A PR and marketing trend that continues to gain traction in 2023 is that of authenticity. And, according to
Forbes, in 2023 up to 90% of consumers consider a business's authenticity to be an integral factor in their purchasing decision.
Forbes also notes that Millennials and Gen Z audiences seek
authentic and
organic content from brands.
One of the easiest ways that PR organisations can position brands as more authentic to the public eye is by appealing to them through their own people — this is where influencers come in.
So, what should PR pros do to ensure their influencer strategies tick the authenticity box in 2023?
media update's Lara Smit points out three ways that they can right here:
1. Select the right influencers
To ensure that a brand's messaging comes across as more
natural and
genuine, PR pros need to seek out the
right influencers who have authentic relationships with their followers.
Therefore, PR pros should aim to scout out influencers who have a smaller following pool that allow them to build these connections with users, like
micro and nano-influencers.
Besides their following, these influencers should also produce content that falls into a category or niche that aligns with the values, mission and image of the brand they partner with. This allows the brand messaging to correlate with its content, making the integration of its messages more seamless and natural.
Luckily, there are tools to help PR pros discover influencers and keep track of them to see if they are the right fit. An example of these tools are
amaSocial's Influencer Discovery and
Influencer Management.
2. Target the right platforms
In an article published by
The Drum, the co-founder of The Influencer Marketing Factory Alessandro Bogliari states that TikTok and Instagram's BeReal are two of the most important social media platforms that brands should be targeting with their influencer partnerships in 2023.
Why? With
1.53 billion users in 2023, TikTok is one of the fastest-booming platforms to have hit the social scene. And, with its TikTok Shopping Ads and '#TikTokMadeMeBuyIt' pages, it has become one of the trendiest platforms for influencers to market on behalf of brands.
Although TikTok has famous filters and effects that can be used during recordings and layered onto clips, it is
notorious for being a platform on which users can
celebrate authenticity and
build communities around interests. This makes it one of the best platforms for PR pros to
position brands as authentic using influencer content.
As for BeReal, its predecessor Instagram may have the edge of having
two billion active users. But Instagram is also considered by users as a platform that features curated content where images, videos and captions have been edited and perfected.
So, although it is still one of the most popular platforms for influencer partnerships, it may not assist PR professionals in building an 'authentic' reputation for their clients.
This is where BeReal does have an advantage over Instagram. As a platform where individuals are required to snap and upload content that depicts moments in a person’s day as they are happening, BeReal content is as
natural and
genuine as users can get.
This makes it one of the most essential platforms for PR pros to target in the age of authenticity.
3. Create long-term partnerships
Authentic collaborative content also comes from having genuine relationships between those who are creating it.
Think about it: If influencers feel as though they are
respected,
supported and
valued by businesses that they are partnered with, they do their best to ensure that the content that they are producing — in collaboration with these businesses — is of a high standard and valuable to these companies.
What's more is if they feel passionate about an organisation that they are working with, that passion will shine through in their delivery of brand messages. This then makes their representation and portrayal of the brand
that much more authentic and natural.
Therefore, while building a relationship with the public using influencers, PR pros should also prioritise investing in building bonds with the influencers that they are working with.
What else should PR pros integrate into their influencer strategies? Let us know in the comments section below.
Want to learn more about how the trend of authenticity in public relations? Then be sure to read our article How authenticity is steering communication.
*Image courtesy of Canva