Authenticity in content marketing is simply when companies provide reliable information that’s going to educate and entertain their target audience in a way that will help them develop a loyal and strong relationship with that company. Authentic content marketing strategies are different from marketing strategies that are purely self-promotional because through authentic marketing companies are trying to show their audiences that the company cares about meeting their needs, what the business is all about, and what matches their values.
Marketing
The reason why more companies need to start investing in authentic content marketing strategies is that many consumers these days can easily catch onto any marketing efforts that don’t seem genuine. Through authentic marketing efforts, companies can develop a more trusting relationship with a target audience, and as a company is developing its content marketing strategy, it should see it as a great opportunity to further build its relationship with the target audience, instead of simply looking at it as a way for the company to generate leads. According to research, over 80% of consumers have previously stated that they felt it’s necessary to trust a company before deciding to make a purchase from it. Although generating results as quickly as possible is very attractive for many businesses, companies that are able to create authentic content are easily able to tap into the pain points and needs of the target audience, which generates a bigger impact and better results over time.
A distrust of traditional advertising
To many customers, due to the nature of marketing, it feels that advertising campaigns are used as a manipulation strategy. That’s mostly because a lot of companies still tend to rely on advertising campaigns to generate more sales, and consumers tend to understand this effort, which is why they have learned to ignore many of the advertising campaigns that they come across on a daily basis. However, through strategic and authentic content marketing efforts, companies can create promotional efforts that are going to be a lot more engaging to the customers. Companies have to invest time and effort into showing the consumers that the company understands their pain points, their needs, and values instead of simply boasting about how great the company is, and listing its achievements.
Values
More and more customers are aware of the values that companies that they do business with have, and a large number of customers have started to do business with companies that share their own values. Things like whether a company is treating its employees ethically, whether it’s sustainable and invests in eco-friendly practices, and even the company’s mission statement are important to consumers these days, and one of the best ways for companies to convey all of these effectively is through authentic content marketing efforts.
