Recently, Wizz gave a talk on all things brand authenticity with Ayton Global. Together they collaborated on market research on what “authenticity” actually means to customers. And it’s safe to say that the insights were very eye-opening!

Wizz decided to pull them together and create three actionable steps that you can take within your business to build trust with your customers and get more sales as a result. You can thank us later…

Step One: How customers are researching your products 

Google: First things first, consider what your customer’s pain point is and how you solve it. Then, head to Google and search for that problem, assessing whether your brand ranks on the first page or first few pages. 

If you don’t rank, it’s time to create a new blog post that is tightly focused on this problem and is search engine optimised. Continue to create posts that are super relevant until you begin ranking (and beyond) so that your values are clear.

Retail Websites: Are you stocked by any retailers? If yes, have a detailed look at how your product is categorised. If you’re in the incorrect “digital aisles”, your customers may not be finding you whilst browsing. A common problem we see with clients that is easily rectified. 

If you’re not stocked by retailers yet, create a retail strategy: identity who you want to approach in 2021 and check out our blog: five tips for pitching to retailers in a post-lockdown world.

In store: When we did this survey at the end of July, it reinforced that “real life” retail certainly isn’t dead! It is evolving though. Focus on the retailers that are investing in the future and are riding this wave of change: You can find this out by signing up for trade news and looking at company reports. There are some exciting retailers that are scaling quickly and getting stocked by them could hugely grow your brand.

Step Two: Assess what stands out when people research your products

To ensure that you maintain brand authenticity, you need to have customer reviews. If you’re struggling to get them, consider how you can incentivise your customers. Perhaps you can give them a discount code for their next purchase or a gift, for example.

You also need to consider what claims you’re making for your product and how you’re backing them up to assure your potential customers that the information you’re sharing is authentic. How do you prove the efficacy of your products? The good news is Ayton Global Research can take this task off your hands. 

Finally, look at whether you’re getting referrals. Aka are you harnessing the power of free PR? Whilst loyal customers will repurchase, brand advocates will shout about you from the rooftops, which is a great way to prove your authenticity. To increase your number of brand advocates, encourage social sharing with calls to action, launch a refer-a-friend scheme and ensure your customer experience is amazing so that your customers can’t help but rave!

Step Three: Assess whether you’re on the right social channels

There’s no point talking if you’re talking to the wrong people! Make sure that you’re completely clear on your customer demographic and their values.

The top channels for 18-35 year-olds are: 

1. Instagram 

2. Facebook 

3. YouTube

For 36-70 years olds they are:

1. Facebook

2. Instagram

3. YouTube 

How much time do you dedicate to each platform? Divide the hours spent on marketing and community management for each platform proportionately to how they rank for your target market. 

What does authenticity mean to customers?

It was brilliant to hear from over 200 customers throughout our research to gain insight into what they viewed as “authenticity”. Here’s what one individual said that rang true across most of the board…

Authenticity is, “Telling consumers exactly what their products are, what they do, and what is in them with complete transparency. Having a story/message, owning it, and sticking to it without compromising their values for sales or to follow a trend.” 

Sign up to our mailing list today to get exclusive access to Wizz’s trend presentation, to learn everything you need to know about consumer and retail trends and purchasing habits in a post-pandemic world. You will learn how to attract more customers and stand out among the noise of the busy retail landscape. Trust us, you don’t want to miss it!