January 11, 2023
5 min read
Businesses haven’t always been built on trust. The old trope of a snake oil salesman fleeing town only to continue flogging his wares down the road was a reality in a world where you could jump in a wagon to find somewhere new.
But now, we have a globally connected world, where bad practices rise to the surface quicker than ever, making consumer trust one of the most pivotal elements of a successful business. In fact, 88% of consumers are more likely to buy from a trusted brand more often.
It’s led to huge social changes as well as radically shifted the consumer marketplace. Think of the amount of disruptive industries that have opened up in the last 15 years, with a large part of their success being the connectivity and visibility that social media gives, allowing them to grow.
The baby market is particularly sensitive to trust. Which makes sense, given it centres on the most important parts of most people’s lives. In fact, it’s been cited as one of the 3 core values for effectively marketing to parents and is a huge indicator of long-term success. But how can your business cultivate it?
Fostering long-term brand loyalty
By angling your business towards long-term relationship building, you are creating a mass of advocates for your business. Every single one of you will remember a time where a business made an exception for you, or went above and beyond what you expected, and it stays with you. For that reason, it’s almost always worth any extra financial or labour costs to make your customers happy and nurture that feeling.
Transparency of Communication
In a social media era, there is no excuse for not clearly communicating with your customers. But a lot of the time companies only want to focus on the positive aspects. But it is worth accepting that occasional messaging to clearly explain issues to consumers does have a positive impact on brand perception and trust in the long term. It’s unlikely you’ll go through business without making mistakes, but helping your customers by being transparent about them is a clear strategy for long-term success.
Personalisation
It’s something we know like the back of our hands. Businesses that optimise for personalised experiences are the clear winners in both economic terms, but also in building brand trust. This is because the customers reap benefits from personalisation options which transmutes over to a positive perception of your brand over the long-term. If you make their life easier, they’re more likely to trust you.
Share community elements
And finally, one of the most magnetic elements of social media is the ability to see how others are interacting. And that’s even more relevant to brands, because when customers see that social proof of others enjoying your brand- they are more likely to put their trust in you. It’s why influencer marketing has grown so much, and why you should consider highlighting positive parts of your community.
Brand trust is one of the most important components for businesses, especially in a global landscape tied together with social media. In order to optimise for your success, you need to factor in strategies that prioritise personalised and personable experiences.
By doing so, you build a direct relationship with your customers, rather than just a superficial one, which means consumers will naturally steer towards you, and ensure no other brand can replace what you do best.
We're experts at scaling brands across multiple channels by connecting them to our engaged communities.
We don't do empty promises. Just quality connections.
