager, or a public face for the company. Many consumers don’t want to deal with corporate entities anymore. They want to recognise names and faces and make connections, even if their interactions don’t last much longer than a couple of minutes. As a result, business owners have the option to put forward their own face of the company.

This technique has been fulfilled by many celebrities in various industries before. Using a professional spokesperson to help fill orders and build rapport with customers is nothing new. However, there is a growing trend to use people within the company to do so. Customers are forming connections with select individuals within an organisation and tailoring authentic content and responses through these mouthpieces can be a great move for any company.

Keep It Clear, Keep It Real

In the modern world, it can be really difficult to separate fact and fiction. With brands and other people constantly fighting over whether something is real or not, it is important to ensure that a company strives to only put out true information.

It is high time that some of the walls around brands are broken down. Authenticity from a brand is really important, especially in this era where consumers are truly investing in brands that they care about. With a host of ethical stances helping to inform all sorts of decisions, it is incredibly important that business owners take the time to work out what will make them into a brand that stands out from their competitors.

Always be as clear and authentic as possible in your actions. Consumers will always value this from a brand, and it could help to not just attract customers but retain them too. If you are a business owner, it is high time that you started looking into some authenticity for your company now.