What makes authentic videos so captivating?
The motivating TED Talks, hilarious TikToks, ASMR videos, and inspiring influencers. What do they all have in common?
An authentic, personal touch.
But what does it mean to be ‘authentic’? The word is thrown around so much we’ve forgotten what it is, and why brands should even care.
Read on to find out what it actually means for brands to make authentic videos and how your brand can benefit.
What does it mean to be authentic?
With so much fake news, fake followers, and even fake appearances, we’ve entered the digital age where authenticity is the golden apple for our hungry consumers.
But how can a brand, with its core purpose being to sell, appear authentic, real and honest in video marketing? How do we show consumers that we genuinely care what they think?
News flash: it’s by genuinely caring about what consumers think!
According to Social Media Today, 90% of Millennials say that authenticity is more important than the perfect packaged look.
This means brands should shift their focus from selling products/services, to selling real, organic content. How? By selling value instead of product benefits.
How does making authentic videos effect my brand?
Since the arrival of the COVID-19 virus, a higher percentage of human interaction occurs online, according to a Pepperdine University study.
In an increasingly plastic, glossy world, people want to see what’s real. And what better way to show them “real” than authentic, passionate videos?
Solid Emotional Bonds
Consumers thrive on human interaction. The need for connection is as instinctive as breathing, with research suggesting that low levels of social connection could lead to declining physical and psychological health. Consumers want to watch authentic videos that mimic the human, social connection one feels outside of the black mirror. Anything less results in a detachment from the brand, and the feeling of being talked at rather than being talked to. And what better way to mirror human interaction and social connection than through videos of people that consumers admire? People that have honest, reliable opinions on brands and products that interest their followers? Themselves? We call them REALfluencers. According to Social Media Today, consumers watch live videos 3 times longer than pre-recorded videos. Live video is thus proven to create stronger and quicker bonds to the brand when they see other consumers experiencing it.
Great Engagement
According to research, consumers find authenticity and clear messaging to be the most important traits for an engaging video.
The twist is: trying too hard to fit a predetermined mold for authenticity can actually make you seem inauthentic.
This can lead to consumers feeling detached from a brand, as though they are being told what to want instead of having the freedom to think of what they actually want.
By using organic, real video content, consumers are more likely to relate and bond with the brand – making them comfortable to ask questions, get feedback, and make purchases.
Strong Brand Trust
Consumers are more keen to trust brand recommendations from friends, peers, or people they look up to.
According to a Forbes article, 84 percent of consumers trust online peer reviews just as much as recommendations from friends.
It’s the reason consumers listen to Skinfluencers instead of dermatologists or style tips from fashion influencers instead of magazines.
Logically, they know who the real professional is, but emotion always trumps logic in consumer purchasing decisions. Consumers are thus more likely to listen to people they can trust.
But how does trust relate to authenticity?
Well, Harvard Business Review says that trust is made up of three essential parts: authenticity, logic and empathy. Consumers are more likely to trust you if they believe they’re interacting with the real you (authenticity), when they believe in your competence and judgement (logic), and when they feel you care for them (empathy).
Therefore, by delivering authentic video content, brands could strengthen the brand-consumer connection and build greater consumer trust, ultimately establishing long-term relationships.
Video marketing is an integral strategy that is very relevant today, but if you’re using this strategy with the core purpose to sell, you might be missing the mark with your consumers. Consumers prefer an authentic personal touch to their videos that deviates from the perfect packaged look.
If authenticity means for a person to be themselves, who says brands can’t do the same?
Beware that trying too hard to appear authentic can actually make you seem inauthentic – a highly cringe factor that brands should try to avoid. Be sure to have clear messaging that accurately represents your brand, as you don’t want to present consumers something that you can’t deliver.
So if your long-term goal is to ultimately build more solid consumer bonds, stronger brand trust and unique, insightful engagement, then making authentic videos is the way to go!
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