You know that influencer you love following on Instagram? The one who seems like your new best friend, even though you’ve never actually met in person? There’s a reason their content engages and resonates with you. It’s authentic. As an influencer and content creator, being authentic is the key to building trust and loyalty with your audience.
When you share stories and posts that provide a genuine glimpse into your life, your audience can relate to you as a real person. They feel like they know the actual you, not some manufactured persona. And when they feel that personal connection, they become loyal and engaged followers. They trust your recommendations and the brands you partner with. Authenticity breeds influencer success.
In an era of curated social feeds and “fake news,” audiences crave realness. As an influencer, tapping into that desire for authenticity is how you cut through the noise and truly connect with your followers. Give them a peek behind the curtain, share the highs and lows of your journey, collaborate with brands you genuinely love. Your followers will reward your realness with their loyalty and support. Authenticity is key.
Build Trust With Your Audience
To build real trust and loyalty with your audience, authenticity is key. As an influencer, your followers want to see the real you – flaws and all. If you want to be an influencer but you don’t know how to get huge followers, then I’ve got good news for you. Socialgreg will help you get a massive following on your preferred social media platform at an affordable rate. Check them out today!
- Share your true passions and interests: Talk about the topics and products you genuinely care about. Your audience will spot disingenuousness from a mile away, so make sure any recommendations or endorsements align with the types of things you actually use and enjoy.
- Open up about your experiences – both good and bad: Don’t just share the highlight reel on social media. Talk about your struggles and imperfections too. Your followers will appreciate your honesty and find you more relatable.
- Collaborate with brands that share your values: The companies you partner with say a lot about you as an influencer. Only work with those whose products and values genuinely match up with your own. Otherwise, your audience may start to question how authentic your recommendations really are.
- Respond to your followers: Engage in genuine conversations with your audience and actually address their comments and questions. Get to know your followers and build real connections with them.
- Be transparent: Clearly disclose any paid partnerships or sponsorships. Your followers deserve to know if you have a business relationship with a brand. Transparency and honesty will strengthen your credibility and keep your followers’ trust.
- Stay true to yourself: Don’t change your content or personality just to please brands or gain more followers. Your authenticity is what built your audience in the first place. Stay grounded and don’t lose sight of why you started creating content. Your followers will stay loyal if you remain genuine and real.
Establish Thought Leadership
To become an influencer, you need to establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry. How do you do that?
First, share your expertise through content creation. Write blog posts, start a podcast, create video tutorials—whatever medium works for you. Besides, you should talk about the topics you know inside and out.
- Discuss lessons you’ve learned, tips and strategies, behind-the-scenes insights, and trends you’re noticing.
- Back up your points with data, examples, case studies, and stories to build credibility.
Next, you should build meaningful connections. Engage with your followers and others in your field.
- Reply to comments and messages.
- Start discussions in LinkedIn groups and on social media.
- Reach out for collaborations with other influencers.
- Look for opportunities to be quoted as an expert source in media publications.
Also, you should not be afraid to take a stance on important issues. Thought leaders have informed opinions and share them to spur debate. Just be sure your position is well-reasoned and supported.
Over time, as you continue creating content, connecting, and weighing in on significant topics, you’ll gain recognition as an authority in your area of expertise. Your followers will come to value your input and insights.
Drive Brand Awareness and Recognition
Build brand credibility
Partnering with influencers who genuinely care about your brand and products helps establish credibility and trust with their followers. Their authentic enthusiasm and recommendations are far more believable than a brand just talking about themselves. When followers see influencers they respect and admire using and endorsing your products or services, it signals to them that your brand is high quality and reputable.
Increase brand awareness
Influencers have a built-in audience that actively engages with them and trusts their opinions. By collaborating with influencers, your brand instantly gains exposure to new potential customers. Even if followers don’t make an immediate purchase, your brand will now be on their radar and familiarity breeds comfort. They’ll recognize your brand in the future and may become customers down the road.
Increase Engagement and Click-Through Rates
Be Transparent
Today’s social media users crave authenticity and transparency from the influencers they follow. You shouldn’t be afraid to share behind-the-scenes details about your life and work. Post casual selfies, quick stories about your day, and what you’re really loving at the moment. Give your followers a glimpse into the real you. This helps to build a genuine connection and trust between you and your audience.
Engage With Your Followers
Take the time to engage with your followers in the comments of your posts. You should also reply to their comments and messages, ask them questions, start discussions, and make them feel seen and heard. This simple act of engagement can significantly boost your click-through rates as followers will be more inclined to check out any links you share or products you promote. Engagement is a two-way street, so make sure you’re actively participating in the conversation.
Share User-Generated Content
Reposting user-generated content, like photos or videos from your followers featuring or using your product, is a great way to increase engagement and build goodwill. Followers will be thrilled to be featured on your profile, and other followers will enjoy seeing authentic customer experiences. This is also an easy way to fill your feed with fresh, engaging content without having to create it yourself. Just be sure to always obtain permission from the follower before reposting their content.
Conclusion
Authenticity is the name of the game in influencer marketing these days. The days of the overly curated Instagram feeds and perfectly poised lifestyle shots are coming to an end. Audiences want real people with real stories to tell. They want influencers who share the good, the bad and the ugly – not just the highlight reel. The influencers who build real connections with their followers by being transparent and vulnerable are the ones who will gain true loyalty and trust. And that kind of loyalty is marketing gold. So if you’re looking to up your influencer marketing game, start by finding partners who aren’t afraid to get real. Authenticity is the only way to build real influence.
