Enabled by the power of social media, consumers have become more socially aware – and active as voices for change – than ever before. Passion and outrage are two of social media’s key drivers, and incredibly powerful motivators. In turn, this has a fairly big flow-on into business.

Where consumers choose to spend their money is becoming one of the most impactful reflections of their social views. People are strongly connected to their personal beliefs, so they’ll naturally gravitate to businesses that make authentic branding a priority.

But how can brands integrate their authentic brand voice into their business? Read on to find out.

DELVE DEEP: WHO ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS?

As any marketer knows, we have moved far beyond demographics. Advanced, researched-backed psychographic information and behavioural traits drive our marketing segmentation today.

In this day and age, businesses must know what their customers believe in. What makes them tick? What makes them angry? What makes them ecstatic? What makes them abandon a business and never return? If your brand values align closely with your customer’s values, you have an influential connection with them.

So how do you do this? You need to get to know them. Perhaps you’ll perform your own research – maybe you’ll set up a social media competition that gets your customers tagging your business. From here, you can do some digging into who your customers are – the conversations they’re having, other brands they love, what they’re listening to, etc. maybe you’ll ask customers to complete a quick marketing survey for an instant 5% off. Doing your own marketing research can be incredibly useful here.

DON’T BE PASSIVE. SPEAK UP!

When a major political event happens that you feel is relevant to your customer’s values (and naturally, your brand values), don’t remain passive. Speak up! Sure, it can be a little too easy to just sit on the sidelines and stay quiet. Many businesses fear saying the wrong thing. Show you understand the issue. Show you’ve done your research. Show how your business is supporting this issue – either by educating people or perhaps linking to relevant causes. Your audience will respect you for doing this, and it’ll significantly strengthen the relationship you have with your customers. By speaking up when important social events happen, your business’ brand values become far more visible to your customers.

MAKE A HABIT OF SHARING YOUR CORE BRAND BELIEFS

As established, businesses need to take a stand when major political issues arise. But they also need to commit to expressing their core beliefs regularly. Customers may find it jarring and even insensitive if businesses suddenly start to claim an affiliation with a particular movement or belief. While this should never stop businesses from taking a stand, a great tip to solidify your brand voice is to use it every day. You may choose to partner with certain organisations, or just use your social media to platform important issues.

GROW A BRAND WITH STRONG BRAND VALUES

You need your established brand values to become central to your entire business operations and activities. This means your team needs to accommodate your brand values. This starts with the hiring process. When you hire team members, be transparent and tell them what your brand stands for. Make it clear that your brand values are fundamental to the business and your customers, so they need to come across through the team too. Will every candidate align with your values? Nope. But that’s ok. You will be able to build a team that aligns with your core brand values.

By having your brand values shine through the entire team, it makes it far easier for customers to trust your business. It shows them your brand voice is more than just a mission statement on the company website. It proves your business lives and breathes its values. When your customers see this, it helps establish a longstanding loyalty to your brand.

LET YOUR BRANDING WALK THE WALK

Rather than talking the talk, you need to walk the walk when it comes to expressing your brand values, day-in, day-out. Customers, clients and employees all expect to see businesses and brands living and breathing their brand voice. When employees feel their company values aren’t prioritised at the top, they notice.

A 2019 survey by Hibob found that 69% of people reconsider job offers when they suspect a toxic company culture. Importantly, 77% of survey respondents felt company culture is critical. Meanwhile, 56% felt opportunities to grow in the organisation were more important than salary.

A business’ brand values inform every aspect of the company. These values do need to be exhibited day-in-day-out. This will prove to employees, and your customers, that this is your authentic brand voice.

WHY INVEST IN YOUR AUTHENTIC BRAND VOICE?

Establishing and maintaining an authentic brand voice means you and your employees can be proud of the work you’re doing. Plus, it has immeasurable benefits on the relationship you have with your customers. With an authentic brand voice, your customers can resonate on a personal level with your brand. This will establish strong brand loyalty in your customers that will keep them coming back for the long term.

To start capitalising on your brand voice, be sure to contact Ronin Marketing. Our team of marketing experts have the knowledge and expertise to deliver tailored marketing solutions that speak to your customers and inspire long term customer loyalty.