Five ways for smart marketers to build an authentic brand in 2023

2. Have passion

If you don’t like the business or believe in it, it will be very difficult to build its authenticity. Without being passionate about the brand, or anything in general, you will not be able to create a real presence that an audience would trust or believe in. Building brand authenticity is a challenge and is going to take time, but a strong work ethic and belief in the brand will prove to be fruitful in the long run.

3. Create a brand you would want to buy from

If you are trying to build brand authenticity but would not purchase the product or do not believe in its worth, this will translate throughout the marketing execution. The target audience can tell that the brand is only trying to make money and not endeavouring to make a real human connection. If the target audience can see that the owner, marketer, or brand itself is not using the product or is not invested in it, they will likely not buy it.

4. Be honest and be natural

When building a brand or dealing with customers, you should be honest with yourself and follow the route that feels natural. If you always do what you think people want, it will likely not be successful. At the end of the day, a brand aims to tell the customer they need the product or service they’re selling, and not have the customer tell the brand how to market their product or service. But a brand will also be able to build authenticity by being honest with its customers.

5. Don’t be influenced or pressured

Influence and pressure are not always bad as they may lead to growth, but too much outside influence and pressure from people is bad for brand building. This will often lead to choices made in a rush or with the wrong intentions, damaging brand image. Feedback can be good for growing and improving a brand, but feedback from influences that think they know more about the brand or what’s best for the brand is often detrimental. What works for one brand does not always work for another, and the audience will be able to tell if a brand is trying to mirror another similar brand.

The Institute of Marketing Management South Africa is a founder member of the African Marketing Confederation. Read the original blog post here.