When marketing your small business, authenticity should be a top priority.

Why does authenticity in marketing matter? You can use authenticity in addition to your marketing plan to elevate your business.

According to Forbes, “In today’s market, authenticity can be the make-or-break factor in a brand’s success. 90% of customers report that authenticity is an important factor in deciding which brands they like, but Millennials and Gen Z now prefer brands that are “real and organic” as opposed to “perfect and well packaged.”

Authenticity is valued by consumers and helps you remain transparent with them. You can own what makes you different from competitors, rather than imitate what they’re doing.

Maintaining authenticity can help you achieve your marketing goals with integrity and ethical business practices.

In this post, we’ll explain how authenticity can be utilized to grow your business.

Stand out as the solution to the customer’s problem.

Consider your target audience and their needs and interests.

The ideal buyer is either in the discovery or consideration stage of their customer journey, so it’s crucial to think about their perspective and what will motivate them to make a purchase.

You can engage the audience by providing real value to their life—being the solution to their problem based on their needs and interests. When marketing your product or service, clearly explain how it benefits them, not the features.

Tailor your messaging to the ideal buyer. For example, if they want to learn how to cook, explain how your brand’s meal subscription service is beginner-friendly and breaks down each step of the cooking process.

Highlight you\your team’s passion for your brand and tell your

Find your niche as a business and decide what your brand has that makes it unique from other businesses and showcase it.

Utilize storytelling to explain the idea behind your business and the story that inspired it.Telling your brand’s story is a good way to hook your target audience and build brand awareness.

Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable and mention setbacks and how your business overcame them. Vulnerability makes you more relatable and trustworthy to an audience.

Giving your brand character and providing a glimpse into the human or humans behind the business can allow you to connect with customers on a deeper level and show them what drives your business.

Say what you mean and mean what you say.

Don’t make any false or empty promises. Make sure to follow through when you say you’re going to provide something to your customers. If you say a product is buy one, get one free, make sure everything is set in place to ensure each customer will receive the free product with their purchase.

Let your company’s mission and core values be a guide for your marketing strategy. Adhere to what your business is and what it stands for. If you have a mission to make an impact on others’ lives with your product, show evidence of this on your website and social media channels (i.e. a testimonial of a customer or team member explaining how the product has positively impacted them with an image).

Be consistent with your brand’s messaging.

If you’re promoting or advertising your products or services across several social media platforms, you’ll want to make sure your brand messaging is consistent.

Consider implementing an omnichannel strategy if you don’t already have one in place. Your business can establish brand guidelines across each platform to ensure consistency. You may even decide your brand needs a style guide if your business uses a specific logo, but only in specific circumstances.

Consistency in brand messaging helps build brand awareness and customer engagement, making them more likely to make a purchase.

Build a community with your target audience. 

Forbes explains that “community brands remain relevant because they’re constantly adapting to the changing needs, interests, and values of the people who give them meaning”. In other words, building a community with your consumers can help you achieve your business goals.

As a small business, building a community can begin on social media. Make posts on multiple platforms that encourage customer interaction. This could be conducting a poll about a specific topic, promoting a cause your brand supports, or doing a giveaway that asks them to leave a comment, share the post, or tag a friend.

Devote time to responding to comments, reviews, direct messages, and emails from customers so they feel heard. Acknowledging your customers will show them there’s a human behind the brand who cares what they have to say. They will be more likely to recommend your brand to their friends and family, which will increase brand awareness.

Final Thoughts

Authenticity and transparency will help you build trust and ultimately gain brand loyalty from customers. Customers will connect with and respond better to a business that isn’t afraid to be human and show passion and vulnerability because it’s more similar to them and their experiences.

Understanding your target audience–who they are and what they’re looking for can guide ideal buyers through more of the customer journey and lead to long-term retention and brand loyalty.

Authenticity involves content strategy and careful planning, but your efforts can be rewarding and lead to business growth.