Have you made it a priority to build brand trust in the year ahead? If not, you should.
70% of surveyed consumers said trusting a brand is more important today than it has been in the past. Many even said that trust is second only to a brand’s pricing.
Brand trust is the relationship between a brand and its customers. It’s built through the brand’s reputation and messaging, the quality of its products and services, and its satisfied customers.
When you successfully build brand trust, people will begin to see you as an authority in your field, and it just might convince someone to do business with you over a competitor.
Still on the fence? This post covers why brand trust is critical for every business, no matter what field you’re in. Plus, it shares a few ways you can begin establishing trust sooner rather than later.
Key Takeaways:
- Brands that have successfully built trust are more likely to have a loyal audience of repeat buyers, ultimately leading to more sales and increased profits.
- Pay attention to what others are saying about you online to measure brand sentiment and gauge the level of trust they have with you.
- Don’t try to be like every other brand in your niche, but rather, be authentic so people see something unique in you and what you have to offer.
Why Establishing Brand Trust is Crucial
As mentioned above, when you build brand trust, it can help establish your authority and even give you an upper hand over your competitors.
However, those aren’t the only benefits it provides. Trust is an essential element for any business if you’re looking to make sales. People simply aren’t going to buy from a business that they don’t feel is trustworthy or reliable.
Here are a few more benefits of establishing brand trust:
- It establishes a loyal audience. Every brand wants repeat customers who continue to come back time and time again. That’s because it’s cheaper and more efficient than marketing yourself to new people. Happy customers are willing to spend money with you and will want to support what you do.
- You’ll create brand ambassadors. Some of those loyal audience members may love your brand so much that they level up to ambassador status. These customers are fantastic when it comes to word-of-mouth marketing because they’ll want to recommend you to their friends and family. It’s those genuine testimonials that will strengthen your brand’s reputation. Plus, those ambassadors could become part of an influencer campaign.
- It brings in more sales. Again, people want to buy from brands they trust. If someone was tasked with choosing between you and a competitor, they’re going to opt for the one they trust the most. That’s because they’ll feel confident spending money with you, knowing you deliver a quality product and have a high customer satisfaction rate.
How Digital Marketers Can Build Brand Trust in 2022
Now that you see why you should build brand trust, you’re likely wondering how you can become the dependable brand that effortlessly attracts customers. Here are a few tips to implement:
1. Determine how you’ll measure brand trust over time.
As you set out on your mission to build a more trusting relationship with your customers, you’ll need to find a way to track whether or not your efforts are working. This way, you can identify areas for improvement, whether it’s ways to enhance your messaging or your offerings.
Social media can help build brand trust because you’re able to see what others are saying about you. Pay attention to mentions of your brand by searching your business name and the names of your products or services.
You can even set up Google Alerts to get notifications when someone posts about your brand. And of course, you can also send occasional customer satisfaction surveys to obtain feedback directly from your customers.
2. Provide a reliable product or service.
The fastest way to make a customer lose all trust in your brand is to disappoint them after they’ve purchased something from you. No matter what your offering is, you must deliver on whatever you’ve promised to your customers.
Their satisfaction is essential to your success. And as you can see below, customers want brands to solve their problems and be dependable providers.
This is why it’s helpful to see customer insights, whether it’s through social media, reviews, or surveys. Their feedback can shed light on improvements that you can make to your offerings to ensure you’re always providing the best experience for your customers.
View it as constructive criticism and consider their opinions whenever applicable.
3. Always be authentic in your messaging.
When you see competing brands doing well, it can be tempting to want to copy what they’re doing. If it’s working for them, it’ll work for you too, right? Not necessarily.
Your brand is its own entity. If you want to attract people your way, it’s better to embrace what makes you unique so you can stand out from the crowd. And this is even more important today considering how busy the online space is.
Instead of trying to be something you’re not, be authentic. Stay true to yourself as well as your brand’s mission and values. It’s also important that you’re transparent with them because customers expect honesty from their favorite brands these days. This will make your business storytelling even stronger.
4. Prioritize relationships over revenue.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting your brand to make more money. After all, generating revenue is essential if you want to keep the doors open.
However, it’s smarter to prioritize connecting with potential customers and building relationships with them first and foremost.
They’ll begin to like and trust your brand, which will lead them to make a purchase and recommend you to others.
5. Share social proof.
The reviews and testimonials you’ve already received from past customers can be a fantastic way to build brand trust. That’s because it shows potential buyers that you’ve had tons of other satisfied customers already. It validates your products and services and communicates that they’re worth buying.
As you can see in the graph above, good ratings and reviews are just one of the ways brands can build trust with their audience. So, be sure to make social proof part of your marketing strategy.
For even more tips on building trust, the video below shares some great insights.
Becoming a Trusted Brand
Being seen as a trustworthy brand is a crucial element in building a successful business that will withstand the test of time.
When people trust you, they’ll have every reason to come back for more. But because establishing trust won’t happen overnight, it’ll be wise to get started now.
