Authenticity is the key to understanding your customers and building meaningful relationships. Authenticity is simply the concept of being yourself in front of others without pretense. But how do customers figure out who's being real and who isn't? 

At first glance, a brand is simply an image or idea that consumers have about the products or services of a company. However, digging deeper into this notion of "brand awareness," we find something more profound: A well-defined brand becomes an outward expression of how people feel about themselves. For example, social media users can often tell when someone is just trying to sell them something by giving off fake vibes—and those same users can recognize authenticity when they see it. That's why companies like Zappos make customer service such a high priority; they know that their most important asset isn't necessarily their product, but their relationship with their customers—and these relationships are built on trust, loyalty, and mutual respect.

It's about honesty.

When it comes to companies, customers can smell a fake from a mile away. And they're not afraid to call you out on your BS when they see it. Honesty is one of the most important factors when building trust. A recent survey found that nearly half of Americans would stop doing business with a brand if they found out that the company had lied or misrepresented itself in some way. Frankly, I am wondering who the other half is that would put up with being misled. That's why honesty is so important: If you're not being honest about what you do and who you are, how can anyone trust that anything else about your brand is true?

It's about relating to people as people, not just consumers.

Customers are people, not just consumers. This is the core principle of customer-centricity organizations. Companies need to build relationships to understand what their customers want and need at a deeper level.

To build relationships with your customers, you need to figure out who they really are--what makes them tick? What do they value most in life? What does success look like for them? By authentically communicating who we are as individuals (and how our product helps), we can create meaningful connections between ourselves, our customers, and our prospects.

It's about being human.

So, what does this mean for you? It often means customers don't care about your specific product or service as much as you might think. They also don't care how much money they might save by buying it or how much better off they'll be if they use it. What they do care about is whether or not you're real people with real problems and challenges just like them--and if so, how can you help each other?

Their questions will always be: Are you honest with me? Do I trust the person on the other end of this conversation? Does this person understand my situation? Is there something genuine here? You see, customers can get products from many different providers at many different prices and levels of quality. The human factor is the difference maker.  

Create a company culture that encourages authenticity.

You want to be honest and authentic with your customers. To accomplish this, building a company culture that values honesty and authenticity above all else is important. That means leadership has to model these values themselves, not just talk about them in meetings or write them on posters. It also means leadership must reinforce these ideas through their actions, such as hiring people who share company values and rewarding employees who act authentically and build trust. Finally, building a culture and brand of authenticity and trust means ensuring all of this happens at every level of your organization. You can’t have any inconsistency between what you say and what the customer experiences. 

Authentic companies positively impact their customers' lives by making them feel good about themselves and helping solve problems. This must extend to the people who work at the business as well. The result? Customers love authentic businesses! Research shows that consumers will pay more for products and services from an authentic brand than if they were buying something less "real."

If you want your customers to trust you and be loyal, you need to show them through your brand and actions. The best way to do this is by being honest about who you are as a business so that consumers can make informed decisions about whether or not they want to invest in what you offer.

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