One of the most difficult aspects of building your brand can be establishing trust with your audience. You need for them to trust that you will deliver on your promises before they can become loyal customers. But how do you go about that?
Five areas we’ve found that are sure to help your company build and establish brand trust are:
1) empathy,
2) authenticity,
3) consistency,
4) credibility, and
5) testimony.
Empathy
First, consider the human element. Show your customer that you understand and empathize with them, and that your product or service provides a genuine solution to their problem. Empathy is critical, because if your audience doesn’t know you care, they won’t listen to anything you have to say.
Authenticity
Provide free, high-value, educational content for your audience. When you’re willing to provide your expertise with no expectation of anything in return, they’ll know you value them, even if it means they don’t go with your brand in the end. Always invite your audience to “join the conversation” through comments or guest posts. Become an expert storyteller.
In the article “How to Build Trust with Your Audience,” the author gives insight into why storytelling should be a key method of your content writing: “Storytelling will help you connect with your audience and show them the human side of your business.” Customers have a sixth sense when it comes to sifting through cheesy sales pitches and gimmicks. They will know if you’re being truthful with your content, or just trying to drive sales. They can also tell if you genuinely believe in your brand and what it has to offer. And if you don’t 100% believe in your product, neither will they.
Also, admit your shortcomings. In a piece published to marketinginsidergroup.com, the writer quotes some sobering statistics: “8 in 10 also say that trusting a brand to do the right thing is a deciding factor in their purchase decisions.” It can be tempting to not own up to your mistakes for fear you’ll drive consumers away with such blatant honesty. But you’d be surprised how much your target audience relates to and appreciates your humanity. They want to know you’re human, too.
Consistency
Establish a regular email schedule to update your audience on any news or changes to your products. Consistently provide high quality content, such as blog posts and podcasts, and stick to a schedule. Think about the many times you’ve looked forward to your favorite blog’s weekly posts or newsletters. What if that brand went two or even three weeks without posting new content? You would be disappointed, get bored quickly, and go on to find another brand that was more dependable. Consistency shows you care and value what your audience wants. This is key to establishing their trust and loyalty.
Credibility
Establish credibility by doing your research on your target audience and nix the grammatical errors. Don’t just provide promises; keep them. For example, if you send out an email to a target consumer that begins with “Hi Sir” and the customer is a woman, well, that’s just not going to end well. They will cut you off right there because they know you’re just trying to drive sales and haven’t done your research.
Additionally, if your copy is filled with grammatical and spelling errors, it lessens your credibility with most people. When you don’t care enough to proof your work, the audience will believe they’re not that valuable to you and look elsewhere for a similar product or service.
Testimony
Lastly, social proof is one of the most powerful strategies you can implement to build trust with your audience. Provide case studies that show the results of your work, as well as customer testimonials and reviews. You can post these to your website to ensure your target audience and loyal customers read them. Anyone can say their product is the best. But when you show your audience proof that your product delivers, through case studies and customer testimonials, it solidifies their decision to go with your brand.
