Why Does Authentic Branding Matter?

There are no shortcuts in life. Authentic branding is a perfect example of what it takes to grow a successful and sustaining business. Unfortunately, in the digital age we live in we are finding more and more businesses that are trying to take shortcuts. Putting into place automation and removing the human factor.

I am a firm believer in authenticity and transparency. We must connect with our customers and be real. Taking the easy route might cut down on time spent when it comes to marketing yourself and your brand, but I can guarantee you it doesn’t produce the results. We have gotten away from building relationships through the connections we have every day.

If you think you can replace the element of brand authenticity with automation and canned material you are seriously missing the boat.

Here are a couple great definitions I found online on the topic of authentic branding:

• Brand authenticity refers to if consumers believe a brand is genuine about their products/services, promises to customers and their brand values. Authenticity is a key component to building a cohesive brand strategy. In the age of social media, brands can’t hide anything from their customers. (https://sproutsocial.com/insights/brand-authenticity/)
• If you can be authentic in everything you do and say, then your customers will do your marketing for you through word-of-mouth, social media, email, or any other marketing avenues. It builds stronger connections. It’s easy to tell whether someone is being genuine or not online. (https://influencermarketinghub.com/glossary/brand-authenticity/)

The Importance of Authentic Branding

So, why does authentic branding matter? Why should you implement this strategy into your business model? Plain and simple…it works!

We all know that referral business is one of the best ways to grow your brand. Those referrals come through the relationships we build with our customers and the integrity of our brand. People have to trust you and know you are authentic. They do not want to work with someone or a brand that has not earned their trust. They want genuine, honest people/companies to work with.

A prime example of this is social media. Let’s take a closer look at Facebook. Facebook was created to connect people, specifically college students when it was first created. Today, Facebook is one of the largest platforms in the world for connecting and reconnecting people. It has it’s good and bad, but let’s be honest, most of us use Facebook and we want to see authentic content.

So my question is, why are so many companies using the platform to push out all their canned garbage? Where is the authenticity in their marketing and how are they connecting with their audience? I will tell you, they are not connecting with them and they are trying to take the shortcut.

Here is a prime example of what I am talking about. I have worked with and around Realtors and mortgage loan officers for years. I have taught many classes on marketing and reaching their audiences.

Answer this question, do you know and follow any Realtors on Facebook? If so, are most of their posts about real estate and new listings?

I’m willing to bet your answer is yes.

So then my next question is, how often does someone buy a home? Maybe every 5 to 7 years. So why in the world are their posts only about real estate? I don’t know about you, but I’m much more likely to mute or unfollow a Realtor if that is all that pops up on my wall from them. Where is the authenticity? Where is the connection? If that is all a Realtor is posting they haven’t earned my business. There is no transparency. For me, the connection is not there and I really don’t have a reason to keep following them.

If you are a business that wants to keep my attention, you better give me content that keeps me following along. Every business is different, but you need to create content that connects with your audience continually. It needs to be transparent, real and engaging.

This applies to all businesses, not just Realtors.

Case Study – Tale of Two Facebook Posts

I can think of no better way to show the importance of authentic branding and its effectiveness than to share a recent story of one of my clients.

Casey Cooper is a mortgage loan officer in Springfield, MO I work with. I have been coaching him on the importance of this exact topic. Being authentic! The company he works for takes care of posting 3 to 4 times a week on his Facebook page. In theory, this sounds great. He doesn’t have to worry about it and his Facebook page just keeps churning out content.

Content is King, right?

Yes, but no. Especially on social media. Your content has to have the authentic factor. Your clients know when you are posting canned garbage. It’s not real and rarely connects.

So, in Casey’s case, I have been challenging him to post his own, authentic posts on top of the companies canned posts. I have been coaching him to make posts about life, things he likes to do, family, local events, charities near and dear to him, community activities, etc., etc., etc…and some mortgage content also that is important to him and written in his voice. I told him he needs to separate himself from most of the other loan officers in town that are doing the same thing, having someone else manage their posts.

Let’s just be honest, we want to take the easy way out. We want to take the shortcut and hope for great results. We don’t want to spend an extra 15 minutes a day to create a post that is genuine and transparent. That tells our audience who we are and why they should work with us, without coming right out and saying that.

I’m excited to say that Casey finally took my advice after a lot of coaching (prodding is probably a better word. lol). It took very little of his time, but his reach far outweighed the alternative.

We recently celebrated Thanksgiving and I challenged Casey to make a post that wasn’t the norm. I told him to be real and it doesn’t have to be anything about mortgages. So here is the tale of two posts:

I want you to see the night and day difference between these to posts. Both posted on the same day right before Thanksgiving and both posted to Casey’s business page. I took screen captures of both of these posts at the time of writing this. Post 1 is the canned post the company posted for him. Post 2 is the post that Casey did after my prodding. Look at those results! Post 1 had 3 likes and I will bet you all three were probably other loan officers in his office or family. But look at post 2…

51 likes and 4 comments!

Do you think he connected with his audience? Do you think he was being authentic? I would say so!

What might have taken an extra 10 to 15 minutes for him had a much larger reach than the canned post. Casey introduced us to his family, he was transparent. He invited us, the audience, into his world and shared what is most important to him. He became vulnerable and in that moment he connected with us. That is authentic branding!

Are you ready to be AUTHENTIC?

So I have to ask, why are more businesses not catching the clue?

Social media is for connecting with each other, not a sales pitch. We don’t have to push our product/service every time we post. We have to connect with our audience and earn their trust so when we do share our product/service they will trust what we have to say or offer. It has to be authentic and transparent. If we are going to use it for marketing, we have to remove our marketing hat and put on our real person hat. Whether you are a sole practitioner, like a loan officer or Realtor or a company with a whole team, you have to figure out how to connect with your audience. And canned material is not the answer.

Authentic branding has to be a part of all your marketing, not just social media. I challenge you, if what I have shared has resonated with you at all, take an extra 10 to 15 minutes a day and be AUTHENTIC. Figure out some action steps you can take today to start implementing authenticity into your marketing and make it happen.

You can do it! I would love to hear your story. Send your stories to me of how you have implemented authentic branding into your marketing strategy and I will choose some to share on my website and social media.

Wishing you all the best in becoming AUTHENTIC in your business!