Photo by Joshua Hoehne
In the world of social media, the word authenticity is thrown out randomly. From individuals to businesses, everyone is asked to be authentic. It is hard to argue against because authenticity is important. Before diving deep into why authenticity is important for growing your business, it is important to examine the meaning of the word. To be authentic means to stay true to who you are, what you do and who and what you serve. When you want to create an authentic business, you first need to identify why you created this business. It is important to remind yourself of the reason behind the creation of the business to stay away from the rat race and become inauthentic in the process.
Why Is Authenticity Important In Business?
1. To gain the trust of the customers
If you are building a business and you want it to be sustainable, you need to gain the trust of the customers for the products and services that you are delivering. Authenticity in business creates a reputation and this element works like a charm when one needs to attract new customers or investors in the business.
2. To build a loyal customer base
Acquiring customers is easier than turning them into loyal customers. You can attract new customers with promises and other marketing strategies, however, a loyal customer base can be built on the basis of authenticity. For instance, if you are running a photography agency, ensure that while clicking Sexy Photos of the models, you add your own touch of magic to it. This will help in making your service unique and it becomes easier to build a loyal customer base. By building an authentic business, you ensure that the customers that you have retained stay true to you.
3. It helps in making genuine connections
Networking or making connections is an integral part of running and growing a business. By being authentic and running an authentic business, you will most probably end up with a bunch of people with whom you really want to work and serve. Running an authentic business ensures that the core values of everyone are somewhat on the same page and this is extremely helpful in making genuine connections which is extremely beneficial in the long run. Business authenticity works like a brand consistency, where you end up putting the same logo across different platforms like WhatsApp Status or Instagram logo. The key here is to stay consistent and be authentic. When you are authentic, you do not need to fake your business.
4. Rids the business out of rat race
The world is filled with many businesses and with so many companies floating around, the competition is high too. It is extremely easy to get lost in this rat race and start creating products and services by copying others. However, it is not a sustainable way of growing your business because you are not filling any gap. You are simply copying other businesses to serve your customers and this might work for a short time but is not sustainable in the terms of long-term value. By running an authentic business, you free yourself of the rat race and create better products and services that can actually make a difference.
5. It makes it easier for the customers to associate with a business
According to a survey conducted by Stackla in 2019, 86% of the customers accepted that authenticity acts as a deciding factor for supporting a brand. Authenticity is particularly important for millennial and generation Z customers who want to identify themselves with an authentic brand.
How To Run An Authentic Business?
For building an authentic business, it is important to identify the core values of the business. Once you have identified the core values of the business, it becomes easier to stay rooted with those core values and get distracted with other superficial elements.
The second step to grow an authentic business is by engaging with the customers. Engaging with customers will help you to understand their problems, requirements and expectations from the brand. This vital piece of information comes in handy to ensure that your business manages to fulfill the expectations of the customers on the basis of primary data that has come directly from the customers instead of depending upon secondary sources of data.
The last and very final step requires one to drop the corporate jargon and run behind the definition of success decided by other people and businesses. As discussed, getting lost in a rat race is not at all beneficial. So, stay focused on the core values and away from the corporate jargon to build a real authentic business. Also, creating an authentic business brings more peace and will help you in creating more authentic products and services out there.
This content is a joint venture between our publication and our partner. We do not endorse any product or service in the article.
