Building Trust With Audiences
Last week, we talked about “bad” marketing and how it impacts audiences’ trust in your organization.
Trust is precious for brands. It fuels brand loyalty, positive associations, and the perceived value audiences have for your brand (all key measures of a brand’s “equity”). And the thing about trust is that it’s a lot easier to break than it is to build.
Building trust takes time, whereas all it takes is one or two “off” interactions to make audiences question everything they think they know about your brand.
So this week, let’s take a look at what it takes to build and maintain trust.
Brands In Motion
At Green Gate, we like to say a brand isn’t a deliverable; it’s what you do every single day.
This is an important distinction, because a lot of branding services focus on elements like the strategy, logo, style guide, or even a brand’s website. And these are all incredibly important to have. But we must recognize these are the foundations of the brand, not the brand itself.
Your brand is the sum total of everything that creates meaning, value, and preference in audiences’ minds, and that tally changes from day to day.
So while it’s important to invest in a strong brand foundation, it’s just as important to maintain strong, branded communications so your brand can continue to grow over time.
The Building Blocks of Trust
So what does it take to build trust and strengthen your brand’s positioning?
Clarity - Trust and knowledge go hand in hand. The better audiences know who you are and what you’re about, the more likely they will be to trust you. The problem is, we can’t always rely on them to do the research it takes to really get to know us. This can become a “chicken or the egg” kind of problem, as it takes knowledge to build trust, but it takes trust for audiences to be willing to educate themselves about your brand. That’s why one of the most important things you can do is refine your message to ensure audiences get a “nutshell” understanding of your brand as quickly as possible.
Purpose - Audiences need to understand what you do first and foremost. This allows them to assess your offer’s relevance. But when it comes to building trust, it helps for them to know why you do what you do and where that work is leading. This should be more than just a statement on your website. When you communicate about your brand’s purpose—and back it up with action—it creates a context for your work that audiences can identify with on a deeper level.
Value - Providing value in your communications is a great way to serve your audiences, establish your expertise, and build trust. Content that isn’t always about “selling” lets them know you value their time and their attention. It also lets them know engaging with you is worth their while.
Engagement - Trust implies a relationship, and like all relationships, it’s a two-way street. So the more opportunities you give audiences to “talk back” to you—and the more you’re able to demonstrate that you’re listening—the more connected audiences will feel to your brand and the people behind it.
Consistency - “A brand is what you do every day.” This gets back to what we were discussing above: it takes a lot to build trust with audiences, but only a little to break it. Therefore, consistent brand communications that support your desired positioning are key. That means consistent visual presentation, consistent tone and messaging, and consistent touchpoints. The optimal frequency of communications can vary a lot depending on your brand and its goals. The trick is staying on your audience’s radar and using each interaction to build trust rather than compromise it.
Return on Investment
Building and maintaining a strong brand isn’t easy. Ongoing communications and content can quickly become a grind that is easy to neglect or let stall completely.
But if you can establish and maintain an effective marketing program, the return on that investment will continue to grow along with audiences’ trust.
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