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<\/div>Tip #2 Authenticity is more important than ever<\/h3>\n
Authentic business interactions have been in demand for some time.<\/p>\n
This trend of prioritizing honesty and human connection has grown even more important as businesses adapt to the new normal.<\/p>\n
We’re facing more large-scale, shared uncertainty than most people have experienced since the last world war. The pandemic has attacked multiple fronts – health, social interaction, finance, education, labor, etc. Its impact is hard to avoid.<\/p>\n
And as we previously pointed out<\/a>:<\/p>\n Both anxiety and depression have risen significantly in the wake of the pandemic. In fact, occurrences of anxiety symptoms in 2020 have approximately tripled<\/em><\/a> compared to those reported during the same time period in 2019.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Uncertainty and anxiety make people yearn for stability, for people and brands they can trust.<\/p>\n And authentic human-driven business practices build trust. They reassure people that there’s a port in the storm.<\/p>\n And businesses that put their customers first, communicate with transparency and show their humanity will earn customer loyalty.<\/p>\n As you update your marketing strategy<\/a>, consider your brand and what it stands for. Then look for ways to engage with your audience over your shared common ground.<\/p>\n Social media marketing is a great channel for more intimate interactions.<\/p>\n And, as you craft every new brand message, speak from a place of authenticity. Be honest about what your company is facing. Be open about the values that drive your business.<\/p>\n And, above all, be real.<\/p>\n For example, suppose you’re trying to create value<\/a> by pricing your products or services. In that case, it’s perfectly fine to leverage marketing psychology<\/a> and principles like the decoy effect<\/a> to persuade people to buy specific products or services. But, your pricing should be authentic. Don’t just create random products or service packages that feel inauthentic or contrived.<\/p>\n And, if you find that your brand identity just isn’t on track with your most authentic business, check out our free brand identity guide<\/a>. It may be time to update your visual branding<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The pandemic isn’t just a matter of public health.<\/p>\n COVID-19 has been rabidly politicized in the United States and in many other countries.<\/p>\n So, public health decisions like whether or not to protect others by wearing a mask or sheltering at home have become charged by partisan messaging.<\/p>\n Don’t try to walk a very fine line and avoid offending anyone.<\/p>\n In our politically-charged new normal, the odds are that you won’t succeed. You’ll be best served by picking one side you believe in.<\/p>\n We just finished talking about the importance of authenticity. So, do a gut check – or touch base with senior management – where does your business’s internal compass fall on pandemic-related issues?<\/p>\n You don’t have to make a dramatic proclamation. But it’s important to know where your brand stands so that you can speak appropriately when hot-button issues arise and plan each brand message that resonates with the audience who shares your views.<\/p>\n Share your business’s stance on pandemic-related issues with anyone who will be writing copy, ideating marketing strategy, or handling customer support issues.<\/p>\n It’s important to share a consistent message on these high-stakes topics.<\/p>\n Do you remember the emails that poured into your inbox shortly after the pandemic began?<\/p>\n You know the ones – the messages reassuring everyone ever<\/em> precisely what every brand was doing to cope with the pandemic.<\/p>\n Some of those emails provided useful information or offered a new product or service that brought real value.<\/p>\n But most did not.<\/p>\n And that kind of empty gesture can backfire. It can be interpreted as “virtue signaling” – which isn’t great.<\/p>\n Virtue signaling is taking superficial actions designed to show your brand in a positive moral light without actually investing anything or providing real value to your customers or audience.<\/p>\n <\/div> As Augie Ray presciently pointed out<\/a> way back in March of 2020,<\/p>\n The problem with marketing messages that merely signal your brand\u2019s virtue without doing anything further is that they waste customers\u2019 time and do little to impact your relationship. In fact, messages like that do more to hurt brands because of what\u2019s missing \u2014 anything meaningful for customers.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Virtue signaling is not<\/em> authentic. It’s misleading and disingenuous.<\/p>\n And, it will irritate your customers.<\/p>\n So, don’t do it.<\/p>\n Instead, get ahead of the curve. Derek Goh of Kadence International, a global boutique market research agency, explains<\/a>:<\/p>\n As consumers begin calling these campaigns out for being all-talk and no action, companies are realising the need to move beyond surface-level brand purpose and to start embracing what we refer to as purposeful design, creating products and services which allow consumers to make the world a better place.<\/p><\/blockquote>\nTip #3 You can\u2019t please everyone. So, don\u2019t try<\/h3>\n
Tip #4 Avoid virtue signaling<\/h3>\n
What is virtue signaling?<\/h2>
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