Embracing Authenticity in Marketing

Less Than Perfect Marketing Means More Authenticity

When it comes to marketing, there's this idea that everything has to be polished, perfect, and pristine. At least that’s how it used to be, but these days a new idea is emerging that the more uniquely real your content is, the more relatable you will be in the eyes of your customer. Audiences are craving the tangible, gritty aspects of reality, not the polished perfection that has dominated the market over the last 10 years. So what to do? High polish or gritty realism? Lately we’ve been chatting about this concept at our firm, and today we want to dive into the topic of "Less Than Perfect Marketing Means More Authenticity." As it turns out, being a little rough around the edges can make all the difference in connecting with your audience. 

What is Authenticity in Marketing?

First off, authenticity isn't about being flashy or using insider lingo that nobody outside your industry understands. It's about keeping it real, being straightforward, and providing genuine value. At Clark Studios we define authenticity as putting out content that is uniquely ourselves, (or uniquely our client’s selves) and in the marketing space it can be a challenge not to copy what every other marketing firm is doing. During our discussion, Justin said “when it comes to marketing content, it's not about self promotion, or being preachy or salesy, but stripping away all the fluff so you're left with a message that resonates with people and shows them who you really are. It's like having a conversation with a friend rather than listening to a sales pitch.” It's a great opportunity to build trust and loyalty. 

In fact, according to a survey by Label Insight, 94% of consumers are more likely to be loyal to a brand that offers transparency . - Emarsys

Crafting Genuine Content Creates Brand Loyalty

Creating authentic content starts with knowing your audience inside and out. You need to understand your customer’s pain points and what they value. This understanding allows you to craft stories that speak to your customer, not at them. So, how do you create content that is relatable as opposed to content that's so polished that you dismiss it because it's too perfect? To quote Justin again; “take AI for example, you know, that's the big craze and it's not going away. How do we use it as a tool to speed up things, to automate things without making our content too shiny? When we use it to create messaging most of the time it comes out robotic and using words that aren’t commonly used or that wouldn't be used in casual conversation. That's an example of overly polished, right? So you'll get something back from chat GPT that's just over the top and you’ve really got to massage it - by a human being's filter - to make it use the right words that are more relatable and more genuine and not, as we said earlier, overly salesy and overly technical or jargony, but more conversational. As if you are talking to someone over coffee, that is how we would want a message to come across.” 

A study by Stackla reveals that 86% of consumers say authenticity is important when deciding what brands they like and support . - Linearity 

The Role of Transparency in Marketing

Transparency is another key element. Being upfront about what you're offering and what the exchange will be builds trust. It's like saying, "Hey, we're selling something, but here's why it's worth your time and money." No bait and switch here. When you're honest from the get-go, it sets the right expectations and builds a stronger relationship with your customers. People appreciate knowing exactly what they're getting into. So how does authentic content build trust and credibility in terms of creating stronger relationships with customers? In Justin's words; “Transparency fosters trust because you're not hiding anything. You're being very clear about what an offer is, and what the exchange is so the expectations are clear. That builds trust. People expect to pay for something that they're going to receive, whether it's a service or a product. So you might as well come right out with it, and then it comes down to the value exchange. I always ask myself if this thing I’m selling is worth the amount of money for what the customer is going to receive? And that’s the other part of it, having a go-giver perspective. The best posture in marketing is; what can we give you as opposed to what can we extract from you?”

A report by Sprout Social found that 89% of consumers are willing to give transparent brands a second chance after a bad experience, and 85% are more likely to stick with them during a crisis . 

The Perks of Imperfection

Now, let's talk about imperfection. There's something refreshing about a brand that doesn't pretend to be flawless. Justin talks about how even big companies sometimes make mistakes, and the smart ones turn those moments into positives. A typo? Make a joke and offer a discount. It's about showing your human side and turning a slip-up into a moment of connection. It's those little imperfections that make a brand feel more relatable and human. “I think another example of not changing words around, for example, is with customer testimonials for reviews,” says Justin. “An organization or a business will receive a testimonial or a review that has run-on sentences, or has poor grammar or whatever, but that speaks to true authenticity because we're not massaging it. We're not saying, oh, this word shouldn't be there, we're going to elevate it and make us sound better. You can even see on our website, we've got some testimonials that we're extremely grateful for that are not perfectly written and that's okay. It shows that they're coming from a human being and not an overly polished robot on the other side.”

Humanizing Content

Humanizing your content is crucial. Overly polished content can feel sterile and robotic, especially with AI-generated stuff that's all the rage now. It lacks the warmth of a human touch. Sure, AI can help speed things up, but it often needs a real person to tweak it into something genuine and relatable. It's the difference between a stiff corporate voice and a friendly chat over coffee. We might even be making mistakes all over this blog post, but hey, we are practicing what we preach. And it’s very freeing.

Maintaining Standards While Embracing Imperfection

So, how do you keep your brand standards high while still embracing imperfection? It’s a balance. You want to stay true to your brand’s voice and quality, but you also want to leave room for those human touches. Crafting content is not about scaring people with doom and gloom, or saying things like ‘if you don’t buy ‘X’ from us, your life will be horrible’ but rather highlighting positive outcomes and benefits. Think about it—who remembers fear-based ads for long? Not many. But a feel-good message? That sticks around. And, it’s about having multiple perspectives inputting the content, ensuring it’s authentic and not too salesy. And let’s not forget the importance of understanding your audience—knowing their fears, joys, and daily lives helps them feel heard by you, and helps tailor your messaging to connect on a deeper level.

In the end, it’s all about making a genuine connection. Whether you're sharing a perfectly crafted message or a relatable, imperfect story, the goal is the same: to connect with the person you're trying to serve. And sometimes, a little imperfection is exactly what's needed to make that connection real and lasting. So next time you're worried about everything being perfect, remember that a touch of authenticity can go a long way.