Digital marketing for small businesses has exploded in popularity over the past two decades. With more companies taking advantage of digital marketing services than ever before, brands must know how to build trust with customers to create loyalty and stay competitive.
In a recent PwC study, more than one in three consumers ranked “trust in brand” among the top three factors influencing their decisions to shop at a particular retailer. One way to build customer trust is through authentic content and a consistent branding message. Not only will a culture of trust factor into your customer acquisition, but it will also set your brand’s identity apart from the rest.
Keep reading for five tips about how to build trust with your audience through authentic messaging.
Define your company’s voice and stay consistent
Your branding message should reinforce your values and be relatable to your target audience. Consumers need a reason to choose your brand, and a big name alone is not enough to ensure customer trust. When thinking about how to build trust with customers through your branding message, consider creating a mission statement to reflect what your company stands for. Think of your mission statement as the first promise you make to your customers. Remember: people trust people, so strive to create authentic content that isn’t overly promotional or robotic.
Once you craft a mission statement, keep it consistent and use it everywhere. In digital marketing for small businesses, customer trust is built by being honest and staying true to your branding message. This will help to humanize your company and increase brand awareness.
Get to know your audience on a deeper level
When learning about how to build trust with your customers, it’s important to understand who your branding message is for. The best way to gain customer trust is to show you understand who they are and what they’re experiencing. What are the challenges they are facing? What are their concerns? A few ways to get to know your audience include:
- Interviewing current customers
- Being observant to feedback you receive on social media platforms
- Gaining insight through your sales and support teams
- Performing market research
Knowing what’s trending in the world is also a great starting point when considering how to build trust with customers. If your brand identity seems out of touch, it will be more difficult for your audience to connect with you. Consumers are increasingly values-driven, and they regard companies with unclear branding messages as untrustworthy. Consider finding and supporting a nonprofit organization or cause that is important to your business. Knowing that your business shares their beliefs on important topics will help to build loyalty and customer trust.
Engage your audience by encouraging them to interact
While authentic content is a must-have for customer acquisition, attracting customers to your brand is only half the battle. It’s important to build trust with customers by maintaining a relationship with them even after the initial introduction or sale. Businesses should strive to create engaging content that holds the reader’s attention and prompts them to share.
Social media is a great tool for businesses that are looking at how to build trust with customers through interactive content. Platforms such as Facebook and Instagram offer features like live streaming, polls and quizzes, and live Q&A sessions that can keep customers engaged, increase brand awareness, and allow you to gain customer feedback in a casual way.
Share genuine stories about real people
In a world of celebrity endorsements, sponsored posts, and paid influencers, consumers crave authentic content more than ever. A survey by Social Media Today revealed that 86% of people say authenticity is important when deciding what brands they like and support. Most consumers prefer an emotional branding message that contains a human element. So, when thinking about how to build trust with customers, lean towards organic, relatable content.
A great way to humanize your brand identity is to share your company’s origin story. People love to see where something began, how it has grown, and the hurdles it has faced along the way. Companies like Ford, Starbucks, TOMs, and Whole Foods have mastered the art of storytelling in their branding message. Storytelling builds customer trust by allowing them to connect with you more personally.
Follow through on commitments and promises
Whether your branding message promises to deliver the best customer experience possible or it pledges that 100% of your business practices are environmentally friendly, the commitments you make help to define your brand identity. Today’s consumers build their understanding of brands on the memories collected from each interaction with that brand. If you’re not delivering on your brand’s promises through every touchpoint, you could lose customer trust and miss out on an opportunity to develop loyalty.
If something does go wrong and a customer is unhappy, address the situation promptly and professionally and offer a sound, practical solution to the issue. Making solid efforts to keep your customers happy will benefit you in the long run because people will associate your brand identity with honesty and customer trust.
Building trust with your audience through an authentic branding message is similar to building trust with anyone else. It’s easier to build trust with customers and maintain it than to lose trust and try to gain it back. As competition becomes more fierce, leveraging your company as a trusted source can be what makes your brand identity stand out from the crowd.
Are you interested in learning more about how to build trust with your customers through authentic messaging?
Hyport Digital can provide you with digital marketing services that build customer trust and increase brand awareness through authentic content and proven strategies.
Reach out to us today to see how our team can benefit your business!
