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Wednesday, May 29th, 2019
   

Never Underestimate the Power of Transparency to Build Brand Trust

Customers tend to avoid brands they don’t find forthright. On the other hand, they delightedly embrace those they perceive as open and honest. Studies reveal 78 percent of customers believe brand transparency very important. Seven in 10 devote extra time to researching organizations from which they buy. Enlist the following five strategies to increase transparency and generate brand trust through social media.

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1. RESPOND THOROUGHLY TO CRITICISM

Which brand are customers most likely to trust? The one that sweeps negative reviews under the rug? Or the one going out of its way to address such reviews? It’s clearly the latter. When your company receives negative feedback, as any company inevitably will, don’t delete the remarks. Instead, carefully study the review, respond promptly, avoid defensiveness, and resolve issues through both public and private channels.

We share five key transparency approaches to building brand trust in social media, clarifying how, when and why each approach should be wielded.

A survey by Accenture of what American customers are seeking found two-thirds (67 percent) reported wanting companies to stand up for social, cultural and environmental issues.

Read Building Brand Equity and Consumer Trust through Radical Transparency Practices (Advances in Marketing, Customer Relationship Management and E-Services), by Elena Veselinova and Marija Gogova Samonikov.

Don’t just be transparent with customers when looking to boost trust through social media. Empower them. Invite customers to help you innovate, as the legendary Lego brand does when it encourages customers to invent fresh designs for its products.

Email or call us at 708-246-4211 to master five key transparency approaches to build brand trust through social media.

2. COMMUNICATE YOUR COMPANY’S SOLID CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP

Customers care about brands that care about the world and society in which we all live. A Unilever study found one-third of customers consciously choose brands they know promote environmental or social good, while 21 percent said they buy from brands that strive for more earth-friendly packaging. Social media messaging should be transparent about how company products are sourced, your company’s position on sustainability and corporate responsibility and its ethical stand on giving back.

  • 3. Reveal your human side. There’s nothing like showing your brand humanity to amplify transparency. Sharing small pieces of personal information or displaying photos or videos of employees at work conveys a sense of common humanity.
  • 4. Leverage UGC. Customers are likelier to believe fellow customers when they share testimonials about brands. Posting user-generated content (UGC) reflecting positively on products or services is like showing prospects a “seal of approval.”
  • 5. Explain product testing. Delivering detailed insights into your product testing -- including images, charts, statistics and more -- can help persuade social media followers of the trustworthiness of your brand claims.