It can be hard navigating your way through building a brand, but take note of these 5 ways to build an authentic brand and see if they can help!
- Be Authentically Yourself
When it comes to building an authentic brand, it is good to get into the practice of being authentic within yourself. This way when you are making decisions for the brand or for what’s best for you and the brand, these decisions will come from an authentic place. You have got to believe in your own abilities and have a strong sense of self when developing a brand as it will help you make much more informed decisions when the time comes. Building a brand is tough! Being authentic in yourself will make the hard parts just a little easier in time.
- Believe In Your Brand
In order to build an authentic brand, you must believe in your brand as well as the products/service you provide. You cannot create a genuine or authentic image if you don’t 100% believe in your brand and what you’re doing. There will always be ups and downs but ultimately if you don’t believe in the long-term success of your brand, this will translate in the content you put out. You may not be consciously aware of this, but it will also be reflected in your work ethic. An authentic brand is born out of believing in a product or service and doing everything you can to get it out into the world. Try your best not to allow obstacles to block your path when building your brand, allow yourself to think “I believe in what I am doing” and it will help you to combat these negative blocks.
- Create Something You Think Is Worthwhile
Creating something you think is worthwhile is another great step on the way to building an authentic brand. Customers and clients will be able to tell if you are trying to sell them something you don’t really believe in. They will be able to tell whether your product/service is simply a money grab, or whether it is something you have put your heart and soul into. Now I’m not suggesting you put a “made with love” sticker on everything, but rather allow the love for the product/service to come through when talking about brand, customers will pick up on that.
Customers are more likely to purchase a product when they see you using it, or book a service when they can tell you enjoy providing it! If you have genuine interest in what your brand provides, 9 times out of 10 customers will pick up on that and choose your product/service.
- Be Honest and True to Yourself When Dealing with Customers or Creating Products
Think about what kind of products/services you actually like to create, or services you like to do, then find a way to incorporate these into the brand. Stay true to yourself and don’t settle for what you think you need to be doing, instead look into yourself and figure out what you would like to do and how you want things to be done and go from there. When dealing with customers, be honest. If they ask whether a product/service is right for them when really it isn’t – be honest!
Clients and customers respect the hell out of honesty and will be much happier to purchase something else that will be better for them anyway. In some cases, yes you may lose the sale, but you won’t lose out on the authentic and genuine image of your brand that the person walks away with. Who knows, they may tell all their friends about your brand just because of the genuine experience they had with you, or they may come back and purchase in time. Never be afraid of being honest about your brand, people really love it as it is super refreshing, especially in today’s get rich quick era.
- Don’t Feel Pressured by Outside Influences
There will always be pressure from the outside, so take that into consideration when building your brand. People will always have something to say about the way you do things. The key to staying authentic and creating an authentic brand, is to not listen! Yes, positive or constructive feedback is always good to take on board, but when it comes to people trying to change your brand because they think you can make more sales, or expand or sell out – whatever it may be, if it is either negative or not aligned with your values, just block it out.
Another thing to be aware of is copying other brands. It is all well and good to be inspired by others, but if you find yourself changing aspects of your brand to keep up with or imitate other brands then be sure to reel it in and reflect on why you’re doing this. Being trendy and successful is nice and yes important, but trends come and go, so if your brand is something timeless, and can give you sustainable success, then that is much better in the long run. Standing out and being a point of difference in the market is essential for building an authentic brand.
If you’d like to chat about ways to portray and communicate your brand effectively reach out to us and let’s see how we can assist you with your marketing and brand strategy.