When it comes to influencer marketing, authenticity has become quite the watchword. And while it is significant, its essence has been lost as a result of the normalisation of fake originality in marketing. But in the end, authenticity may be described as the secret ingredient that sets apart exciting influencer marketing campaigns from average and uninteresting ones.

Authenticity should be considered when creating digital and social marketing campaigns from the very beginning of developing your plan. To enable influencers to create content that actually resonates with the audiences, influencer strategies should be adaptable and tailored to their individual personalities and persona niches.

But what does it really mean when it comes to influencer marketing? Here’s our breakdown:

People can smell fake enthusiasm from miles away

A creator's authenticity lies in their connection with their followers. The followers can easily tell when their voice changes from what they are accustomed to hearing. The long-time audiences of creators become used to not only what they are saying, but also how they are saying it. So when brand integrations are in question, it's important to aim to put your influencers in the driver's seat (with amazing built-in safety features owing to good talking points).

When companies are overly prescriptive about what the influencers say or how they do it, it not only alienates the creator but also puts off the followers who have heard the creator speak in dozens of different contexts on a wide range of subjects.

To put it another way, even if the brand (who is not really familiar with the creator and their content) thinks it sounds fantastic, the audience knows the content creator very well and can tell immediately if they are saying anything that isn't "normal."

The devil is in the details

It is quite obvious that the creator is reading from a script when they claim to love a product because it made [insert product benefit here] so much better. Allowing the influencer to get personal and communicate detailed preferences for the product is what makes them authentic to the audiences.

Because they already know how the product fits into the influencer's daily life, if the product is truly something the creator supports and likes, the audience will instantly understand why their beloved social media personality wanted to use it.

In other words, it's essential to allow creators to discuss details that are significant to them and their audience as opposed to what the brand believes to be important to their target audience.

Familiarity drives genuine consideration

We demonstrate higher levels of trust for long-time friends than for people we have just met, it's just human nature. And no matter how someone enters our circle of trust, we certainly cherish those who are in it.

When someone chooses to follow a content creator, it has major psychological implications, which results in viewers caring about what they suggest. Consumers will always have faith in people in their network, and the truth is that a brand will never be able to connect with consumers in the same way that a beloved content creator could.

People frequently follow some of their favourite influencers for years and trust them as they would a friend. That is authenticity acquired over time.

Ultimately, it all comes down to how much trust a set of audience and potential consumers have in a particular creator, as it's probably the strongest factor influencing a sale. When an influencer connects with their audience in a genuine way, the audience views that relationship as a highly valuable personal recommendation. A suggestion from a reliable source is more credible than any other type of advertising now in use.

In comparison to traditional channels, brands who collaborate with the appropriate influencers for their target demographics have superior rates of customer acquisition and retention.

Authenticity in Influencer Marketing: A driver or just a gimmick?