“Authenticity”—there’s no query that it’s one of many largest social media buzzwords. However don’t be fooled—genuine advertising and marketing is simply changing into extra necessary.
In keeping with this yr’s Sprout Social Index™, the primary motive customers comply with manufacturers on social is to remain knowledgeable about services. However on the similar time, the Index additionally discovered that genuine, non-promotional content material is the primary factor customers don’t see sufficient from manufacturers.
These two issues could appear at odds however they don’t seem to be mutually unique—in reality, they go collectively like peanut butter and jelly. There are numerous methods to maintain your viewers up-to-date on product choices by genuine content material, and types who get this proper have a lot to achieve.
On this article, you’ll discover genuine advertising and marketing examples, ideas for getting it proper and what model authenticity actually means. Let’s get into it.
What’s genuine advertising and marketing?
Model authenticity on social media refers as to if manufacturers come off as real, tapped into their prospects on social and true to their values. It’s partly achieved by creating customer-centric, real content material that feels relatable and aligns with the corporate’s voice and values. And it’s a key ingredient to constructing belief and loyalty with customers, and advertising and marketing to Gen Z.
Personally, I name it “foot-in-the-door” advertising and marketing. Content material that’s attention-grabbing, relatable or beneficial to your viewers will get your foot within the door. Then you may comply with up with gross sales messaging—however you have to frequently construct curiosity and belief, too.
Customers have grown cautious of inauthentic posts and types treating them like greenback indicators. And we’ve seen a singular pushback from audiences and creators alike. Take a look at how audiences have embraced lo-fi content material over highly-polished posts, or the rise of deinfluencing.
The rise of creators has additionally put new stress on manufacturers to function actual, trusted faces and prospects on their channels. And call-out tradition has rightfully made manufacturers suppose twice about posting topical messages if they’ll’t take motion.
Whereas authenticity in advertising and marketing is related to social content material, it’s an omnichannel idea. You need to apply it to the entire techniques your model makes use of to have interaction audiences—on social, by creator partnerships, in adverts and conventional broadcasts, and past.
3 genuine advertising and marketing misconceptions
As we talked about, authenticity is extra than simply an overused buzzword. In reality, it ought to be added to your record of social media greatest practices.
Earlier than we dive into how one can deliver authenticity into your content material and technique, let’s debunk three of the largest genuine advertising and marketing misconceptions on the market.
Genuine advertising and marketing can solely come immediately from the model
Not all your content material needs to be created by you. That includes actual folks—from creators to prospects—is without doubt one of the greatest methods to attain extra genuine digital advertising and marketing.
Almost 40% of customers say they wish to see buyer testimonials or actual buyer demos on social media, in response to The 2022 Sprout Social Index™. That includes actual folks having fun with and even creating tutorials together with your merchandise in your channels is a strong type of constructing belief and social proof.
Kodak, for instance, options pictures taken by individuals who use their movie and merchandise.
Reposting user-generated content material (UGC) created by your prospects is without doubt one of the most genuine advertising and marketing techniques you should utilize. It’s natural, real and might even function a visible “overview” of your product.
Creating an genuine influencer advertising and marketing technique brings trusted voices into your content material, too. In reality, in response to a Q3 2023 Sprout Pulse Survey, 47% of entrepreneurs say enhancing model authenticity and belief is essentially the most beneficial alternative with influencer advertising and marketing.
AI poses a menace to genuine advertising and marketing
Social groups aren’t any strangers to AI—and the fears round it. However as entrepreneurs deliver these instruments into their workflow, the dialog round AI has shifted from “will it change me?” to “will it make my model sound inauthentic?”
It’s a legitimate worry. Entrepreneurs and customers alike have began calling out manufacturers who reply with AI-created, impersonal messages.
However AI solely poses a menace to genuine advertising and marketing if you happen to let it. The secret’s utilizing AI copy and artistic instruments as a place to begin—not a remaining product. Edit AI-generated supplies, like publish and remark copy, to maintain your content material genuine, true to your model voice and personalised.
AI instruments have gotten a vital software in entrepreneurs’ toolkits. In keeping with the Index, 81% of entrepreneurs say AI has already had a constructive impression on their work. Whenever you use these instruments proper, and with discretion, they velocity you up with out taking away your genuine voice.
Genuine advertising and marketing means at all times taking a stand on points
A number of years in the past, manufacturers had been anticipated to take a stand on robust points—it was non-negotiable.
However there’s been a shift. In keeping with The 2023 Sprout Social Index™, immediately solely 1 / 4 of customers suppose manufacturers should communicate out on causes that align with their values to be memorable.
Customers have grown skeptical of manufacturers taking a stand, and are cautious of performative activism. Over the previous few years, we’ve seen many manufacturers referred to as out for placing out empty, inauthentic statements.
This doesn’t imply your model ought to by no means take a stand on points. However whenever you do communicate out, make it depend. And in your day-to-day, there are different areas to prioritize to construct common authenticity and belief—extra on all of this later.
Methods to get genuine advertising and marketing proper
Everyone knows what genuine advertising and marketing means, and even what it seems like. However bringing it into your technique may be difficult.
Let’s get into six key ideas and genuine advertising and marketing examples to see how one can get it proper in your technique.
Go behind the scenes
A part of genuine advertising and marketing is eradicating the “curated” barrier between your model and viewers. Posting behind-the-scenes content material (BTS) is a enjoyable, partaking solution to give audiences a peek backstage.
BTS content material may be lighthearted, enjoyable and so simple as showcasing your group. Suppose: utilizing lo-fi content material for a “meet the group” social collection, exhibiting your workspace, or leaping on a pattern and recruiting your coworkers to step in as social video expertise—like this Grammarly video.
