5 Ways to Keep Your Brand Authentic

Consumers love the latest and greatest brands, but they also love to be brand loyal. Ever wonder why you keep buying that Neutrogena face wash and not the cheaper Target brand? Brand loyalty and a myriad of other consumer influences are at play. Brand loyalty is a major motivator of consumer behavior and very powerful when used to your business’ advantage. In order to build and maintain brand loyalty, your small business’ brand has to remain authentic.

With different brands and marketing tools popping up all the time, it can be alluring to alter your brand’s direction. Sometimes brands do need some livening up or a simple makeover, however it is extremely important to maintain your brand’s foundation. Maybe it’s a mission statement that you’ve built your brand around or a brand profile that you adhere you. No matter the case, staying authentically you is what sets your business apart from your competitors. Here are 5 ways to keep your brand authentic and your brand loyalty growing:

Stick to Your Values

At the core of your small business are the values that motivate you. Whether you value growth or innovation, your brand identity centers around the values you hold dear. Even when your company takes another direction or branches off, remember to always adhere to your values. This will help keep your brand authentic and ensure that your business does not take a turn that goes against what its stands for.

Be Consistent

As with any product or service, consistency is key and the same goes for your brand. If you are known for specific colors or phrases, your business can easily remain authentic by continuing to use them. Having specific days that your write blogs or respond to customer emails also help keep your brand authentic. After all, the goal is maintain and generate brand loyalty so that your customers keep coming back! If you stay consistently true to your brand, you will reap the rewards.

Keep Your Personality

Whether your brand is known for being fun or luxurious, make sure the personality you portray remains the same. Consumers love to see themselves or people they enjoy reflected in the brands they consume. This may seem like a weird concept, but when you think about it, it makes sense. Consumers love to have a personal relationship with the brands they buy. They also enjoy seeing themselves reflected in brands. Brand names are designed to define our identity as consumers and be an extension of our own personalities. Don’t confuse your loyal customers by changing around your business’ personality!

Maintain Your Integrity

At the heart of any business is the ethics it lives by. The same goes for your brand. Your brand’s integrity and ethics help guide the direction your company takes in marketing and advertising. Maintaining your brand’s integrity will help ensure your brand does not sway to far from its
foundation. If you are built on the idea of giving back to your community, maintain your integrity by continuing to follow through. Refraining from falsely representing your products or services to customers will also ensure your brand’s integrity. When in doubt, remember to always be true to your brand and keep your brand’s integrity intact!

Be Flexible and Sometimes Malleable

This is the grey area of branding: How to you stay true to your brand while also staying true to the times? When Pepsi decided it needed a new branding tactic, it required a new logo. Instead of going off and completely redoing their iconic image, they kept the same concept but modernized it. Most brands will reach a point when they have to alter their original slogan or marketing tactics. However, it is important to remain flexible and sometimes malleable when the time comes to tweak your brand. Sway away from your original brand but DO NOT completely break away from your roots.

Like Pepsi and many other iconic brands, stay authentic but don’t be afraid to take your brand into the modern age. Do not be afraid to modernize your brand, but always keep your brand’s foundation alive! Staying authentic is incredibly important to the success of your small business. Authenticity helps maintain your customer base and build brand loyal customers!

Remember to keep these ideas in mind when evaluating or building your brand! For more information about what brand authenticity can be for your business check out this document by Kite Brand Studio. As always, remember to share your success stories with us!

– Mackenzie Priest