Trust should be a pillar of every business strategy – all the most successful brands have a loyal following of customers who trust them. A business that doesn’t instil trust in its consumers will struggle with customer retention, generating sales and developing relationships. Being a trustworthy brand can help you to stand out within a saturated market and encourage customers to return to your business time and time again.
There are many ways to build a trustworthy brand, from using reviews to build your brand image to having products customers can rely on. For some pointers, Feefo’s article about brand image is a good place to start. Here are some of the most effective strategies for developing a brand that consumers can trust.
Be accessible to your customers
Consumers want to be able to interact with a business. They might have questions about your products or services, and it’s crucial that you provide them with ways to get these queries answered. A massive 96% of consumers have said that customer service is important to them and plays a part in how they choose which brands to stay loyal to.
If you want your brand to be trustworthy in your audience’s eyes, you need to focus on being accessible. Have several strategies in place to encourage customer interaction such as an appropriate customer service infrastructure, well managed social media channels, and visibility at industry events.
Remember: Honesty is the best policy
Transparency can do a lot for your business, including build trust among consumers. It might sound like an obvious strategy, but it is something that a lot of companies get wrong. It’s essential that you are transparent in your customer communications and brand messaging, even if it isn’t always easy. Have a solid communication strategy in place, and don’t only get in touch with your customer when you have a new service or product to promote. Check in regularly and ask customers how they are finding your products, whether it be through reviews, surveys or social media.
Your brand should also always be willing to answer any questions that consumers might have and own up to mistakes with transparency and honesty. A great way of improving transparency is replying to all customer reviews, both positive and negative, and providing open and honest replies to feedback.
Have a product that you can depend on
Developing a trustworthy brand is not just about your brand image; it’s also about the products you sell and the value you are giving to customers. Once a customer has decided to purchase your product or service, it needs to be high enough quality to impress them and justify their investment. Having a great sales pitch and marketing campaigns with a low-quality product will do severe damage to your trustworthiness. Make sure you have rigorous testing procedures in place for your products, and that you are producing something that your customers can rely on. One strategy for ensuring you have a product that customers can trust is the Minimum Viable Product, or MVP, which can help you understand quickly what works for your customers and what doesn’t.
Developing a trustworthy brand is vital to your business success and will be why customers return to you time and time again. Building trust can take time and effort and is a byproduct of being committed to your business’s quality and excellence. There is certainly no quick fix for developing trust among consumers, but if you continuously deliver outstanding service and products then over time, they will begin to trust your brand. You need to be giving your customers confidence that you are a brand that they can depend on, and this is all done through backing up what you say with tangible actions.