How to Build Trust In Digital Marketing
Any form of marketing is typically based on trust. It's a currency we're all familiar with, but we find it hard to offer freely as consumers.
Businesses are in a strange spot when it comes to trust. To create an environment where the consumer can trust a business, the company needs to build a relationship with them, yet no consumers are sitting around and waiting for a company to develop a lasting relationship with them.
Building trust in digital marketing requires understanding how consumers view trust and leveraging this knowledge to create better customer experiences and interactions. Here, we look at how businesses can set about building trust with consumers and touch on some examples.
Developing and Maintaining Trust
Modern consumers are very self-involved. They spend a lot of time belaboring their own problems, and a brand has to do a lot of work to attract their attention. Brand marketing involves attracting and maintaining this attention. Many of us have made mistakes with digital marketing, but in this case, we can simplify the problem significantly.
However, making a consumer take notice isn't enough to guarantee the success of your digital marketing endeavor. You also need to maintain this contact. A flashy ad campaign may garner some interest, but holding this can only come with trust. So how does a business go about developing this trust that relates to its customers?
Becoming an Expert
Since consumers spend so much time worrying about their problems, they are often focused on solutions. These are often not complicated problems; it could be something as simple and finding a good cup of coffee using a search engine.
To develop trust with consumers, brands can seek to become experts in a particular field. By presenting this information in a simple, easy-to-consume format, the company can build credibility for consumers to start looking towards as a reliable source of information.
What's more, consumers may start directing others to go to the brand for information as a trusting relationship is established. The most crucial part of this exercise is developing high-quality content that focuses on factual data first and foremost. People will only start trusting a brand if the content they provide is accurate.
As critical as presenting factual data is, it's not nearly enough to help consumers trust the brand. A readout of facts and figures is technically accurate, but it does nothing to help consumers understand what they're looking at.
The brand's content should be easily readable and accessible. It should also delve into the right level of detail. Deep-dives can be fun, but it may be a bit much if you go off on a tangent and don't inform the reader about the problem they came looking for.
Reaching Out to the Audience
Developing content needs to be followed by sharing it on the proper channels. You can't make your audience read your content, but you can put it in places where they're most likely to encounter it while they browse. The channel your core audience lives in can help you understand your consumers' thought process. Be concise, informative, and know how to put your content in front of the right audience.
Strategic Repetition
Marketers know that repeated messages tend to be perceived as more valid. PsyBlog mentions several studies that have supported this idea. Many people have abused this fact by using it to share unfounded myths and tales. Due to its use in spreading propaganda, repetition has gotten a bad reputation. Brands can turn this around by using repetition strategically throughout their content.
Integrate Causes Into Your Marketing
People like supporting a brand that shows that it stands for specific values. The University of Berkeley notes that 90% of millennials would switch affiliation from a brand they know to one that shows it has a significant stance on social issues.
If your brand becomes passionate about something, you can demonstrate that passion through your digital marketing. Consumers trust a brand that is genuine about their causes and take the appropriate steps to show that dedication. This dedication can't just be lip-service; you have to mean it.
Trust Is a Crucial Building Block
Marketing today isn't about getting consumer eyes on a product. It's not even about trying to sell the product to consumers. It's about being genuine in your marketing and selling without actually sounding salesy. It's a fine line to walk, and the most successful businesses do so well.
The entire process hinges on the ability of a brand to leverage the trust of its customers. Without that integral factor, all the business's digital marketing efforts might end up coming to naught.