However BTS content material can go even deeper to construct belief. For instance, the Index discovered that customers don’t suppose they see manufacturers publish sufficient transparency about enterprise practices and details about how merchandise are made.
That includes how your merchandise are made and sourced, who makes them, the start-to-finish course of, and so forth. supplies this degree of transparency—like Nisolo does with content material about their sustainability report playing cards.
Be selective about taking a stand
We already talked about the shift in shopper skepticism and expectations round manufacturers taking a stand. This doesn’t imply you may by no means take a stand on a problem.
However to remain genuine, your model ought to solely achieve this when the problem immediately aligns with and reinforces your organization values. And, ideally, your assertion ought to at all times be backed up with motion.
Generally that motion comes within the type of a donation or direct assist. Or, the model talks the discuss and walks the stroll in additional distinctive methods.
Take L.L.Bean’s social pause. Their “Off the Grid” marketing campaign for Psychological Well being Consciousness Month went past a easy publish. Their social group took a month-long break from their model’s social channels to embody their firm values and get exterior. On prime of this, in addition they donated to related psychological health-related causes.
The consequence? Their channels weren’t negatively affected, and their daring transfer was celebrated. L.L.Bean’s pause was backed up with motion within the type of a social media break that demonstrated dedication to their values; genuine advertising and marketing at its greatest.
Put prospects within the highlight
Folks belief actual folks and tales—not simply manufacturers alone. Turning to your prospects for content material is greater than only a social calendar filler; it builds belief.
Buyer testimonials, repurposing critiques into marketing campaign and advert content material, reposting efficient UGC—all of this brings your buyer into your technique and social feeds.
UGC may be so simple as customer-posted pictures that includes your services or products. However bear in mind: customers are content material creators, too. From “try-on hauls” to how-to tutorials and adorning, there are such a lot of methods prospects use lo-fi content material and genuine posts to function your product…and hopefully get featured in your account.
To search out UGC extra simply, encourage your viewers to tag you of their content material and use a branded hashtag, like Aerie’s “#AerieReal.”
Utilizing a social media administration software makes monitoring this content material simpler. With Sprout Social, observe particular hashtags, and discover all of your tagged content material throughout your social networks in a single streamlined feed, saving your self search time.
Discover the suitable companions
When constructing an genuine influencer advertising and marketing technique, it pays to be picky. You already know you shouldn’t simply associate with any creator. It’s essential discover companions with an viewers that’s both just like yours, or that you just wish to attain.
With over half of entrepreneurs saying 26-75% of their advertising and marketing finances goes towards influencer advertising and marketing in a Q3 2023 Sprout Pulse Survey, it’s no secret that manufacturers ought to ramp up their creator partnerships. However that very same survey discovered that discovering the suitable influencers for campaigns is a main problem for manufacturers.
To offset this, over half of manufacturers reported utilizing devoted influencer advertising and marketing packages. For those who’re struggling to seek out influencers and creators, adopting a platform like Tagger to seek out and handle these partnerships is a superb choice.
However generally, you must look no additional than your viewers to supply partnerships. In keeping with that very same survey, half of entrepreneurs rent influencers who’re already real followers of their product—a key method to make sure genuine influencer advertising and marketing companions.
One solution to discover influencers in your viewers or business is by utilizing social listening. Social listening lets you uncover conversations about your model and merchandise even whenever you’re not tagged. Utilizing Sprout’s Social Listening resolution, you could find your largest influencers within the dialog—and even poach influencers in your competitor base.
Don’t be afraid to skip traits
Genuine digital advertising and marketing is as a lot concerning the traits you skip because the traits you soar on.
Tendencies will help after they’re pure. However they’ll harm you when pressured. Audiences can spot a model attempting to leap on a pattern that doesn’t match their model a mile away—and can name you out for it.
Utilizing related traits is an effective way to journey a recognition wave and attain new audiences. However traits aren’t all the pieces. 38% of customers say essentially the most memorable manufacturers on social prioritize unique content material over following trending matters, in response to the Index.
For instance, make-up model Glossier leaned on traits to construct their TikTok account. However they’ve since shifted focus to extra unique content material—learn extra about their short-form video technique.
Earlier than you soar on a pattern, step again and ask your self if it matches your model and feels genuine.
Make sure you’re responsive
For those who really wish to construct belief and an genuine connection together with your viewers, be responsive. In keeping with the Index, over half of customers say essentially the most memorable manufacturers on social are people who reply.
The Index additionally discovered that 70% of customers count on an organization to offer personalised responses to customer support wants. And immediately partaking together with your viewers and prioritizing one-to-one buyer care will make you extra memorable.
You’ll be able to’t have authenticity in advertising and marketing if you happen to ghost your viewers. That is your signal to prioritize social media buyer care each single day, and to offer further social media buyer care coaching to align your customer support and social efforts.
Create content material that feels native to every social platform
Hear me out on this one. We’ve all seen a Reel with a TikTok emblem on it—and there’s one thing inherently inauthentic when you may inform {that a} model is just copy/pasting content material from one platform into one other.
Generally, that is essential and even warranted. However a part of genuine advertising and marketing is creating content material that feels true to the platform customers are consuming it in.
As a lot as you may, create Reels and TikTok movies that really feel native to these platforms by utilizing the fonts or text-to-speech voices every platform supplies.
Let’s get actual: Improve your genuine advertising and marketing technique
New platforms will come and go. Content material format preferences will ebb and circulation. However the want for genuine advertising and marketing will persist by each evolution of social media.
Use the ideas and methods on this article to deliver extra authenticity into your advertising and marketing technique—your viewers, and management group, will thanks.
A part of genuine advertising and marketing is knowing what customers need, and the most recent general traits within the social media atmosphere. Obtain The 2023 Sprout Social Index™ to maintain your group and technique one step forward.
