Authenticity is a key attribute that all modern brands must have if they wish to succeed. Businesses must appear authentic in the eyes of consumers if they want to generate sales, and affiliate programs must be authentic if they want to attract partners.
The ecommerce and digital business landscape is oversaturated and extremely competitive. If you want to stand out from the crowd and establish yourself, authenticity in brand and your program is essential. Read on to learn more…
What does authenticity mean?
If you want your business to succeed, authenticity is crucial. Studies have shown that over 70% of consumers will favour brands that they perceive to be authentic. This is an impressive statistic that clearly demonstrates just how important authenticity is.
What does authenticity actually mean? To put it simply, authenticity means that your brand or program is regarded as honest, legitimate, reliable, and safe. These are obviously key characteristics that all brands should strive to maintain, but doing so is often easier said than done.
We’ve written up a guide with some advice that can help you establish and convey a sense of authenticity in brand and program performance:
Be unique
Setting yourself apart from the competition should be high on your list of priorities. There are innumerable digital businesses and countless affiliate programs out there. If you want to succeed, you’ll need a unique selling point.
Generic brands and businesses that sell a huge range of products are everywhere. They’re not only forgettable, but they can also make consumers wary. These jack-of-all-trades businesses appear to be focused on profits above all else, with little care for the quality of service they provide.
The best way to avoid falling into this trap yourself is to have a unique selling point. This could be focusing on a niche and providing high-quality products via your affiliate business or offering a generous cookie window in your affiliate program. Whatever it is, a unique selling point will help you cut through the noise and make you seem more authentic and attractive in the eyes of customers and partners.
Inform and educate
As a brand, the content you produce and publish is incredibly important and can be a significant factor that determines your chances of success. Whether it’s images, videos, blog posts, or podcasts, content is how you deliver your brand messaging and advertise your business.
First and foremost, content needs to be entertaining. If it isn’t, it’s not going to engage viewers and they will quickly scroll past. However, if you want to convey a sense of authenticity, your content should also be informative. Things like tutorial videos and instructional content are extremely popular online. Content of this kind offers something of value rather than existing purely for entertainment and marketing purposes, which makes it seem more authentic and can help your brand form more meaningful connections with consumers.
What about affiliate programs?
The key here is education and guidance. The affiliate marketing industry is growing rapidly, with more and more people taking their first steps and kick-starting their own affiliate marketing journey. As a program manager, offering education and guidance to your partners, both new and experienced alike, will establish you as a voice of authority and is an effective way of making your program appear authentic and reliable.
Acquiring and onboarding new affiliates can be tough, particularly in what is an increasingly competitive field. However, if your program can help new partners find their feet quickly and can support them on their journey, you’ll see results improve significantly.
Communication and transparency
Communication is a fundamental cornerstone of an authentic brand. Modern consumers expect to be able to communicate with businesses, which means you must strive to respond to all questions and queries as promptly as possible. You should monitor emails and track social media inboxes to ensure you don’t miss out on any messages from customers.
Transparency is important too. As an affiliate marketer, you should always disclose your affiliate partnerships so that consumers know what you’re being paid to promote. This is particularly important for influencers and can help them build a more authentic brand that followers will connect with.
For affiliate managers, offering transparency in your program is essential. By providing your partners with detailed insights on performance and payment data, you’ll give them the tools they need to do their job more effectively and will ensure they feel well-informed at all times. If you are making any changes to your program, you should always inform affiliates in plenty of time so that they are not caught unawares.
Conclusion
If want to take your brand or your affiliate program to the next level, establishing and conveying a sense of authenticity should be a top priority. Having a unique selling point, informing and educating customers and partners, and striving to be communicative and transparent are all effective means of doing so.
NEED HELP WITH YOUR AFFILIATE PROGRAM?
If you’re looking for more affiliate marketing insights, check out our blog for the latest news and advice. For a more personalised approach, book a free call and speak to a member of our team. We can help fast-track the launch of your affiliate program and put you on the path to success.
KEEP LEARNING TO AMPLIFY YOUR PARTNERSHIPS
Our AMPLIFY Virtual Summit will be held on 23-24 January 2024. At this unmissable event, you’ll have the chance to join thousands of affiliate industry practitioners from around the world and access key digital marketing advice and guidance to help you AMPLIFY your performance. All content will be available to stream directly to your desk, wherever you are!
