We are at an incredible point in the history of commerce. The progression of technology has brought the ability to found, own and operate a business within reach of the majority of the world’s population. But, how can one have a brand that stands out with the increasing competition?

Globalization has expanded the customer base for many businesses, to nearly the entire world. Along with that, consumers now have more options than ever, for just about every product and service. The consumer has more choice than ever before. For the service providers, retailers, and manufacturers of the world, this choice leads to steep competition.

It is more important than ever for your brand to stand out amongst competitors and in the market as a whole. In the current market, brands must be noteworthy in order to thrive.

How to stand out

Amongst the fierce competition, how are you to craft your branding strategy in a way that sets you apart? Of course, there are a number of things which go into making a brand noteworthy and memorable, but with this post, we’ll explore one piece in particular. This piece is arguably the most important of all.

Quite simply, the key to a successful branding strategy in today’s saturated market is authenticity.
This is the single most powerful differentiator that brands can deploy to distinguish themselves from competitors and leave a lasting impression.

Steps to creating an authentic brand

Being authentic can mean a number of things.

Charging your branding and marketing with emotion, for one. Creating an emotional connection with the customer is an effective way to ensure a lasting impression. This capitalizes on the way that the human brain catalogs and stores memories. Memories with a stronger emotional association are logged as being more important and are remembered in greater detail.

Making your brand voice more human is another great tactic. Many brands make the mistake of using a very corporate brand voice. This type of voice comes off as being sterile and distant. Injecting some humanity and emotion into your brand’s customer-facing language can go a long way.

Being more conversational in customer service is another way of being authentic. Positioning your brand so that any customer can reach you at any time and receive a human response in a reasonable amount of time.

Lastly, sometimes authentic brands put themselves out there. Whether that is taking a public stand for something that the company believes in, or owning up to a mistake in an honest and humble way. This resonates with customers and immediately garners respect.

In today’s market, successful brands are those that are evidently driven by a greater purpose, connect with customers on a one-to-one level, display their humanity, and are not afraid to stand for something. Today’s consumer wants to support brands that have values, not corporate monoliths driven by profit.