Is there anything you can do to build client trust in a market when it’s so difficult?
In 2020, the Gustavson Brand Trust Index stated that consumer trust in brands was at an all-time low.
However, the year following, those same researchers discovered that there is a quality that might help you restore that trust; being an authentic brand. There is a strong connection between brand trust and brand transparency.
Authenticity in Gustavson’s context refers to a company’s social responsibility, but we believe the same principles can be applied to a company’s brand authenticity as well. Showing your customers your human side.
How can you help your customers believe in your brand more? Five ways you can increase your brand’s authenticity will be discussed in this section.
Authenticity and Its Importance
Your customers’ purchasing decisions are influenced by the legitimacy of your brand. More than 90% of customers polled in a recent survey believe that authenticity is a key factor in determining which brands to support.
Authenticity-driven brand building is just as helpful as data-driven brand creation in developing a strong brand. Establish your brand plan based on research, and then figure out how to make it feel genuine.
5 Ways to Authenticate Your Brands Transparency
The legitimacy of your brand can be further strengthened by implementing the following five practical tactics.
Incorporate social proof into your content
Using social proof in your marketing is something we’ve talked about before, and for good reason. It’s a great method to get people to believe in your company.
You can use social proof to show that other people like your brand. Consider client testimonials, social media posts, and case studies. In order to develop confidence, these seals of approval are essential.
Customers are more likely to put their trust in someone they know than in a brand they have never heard of. The human element of social proof helps to break down trust barriers in your marketing.
When possible, include social proof into your marketing campaigns to give them more credibility. Websites, landing pages, social media posts – anyplace you can testify for yourself, that is what we’re talking about here.
Make use of your social proof in new and inventive ways, like Descript’s imaginative utilization of customer tweets to create a complete testimonial:
The collection of Tweets listed above contains all of the phrases in the quote. When it comes to marketing, it’s common advise to speak the language of your target audience, yet Descript took that advice to the extreme.
Tell your story to the world
One of the most important aspects of a company’s identity is its story. Whether it’s something as basic as making people happier or as ambitious as protecting the environment, strong businesses have a purpose behind them. Make it clear why you do what you do in order to earn customer trust.
A company’s “About Us” page is a great place to learn more about them. Look at Trade Coffee’s “Our Mission/About Us” website to see how it explains its mission and principles.
Transparency comes into play now in other elements of their marketing, such as the copy on their home page, they return to these concepts.
On their main page, Trade Coffee displays the impact that their ideals have on customers who buy their coffee. Make a connection between your objective and the benefits your product offers your customers if you don’t currently have a solid brand story to work with.
Looking for new ideas to tell your company’s story? Create a compelling value proposition before connecting it to your brand’s past.
Realistic photos should be used.
It’s better to have stock photographs on a website than no images at all, but they don’t show customers what your brand and product are like in their natural state. Pictures of the real thing simply do not compare.
In your marketing, include images of your employees, your product, and your consumers. Hire a photographer to take professional shots if you have the funds available. Do you have a limited budget? Pose with a team member or product in front of a blank wall and click the button on the phone of the person who has the best camera.
Nurses can purchase footwear from Bala that is specifically intended for their job. They based their product on comments from nurses, and now they utilise images of real nurses to promote it:
Instead of posting photos of a stock model you’ve never met, look for the people who help define your brand.
Even if it’s necessary to use stock photographs, opt for ones that appear more natural than those that are obviously staged. A fantastic technique to enhance your marketing graphics is to use natural-looking stock photographs.
Be Transparent
Our discussion thus far has focused on making your brand’s visual and verbal representation more authentic. As you interact with your customers, you are also building your brand. Your customers’ image of your brand is influenced by how you communicate with them.
Authenticity can only be achieved by practicing what you preach and remaining open and honest with your consumers. When it comes to building a strong relationship with your customers, openness is essential.
Brands breaching this guideline are perhaps more frequently reported than when they do so. In the event that a company makes an error, it can take a long time to correct it. If they don’t mention it at all, that’s the worst-case scenario.
Every brand has its share of missteps. Keep your consumers informed and apologise for any inconvenience caused by your next mistake.
An outage apology from Calendly sent on Twitter by copywriter and content strategist Jacob McMillen demonstrates an honest desire to improve:
Jacob McMillen, notes in a tweet that Calendly should have sent an email like this during the downtime rather than after, but the message in this email is excellent. The email from Calendly discusses how they fixed the problem and what they would do in the future to avoid it. Finally, the email is sent directly from the CEO.
Make an effort to listen as much as you speak
It’s easy to keep talking about yourself while you’re promoting your brand. Despite the difficulty, it’s essential to pay attention to what your consumers are saying about you.
Listen to what your audience has to say. It is possible to use a wide range of audience research approaches to gather client feedback. Keep an eye out for customer complaints and resolve them as best you can.
Make it pleasant and easy for customers to give you their feedback, as well. When CSS Hat asked its customers to vote on the features they wanted to see on a landing page, the results were surprising.
Reevaluate your resources so that you can devote more time to creating more authenticity
An authentic brand can only be built via constant effort. To create trust with your audience, you’ll need to keep an open channel of communication with customers and explain your brand’s mission. You haven’t finished building your brand’s authenticity once you’ve finished creating your marketing materials.