How Brand Authenticity will enhance your Customer Experience

In an era where consumer trust has plummeted across all industries, honesty and authenticity have emerged as the attributes that matter most.

Today, it is vital for companies to connect with their consumers on a deeper and more satisfying level, through positive customer experience and by refocusing their brand to one that is more authentic.

Global media intelligence provider, Meltwater, believes your Customer Experience is what will make you stand out above the rest – or not.

Becky Opdyke, Castle Lite Brand Director and speaker at Meltwater’s Biz Breakfast Event explains, “How customers perceive their interactions with a company is the core of customer experience and will essentially determine where your company is positioned in the marketplace.”

Advertisers and brand managers are shifting their focus from creating simple brand messages towards building a lasting brand-customer relationship through brand authenticity.

In this day and age, in a extremely competitive market place, a unique price or brand offering is not enough to differentiate yourself across your different competitors.

It’s not just the market place that is changing but also the consumer.

With regards to social media consumers are drowning in an excess amount of content daily.

For companies this means there is an urgency for authenticity and companies need to focus or rely more on that instead of just on advertising.

It starts with listening. Meltwater’s online Media Intelligence system allows clients to listen-in and hear what the consumer is saying.

This means listening to the conversation shaping your industry, and learning how to connect with your audience, and engage authentically.

Opdyke explained that the 4C’s of Marketing is key to creating an authentic brand.

Consistency

You need to remain true to your brand’s positioning and to the core product truths as well as how you communicate them to your consumers without losing your audience’s attention.

What’s important is that you keep them entertained with fresh content that is relatable without trailing off from who you are as a brand.

Consumer insight

Understanding the customer should be at the heart of everything a company does in marketing.

The reality is that it’s a human truth that drives your creative message and execution and makes marketing relevant and engaging.

Consumer insight should be tough and have tension and if you are told what it is, it should essentially make you a little bit uncomfortable.

Connection

Connect with your consumers through their passions and favourite activities, through the unique perspective driven by brand positioning and authenticity – add value to your consumers.

How you become authentic is by making that human connection.

Logo slapping is inauthentic, the magic comes from having a real conversation with people.

Consciousness

Being conscious is about listening and being aware, responding appropriately, with the right tone or voice.

You should listen to your consumers, and ensure that your brand is a living breathing part of the conversation about issues that matter to your and their current socio-political context.

You need to stay consistent with your products by staying true to your brand, and add value to your consumers.

Local businesses are adopting a variety of social media monitoring tools, big data solutions, and a variety of other digital resources in order to stay competitive and create brand authenticity.

Media intelligence allows you to inform strategy, connect with your audience, and measure success which is imperative in the day and age we live in.

Media Intelligence allows companies to stay on top of billions of real-time editorial, blog, and social media conversations, and extract the insights needed to understand and drive brand perception.

“It’s about adapting and being more thoughtful as you move forward, because unlike 50 years ago, our brands are living and breathing now everyday, with life, conversation and community,” added Opdyke.

“It used to be about what the beer number sold is on the spreadsheet, now it’s about how the conversations are going and if we are making a difference to our consumers and the world.”

For more information visit https://www.meltwater.com/za.