HOW TO GET AWAY WITH…BUILDING BRAND TRUST
(Brand) trust is hard to come by. So how do you build it? According to The Harvard Business Review’s ‘3 Elements of Trust,’ the key elements are positive relationships, good judgment and expertise, and consistency. What do these principles look like when applied to your business? How can you establish brand trust, and by doing so, increase brand loyalty (and ROI)? Here are some actionable steps.
1. Build Positive Relationships by focusing on the human aspect
Remember, you’re not selling to bots, you’re selling to people. So make it people-based. How do you do that?
Stay up-to-date with what your customers want, need, and what they’re doing about it.
Identify your customers (you’ve got to know who they are before you can know what they want). Get their emails on file, track them.
Reach out and talk to them. Conduct a survey. Actively engage on industry topics on social media. Talk to customers and ask them what they want and how they’re doing. Customers are 57% more likely to choose a brand they connect with than a competitor.
Follow up with them, whether they purchase or not. You’re building relationships for the long-term.
Prioritize brand management to boost brand strength.
Intangible details like regularly catching up with key customers, sending out free swag, producing informative content (not copy), and staying socially active in your industry can have very tangible payouts. Prioritizing brand management puts you in control of your brand’s reputation, perception, and, ultimately, its earning power.
Self-evaluate regularly.
Use surveys, monitor mentions, look at metrics, track your finances, talk to customers, and put yourself in your customers’ shoes. It’s impossible to gauge your progress without self-awareness. It’s harder still for customers to trust you if you don’t know what’s going on.
Provide outstanding customer service (even in a pandemic).
You know the drill. You know what it means to take care of your customers, but in a pandemic it’s even more important to make sure they know they’re taken care of. Start by having a plan (or adapting one you already have), and carry it out. Check to see if it’s working by proactively communicating with your customers. Finally, stay realistic. Set up solutions you can deliver. Nothing’s worse than an oversell that comes up empty.
This is particularly true for you B2B companies whose clients tend to be fewer but make up larger portions of your revenue. Make sure you focus on them. The average B2B business loses a client after five years. Fight that trend by prioritizing value over price. And keep in mind that a lead now is a potential customer in the future.
2. Show Good Judgment and Establish Expertise by Producing Informative Content and Being Accessible
“Marketing’s job is never done. It’s about perpetual motion. We must continue to innovate every day.” — Beth Comstock, Former CMO & Vice Chair, GE
Become a forever student of your sector. By staying on top of what’s going on, you’ll inadvertently become an expert in the field. Both customers and other professionals will start to seek out your opinion. Give it! Create innovative, informed content and share it!
Be active on social platforms in your industry. Link up like-minded people! 70% of consumers feel more connected to a brand whose CEO is active on social media.
And don’t forget to be accessible so you can “respond quickly to problems.” Problems will arise no matter what. But if you’re on top of what’s going on, you’ll be more likely to “anticipate” them and have a solution in place.
3. Cultivate Consistency with Clear Messaging, Quality Products & Frequent Yet Informative Customer Contact
Establish a company ethic and message– and stick to it. Brand recognition leads to brand consistency which leads to brand trust which leads to brand loyalty. Edge out competitors by keeping to your message. Be clear. And do what you say you’re going to do by setting realistic goals and by offering the highest quality product you can.
Keep customer contact frequent but informative. Don’t waste your nor anyone else’s time.
There you have it. So get going! Go somewhere (SEO)! Build that brand trust!
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From a storyteller’s perspective: “And do you know what is the most-often missing ingredient in a sales message? It’s the sales message that doesn’t tell an interesting story. Storytelling … good storytelling … is a vital component of a marketing campaign.” — Gary Halbert, Author
Don’t do all of the work above just to stall out with bad storytelling. Let the Two Red Crows writers get you on track.
Why is our campaign called, Going Somewhere, SEO? We’re glad you asked. The whole point of your blog is to land up on the first search engine results page shouting, Pick Me! Pick Me! Sadly, blogs without SEO are going nowhere, simply because Google won’t find them. Our articles are driven by SEO. Occasionally they ask, Are we going somewhere SEO? The answer is always, Yes. What about yours?
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