As we find ourselves elbow deep into the holiday shopping season, we realize how vital brand trust is and feeling confident in our purchases. Whether online shopping or in-stores, it can quickly become too much to try and find the perfect product or service for your gift-giving needs. Brand trust seems to be at an all-time low. What more do we expect when we are surrounded by paid ads and bought followers? How can we trust if the reviews are legit? How can we know if the amount of “followers” are actual customers or fake accounts? With so many companies focusing less on quality and more on creating that perfect marketing campaign that lures us in, they seem to have no hesitation in promoting a product or service that doesn’t match what they are advertising.
How many of us have fallen victim to a new product we’ve come across online only to get it and experience the extreme disappointment when it’s not at all how it was pictured or described? We understand what it’s like from a consumer’s end, so why not apply that experience to your marketing?
Take into consideration what gains your trust with a brand. What do we like to see? Actual reviews from real users? Original videos and images of the product in action? Information giving us insight into how long the company has been around and who’s behind it?
Building brand trust is more than gaining brand recognition through effective marketing that leads to sales. It’s about making a statement, being honest about the product or service you are selling, and standing behind what you are offering.
How can you build your brand trust? It’s not a simple step, and it takes time. However, getting off on the right foot or turning your existing efforts around can put you on track.
You need to determine the nature and tone of your messaging. Is it serious? Funny? Sarcastic? Real? Is it about a low cost? High quality? Handmade? Made in the USA? Allow the personality of your product or service to shine through in your campaigns, but make sure your message is clear and honest.
Share real feedback. Yes, we’ve all been guilty of utilizing our friends and family to build up our reputation, and that’s all fine and dandy. However, what needs to happen organically is honest reviews and real testimonials. Paying for “fake” reviews will only backfire over time. Once consumers realize what they thought they were buying isn’t what they received, those accurate responses will overtake the fake ones. Once there are too many contradicting reviews, people won’t feel confident enough to follow through with any purchase.
Be honest with your marketing and advertising from your website to social media and print ads. Use real images or videos of your products and services. Using stock images is false advertising and will only get you so far. Yes, eye-catching graphics will grab their attention, but if they aren’t an actual depiction of the end product, then what good did it do? Don’t lie in the descriptions. Give as much detail as you feel comfortable with to describe your item and be truthful with those details adequately. Remember, there’s a difference in adding attractive “fluff” to your content versus outright dishonest verbiage.
Be prepared to stand behind your product or service. Your message is clear, and you’re honest in your marketing, so stand behind what you are offering. Whether quality or not, you are trying to make a sale. Understand what you are putting out there for people to purchase and come to terms with the actual responses from your audience. If your goal is to sell low-cost items with mediocre quality, then be clear about those expectations with our users. If your goal is to sell high-quality items at higher costs, then express those virtues and be able to back them. There’s a target market for just about everything out there. As long as people know what they are searching for and see authentic depictions of that item, it reduces the need for negative feedback and builds brand trust.
