The art of authentic storytelling
How to break through 24/7 news cycles and rapid-response social media content.
In the era of 24/7 news cycles and rapid-response social media content, information is as abundant as skepticism is high. For brands looking to share impactful information, everything comes back to telling a great story that connects with audiences in an authentic way. Hear from our North American PR Director, Raven Carpenter, why she believes that if you’re not telling authentic stories, you’re not communicating effectively.
We often talk about authentic storytelling by way of B2C messaging, but for B2B companies, authentic storytelling is equally important. Authentic storytelling is all about building trust with your key stakeholders at every opportunity. According to the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer, audiences today are highly skeptical, with 61% believing business leaders are purposely trying to mislead people by saying things they know are false or gross exaggerations. This skepticism stems from years of fake news, misinformation, and broken promises.
So what does this mean for B2B marketers? Well, it’s crucial for marketing professionals to not only understand customers’ values and expectations, but to be mindful and intentional about how you show — not tell — alignment in your brand’s messaging and actions.
Here are some questions you should ask yourself to ensure you’re telling an authentic story:
Strong values are crucial
Does your company have strong values that you’re willing to stand by? If not, what needs to change — the values or your actions? Having strong and consistent values that employees and shareholders alike believe in is one of the core pillars of authentic storytelling. For instance, Patagonia‘s commitment to environmental sustainability is reflected in their business practices and resonates deeply with their audience. As advocates for environmental sustainability, the brand has policies in place to guide how they make their materials and products, ensuring materials are responsibly sourced.
Practice what you preach
Are you not only talking the talk, but also walking the walk? For example, it’s nice to boast about the value of DE&I practices, but without real action, it’s empty rhetoric. Audiences can sniff out when you’re just blowing smoke and not actively invested in living your company values. IBM is a great example of this. The brand not only promotes innovation on a macro level, but they also invest heavily in research and development to drive technological advancements. For example, the brand’s $500 million capital commitment to accelerate the future of open and trusted enterprise AI.
Show the receipts
Can you clearly articulate to your audiences what you have done so far in alignment with your values, along with what you’re planning to do to further align with your values? Building onto practicing your values, it’s important to not only talk about your successes, but to also be honest about your shortcomings and challenges, and how you plan to overcome them. Transparency is vital for staying authentic in your brand storytelling. Take a cue from Sodexo, which provides transparent updates on its progress toward the corporate and social responsibility goals established, along with clear policies and partnerships to achieve these goals.
Trust is hard to earn and easy to lose, so authentic storytelling is more important now than ever before. What steps are your brand taking to ensure your storytelling is genuine and trustworthy?
