Who Do You Say You Are? (Brand Edition)

Imagine your favourite shoe store is running a sale. They promise you a “two for the price of one” special for a particular period of time. They give a heads-up like most brands do and so you prepare. You save up, set your reminders and gear up because you’re going to get yourself four pairs of the most amazing shoes. You’re so giddy you can barely keep your excitement in. You’ve already picked outfits that will go with each pair. The day comes and you head there because you’re not about to let those shoes be owned by someone else. However, once you’re ready to pay you’re told a price that is way above budget. You remind them of their promise and their response is ‘Oh it was for the first five customers’. You’re livid because it was never stated and their only excuse is that it was an oversight. They apologize and give you a coupon that can’t even pay for one of the four shoes. How would that make you feel? Disappointed? Lied to? Upset?

From the picture painted, I can tell you a couple of things. For starters, to you, that brand is cancelled, if by any chance you come across another promo of theirs, you’re most likely going to ignore it and most importantly anyone that mentions that store will hear about your ordeal. From there, news spreads and that brand will lose consumers. No one wants that.

As a business owner, the risk of a loss gives more nightmares than any other thing. So, everything is done to avoid it. One thing that can cause a big decline in sales is an inauthentic brand. So ask yourself; As a brand, who do you say you are? What do you stand for?

It is safe to say that when your consumers can no longer vouch for you, you’re well on your way to a drop in your market value. The way a consumer sees a brand to be true to who they are is known as ‘Brand Authenticity’. Simply put, you are as genuine as the trust your audience has for you.

Therefore, in order to convert and keep your audience, you have to avoid contradicting yourself. Let your word be your bond. It is always better to underpromise and overdeliver than the reverse. 

Authenticity should run across board from your mission and values to things like ambassadorship. Let’s say you have a wine shop. You don’t want the face of your brand to be someone who doesn’t drink or was seen at any point slandering alcohol. It can throw people off. You want to make sure that at all times, who you have claimed to be is who you will always be. You may ask “what if I want to evolve? Or change strategy?” No one can stop a brand from growing. In fact, growth is a good sign of an authentic brand. The trick is to communicate this growth. Let your audience be carried along on your journey. Don’t forget they are one of your greatest assets when it comes to campaigning for your brand. The best part is that they work both offline and online, all for the price of good customer service. It’s a win-win for both of you. It would help if you took a peek at our thoughts on communication with your audience. We would love to know your thoughts too.

Making promises, listing your goals, and writing your mission statement is the easy part. It becomes difficult when you have to keep and fulfil these set goals. So, make it a point of duty to work with your team and create proper action plans that will enable you to execute every promise made.

Below is our authenticity checklist. Fill this with your team and rate yourself. There really is no wrong answer. If your score is below 50%, no need to worry. You’re on your way to fixing the issues and becoming a force. If it’s above 50%, that’s great! Keep soaring and if it’s just 50%, good job there is always room for improvement.

Remember, whatever your score you can always achieve more. Need to increase your authenticity card but not sure how? DBO Agency is ready to help you with an upgrade. Schedule a session today.

PS; The month of March is Women’s History Month. Those who constantly make waves in their various spheres. You don’t want to miss out on our amazing content. Watch this space and before we forget; Catch up with us on all our posts and of course, Welcome To March. ’