The B2B marketplace has become more crowded than ever before with brands. Hence, B2B brands should strive for authenticity to stand out from the noise.
For B2B brands to succeed in a fiercely competitive marketplace, they need to have their own unique voice. Hence, brands across multiple industries make significant investments to build an external identity that reflects their mission, values and product. Having a good brand identity helps the organization to become recognizable, reliable and distinguish itself from its competitors for what the brand stands for. However, it does not mean it will help them to become strong and lasting.
Developing a robust and durable brand requires a brand to be authentic. With today’s customers seeing their investment just like a psychological investment: strongly believe in what they consume. According to a 2019 report titled, “Bridging the Gap: Consumer and Marketers Perspectives on Content in the Digital Age,” 90% of consumers stated authenticity is a crucial element when making the decision which brands they like and support.
However, cultivating an authentic brand identity doesn’t happen overnight. It needs time, empathy and consistency. Here are a few ways to keep the brand authentic:
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Begin with internal culture
To start building brand authenticity, organizations should start emphasizing on fostering an internal culture that has a strong root in transparency. They should ensure all their employees across various departments feel supported, heard and engaged.
Brands can increase transparency with their employees by having open communication. They should empower them to express their values and concerns. This will be their first step in building community among staff. Another way for brands to positively impact the internal culture is by incorporating employee feedback into their overall mission.
Incorporating their feedback into the overall mission of the organization and day-to-day activities will help them to feel more empowered and supported by the brand. Brands should also take steps to identify and acknowledge the weak spots in the culture of the organization. They should address the pain points of their employees and make an active effort to increase the sense of belonging of everyone within the organization.
Empowering employees this way will lead them to organically spread their message to potential customers as well as drive business value for the organization as a whole.
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Less Talking, Taking more Actions
As per industry experts, the authenticity of a brand is less about messaging and more about communicating by taking action towards accomplishing their mission. With today’s customers becoming increasingly conscious, they seek out brands that actively support causes and issues aligning with their own personal values. Hence, brands should evaluate their corporate expenditure to ensure that the organization and issues it supports, align with the values of the brand.
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With the past couple of years seeing people holding businesses accountable more than ever, brands should not make the mistake that their customers will not notice where their corporate dollar is invested. At the same time, brands should not attach their name to every trending movement or cause. Instead, they should facilitate open conversations with their customers to eliminate the guesswork from their efforts while identifying opportunities to capitalize on the resources of the brand within the community.
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Keep the integrity intact, in good times and the bad ones
Today’s customers are sensitive to inauthentic branding, meaning any attempt to play with their emotions can negatively impact the organization. Hence, brands should ensure that their voice is clear, genuine as well as consistent at all times.
While no brands can ever stop making mistakes, it is crucial that they own theirs. By owning their faults and missteps while learning from them simultaneously, people will recognize the authenticity of the brand and will create confidence among them.
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