Customer trust is a fragile yet prerequisite business reality. As a result, before customers choose you or your business, they need to be able to trust you and your brand. They need to trust that what you say is accurate, that what you’re selling matches up to what you say. They need to know that if anything goes wrong with the transaction, you won’t leave them hanging.
The problem is, trust can’t be established quickly or through gimmicks and can’t be forced down people’s throats — and it can’t be tricked out of people either. This last option can do irreparable harm to your brand, consequently.
Instead, strive to earn consumer trust naturally. So how can you do this? Here are 3 ways to build customer trust naturally.
Be socially active (and visible)
Being active on social media helps you in two powerful ways: You build visibility for your brand and you attract more followers who have a better feel for your brand personality. The more frequently you showcase your brand personality, the faster you’ll be able to build natural trust. Give your brand a voice and communicate solutions to your customer needs.
The true power of social media is the amount of flexibility and control you have there. For instance, you can publish your onsite content, engage with new and previous followers, post images and videos, or simply update your customers with your latest news and information. The crucial point is to be active and present on the social platform best suited to your business brand and your customers.
Under-promise and over-deliver
Consumers don’t trust brands when they feel they’ve been lied to. Any time a customer feels as though he or she has been deceived or manipulated, in any way, they leave and serve to act as your brand ambassador of negative press. Bad Yelp reviews anybody?
It should go without saying, it’s in your best interest to under-promise and over-deliver when it comes to all forms of customer expectations. If it takes you a week to deliver a result, tell your customers it will take two weeks. When you thank your customer for her business, ask her for feedback. If your customer has a problem, find out what the problem is and solve it. Go above and beyond making your customer a glowing fan of your brand.
Go all-out for customer service
Sometimes stuff happens. We have all experienced a breach in a perceived or very real service commitment to quality. Trust becomes fragile when customers have an issue with something. However, If they experience a problem and receive prompt, helpful, and memorable customer service, you will be their hero forever as a reliable brand. Think about a company that went out of their way to solve your problem. Now think about a company that didn’t answer the phone or email, or patronized you at the service counter with no positive outcome.
Whenever you can, go all-out in your customer service. It is important to let your customer know that their business is important to you and that you value it. Don’t just turn to the most cost-efficient way to resolve a problem; make sure your customers feel heard and appreciated, and go out of your way to make them happy.
In this Mini Boost, we learned 3 ways to build customer trust naturally.
- Be socially active (and visible)
- Under-promise and over-deliver
- Go all-out for customer service
In each of these tips, you can see that customer trust should be the focus of your business. And when you anticipate their needs and do it on time and on budget, you will gain their trust. Your brand becomes established as a trustworthy source that they will market for you.
Be sure to contact me to assist you in boosting your business brand with an affordable refreshed website or logo.
