Branding

Honesty is the best policy. This statement is especially true when it comes to brand authenticity. More and more consumers demand authenticity from brands. But what does brand authenticity really mean? Here are a few key components of what brand authenticity is and what it is NOT.

Brand authenticity means being honest and transparent with all current and potential customers. Transparency means showing how you run your business as well as how you create your products or services. You can provide additional product info such as how your product is made, where it is sourced, and a complete list of ingredients.

Being authentic also means apologizing for mistakes. You do not want to sugarcoat your problems. It is better to own up to your missteps than to pretend they never happened or that they were not as bad as they appeared. Admitting your faults makes you seem more vulnerable and ultimately more trustworthy to consumers. Of course, admitting your wrong is only the first step. You also have to solve the problems you have caused in an honest and forthright way.

Consistency is key for brand authenticity. You want to make sure you follow through on your promises because actions always speak louder than words. Part of this is also responding to customer questions and concerns quickly and honestly. Across all platforms and social media, you want to stay on top of customer comments and respond as rapidly as possible. Take time to build relationships with your customers based on authentic two-way communication.

You may want to also focus on the story behind your business. Why did you start your company in the first place? Why are you passionate about your products or services? What is the ultimate vision for your organization? Sharing this authentic story with your employees and customers will help them trust you as an authentic, genuine company. This ultimately leads to deeper customer loyalty.

Another way to build trust is to speak up on social issues. Investing in corporate social responsibility means giving back, so your company stands for something more than just turning a profit. Acting with integrity and donating to causes that make the world a better place will have your company looking more authentic and trustworthy in the eyes of consumers.

Now that you know some examples of what brand authenticity is, here are some examples of what it is not. Being inauthentic on social media is a way to destroy trust in your organization. One way to do this is to buy likes or followers on social media rather than earning them organically. Another example of inauthenticity is to use stock photos rather than real photos taken of your company.

Additionally, jumping onto trends that are irrelevant to your brand is an example of what brand authenticity is not. In 2014, DiGiorno used the popular hashtag #WhyIStayed in a tweet that said, “#WhyIStayed You had pizza.” Unfortunately, the hashtag referred to victims of domestic violence. Trying to hop on a trend without thoroughly researching it can lead brands to seem inauthentic and untrustworthy.

Failing to stay true to your company’s products or services is another example of what brand authenticity is not. In one incident, LG France tweeted from an iPhone, showing that the company’s employees do not use its products. True brand authenticity means staying true to your brand at all times and not letting slip-ups like that take place.

Are you interested in making your brand more authentic? Contact the Borenstein Group, a Top DC marketing agency. We can improve your brand authenticity in no time.

    You can tell potential customers all day long how great you are, but they probably will not listen to you. Brands are not credible in the eyes of consumers. Do you know who they will listen to? Other consumers. That is why customer testimonials are so powerful. Here are a few ways to earn authentic customer testimonials.

Customer testimonials are a form of social proof. In other words, people are more likely to follow the actions of others. We will be more likely to purchase a product or service if we see that other satisfied customers have purchased it already. Customer testimonials also play on our fear of missing out or FOMO. We want to be part of the crowd, not missing out on the latest and greatest the marketplace has to offer.

You can look for organic and authentic testimonials on your social media accounts. Facebook pages allow followers to leave reviews for different companies. Source the reviews you receive on Facebook for testimonials on your own website. Also, look for testimonials left on your Twitter and Instagram accounts. You can ask followers specifically to send in their reviews via social media. By leaving your customer a recommendation or endorsement on LinkedIn, they may leave you a testimonial in return.

Another way to encourage customer testimonials is to incentivize them. Offer a free upgrade or a discount in exchange for an honest testimonial about your product or service. If you have a rewards program, you could also give loyalty points in exchange for reviews. An additional technique is to offer a testimonial swap. If you and your customer have both used each other’s services and are satisfied, then you can both write reviews for one another. You could also offer your product or service for free to get feedback, which is especially useful if you are still establishing your customer base.

To get authentic testimonials from customers, you have to ask open-ended questions about their experience with your product, services or company in general. You want to ask specific questions to get specific answers. Testimonials should focus on the tangible impact you made for your customer and should not be vague. One potential question to ask customers could be would you recommend this service to a friend, and if so why?

You can ask for testimonials from customers via email, over the phone or in person. It helps to ask immediately after your project is done or after they have gotten value from your product or service. That way, you are still fresh in their minds. You could send out a survey via email with questions asking for a testimonial. Be sure to also save emails with kind, organic comments from customers and ask their permission to publish the testimonials on your website.

Are you looking to boost your customer testimonials? Turn to the experts at the Borenstein Group, a Top DC marketing agency. We can help you quickly earn authentic customer testimonials to boost your bottom line.

Predictive marketing is a key buzzword in the marketing world today. But what does predictive marketing mean, and how can it help B2B marketers?  Brafton defines predictive marketing as, “the strategic use of existing customer datasets to identify patterns and anticipate future customer behaviors, sales trends, and marketing outcomes.” Basically, predictive marketing helps you determine which strategies will succeed and which will fail.

For B2B marketers, predictive marketing can help improve the sales funnel. Specifically, it can help you determine the likelihood of leads to convert to customers through predictive lead scoring. Predictive lead scoring looks at your CRM data and the behavior of past won and lost deals to assign a value to a new lead. Your sales team can work more effectively and efficiently when they know which incoming leads are worth their time and which can be let go.

B2B marketers can also rely on this to segment customers. According to Emerj, there are several ways to segment customers through predictive marketing, including demographics and behavior. Predictive models can also determine the likelihood of customers to convert or churn, as well as the likely lifetime value of a customer. Finally, predictive marketing can sort customers by recommended

 products or services. Popular examples of this sort of this are recommended products on Amazon or shows on Netflix. This type of segmentation can help marketers upsell services to customers.

Predictive marketing can join forces with content marketing to deliver successful results for B2B marketers. Using sophisticated algorithms, it determines what right content should be presented to customers at the right time. This highly targeted content can help educate customers and move them further along in the sales cycle.

Ultimately, predictive marketing is a trend B2B marketers can’t ignore in 2019. If you need help implementing predictive marketing strategies, contact the Borenstein Group, Top Washington DC Marketing Agency, today.