All relationships must be built on a foundation of trust to be functional and successful. Whether it is between a husband and wife, boss and employee, or businesses and their customers, trust is essential.
But unfortunately, today’s consumers are finding it harder and harder to trust what businesses are telling them. We’ve all been lied to in the media or seen misleading advertisements – and this has made most people quite skeptical when it comes to marketing.
The latest report from the Edelman Trust Barometer found that while people trust businesses slightly more than they did in the past, there is still quite a ways to go. Edelman’s report also found the reason consumers stated they trusted a brand was because they consistently delivered quality product/services or treated them well.
But this can only happen after a purchase.
A customer who is skeptical of a brand is most likely not going to buy – so how can you convince potential customers to trust you enough to give you a chance?
Let’s discuss.
Utilize Social Proof
Customers might not believe the amazing things you say about yourself. But they are more likely to trust other people’s opinions. The reason is because these words come from a neutral third-party with no ulterior motives (ideally) to praise or bash your company.
Reviews and testimonials are incredibly powerful forms of social proof that influence consumer purchasing behavior. As you can probably relate, the vast majority of consumers read reviews before they feel comfortable enough to make a purchase.
However, as powerful as online reviews are, customers are becoming increasingly skeptical of their credibility. It’s (unfortunately) not uncommon for companies to forge their own glowing reviews or pay other people to write them as a way to boost their reputation.
The good news is many of the Google-licensed review platforms have taken massive strides in recent years to detect these deceitful practices. The goal is to ensure that review content only comes from authentic customers – without any foul play behind the scenes.
Displaying reviews from these competent platforms directly on your website can do a lot to create social proof – and numerous other benefits.
You can see a great example of this on The Pearl Source, a luxury jewelry e-tailer. In addition to showcasing reviews from credible platforms, they tell customers just how many (in this case over 7,000) verified reviews they have received.
Source: The Pearl Source
Social proof is extremely important with high price tags.
Seeing this large number can give people peace of mind – as they see there are thousands of customers who have had a pleasant experience with the company. By incorporating verified reviews directly onto the homepage, the online jewelry retailer was able to boost conversions AND organics search rankings.
User-generated content (UGC) is another great form of social proof that can help you build trust. Consumers tend to find this form of content extremely authentic and trustworthy. This is because it comes from other “real” people – as opposed to curated images from the marketing department.
UGC can be utilized in many different ways.
For instance, some clothing brands like Abercrombie feature images of customers wearing their items to give a more realistic preview of how the clothes look on non-supermodels.
Source: Abercrombie
People are becoming more aware of Photoshop and doctored images. As a result, many brands are using the UGC approach to provide a more natural-looking message.
At the end of the day, humans tend to follow a pack mentality – this is why fads and trends in consumerism exist. Thanks to social media and the internet, building social proof is more attainable (and valuable) than ever!
Be Super Clear on Safety and Security Protocols
One of the reasons why consumers are so distrusting of businesses (especially online) is due to all of the data leaks that have occurred.
Customers are also well aware that brands track, store, and even sell their private information for advertising purposes. Again, this can certainly deter customers from interacting with businesses if they feel their information is not protected.
Be clear about if or how you track this information.
Let visitors know about the ways that your company keeps your website secure from cyberattacks and hacks. Display trust badges for security protocols, including the programs and firewalls you use.
If you do track cookies and use this information for personalization or ad targeting, it is recommended that you offer an option for customers to opt-out. You don’t want people to feel like they are being forced into anything for interacting with your business.
For example, the clothing company Cutter & Buck greets customers with a message explaining the benefits of sharing their information.
Source: Cutter & Buck
However, customers can choose to only share necessary cookies. This level of transparency can go a long way and help establish trust.
It is also wise to offer extra security measures, particularly on the checkout page so customers can rest assured that their financial information is protected. Having customers create an account with advanced password protection or requiring ReCAPTCHA tests are options here.
Give Them an Escape Route
Customers often feel like brands are trying to trap them, especially if they are required to give over contact information or sign up for a subscription to make a purchase. So, be sure that you let them know it is possible to back out and remove the risk as much as possible.
If you allow for returns, be crystal clear about your policy and use it as a selling point, like Purple Mattress offers with their 100-night trial.
Source: Purple Mattress
Additionally, let your customers know if they can cancel within a certain period of time and how your fee structure works if you offer a subscription service.
For instance, Hum Nutrition offers more savings when customers subscribe to the VIP tier. However, they make it very clear that you can cancel at any time and there is no minimum purchase required.
Source: Hum Nutrition
This makes it far easier to convince customers to select this option.
Forcing people to make big commitments early on can be a huge turn off.
Think about it. If you were to go on a first date and the other person immediately demanded that you get married and have a family, you’d probably want an escape route.
Trust takes time – both in business and in personal lives. If you want to build trust with customers, you need to start with baby steps – and give them the freedom to walk away if they want.
Respond to Public Negative Reviews
Many businesses fear that having public negative reviews will scare away customers and will do their best to not draw attention to them. To echo a previous section, people want to see authentic reviews; not a bunch of glowing 5-star reviews. Seeing a mix of positive and negative feedback can actually help you build more trust with new customers.
Seeing that you took the time to respond to reviews says a lot about your commitment to keeping customers happy.
According to a study by BrightLocal, 97% of users will read a business’s response to reviews and 30% value them very highly in their decision-making process.
Source: BrightLocal
It is important that you are carefully replying to ALL of your reviews – especially the negative ones. Be clear about how you will correct the situation by offering a discount, refund, or a replacement.
Remember, this doesn’t just happen on review pages like Yelp or Google.
Social media is becoming one of the most common places for customers to air their grievances against businesses. Be sure that your team is carefully monitoring any mentions and stepping in quickly to resolve issues.
Showing good customer service is not just important for resolving problems with the specific customer in question. It can show new audiences just how your business treats its customers and provide a greater peace of mind in case something goes wrong.
Conclusion
Building trust needs to be a key element to any brand’s marketing strategy if they are going to have any growth in conversion rates. Consumers are more skeptical than ever, and they are well aware of the common marketing tricks that brands have used in the past.
In other words, the average radar for BS is very strong.
The key to building real trust is to be authentic, genuine, and transparent.
Show that you have nothing to hide by embracing honest reviews, sharing user-generated content, and providing as much information as possible t new customers. This will help you to build a foundation of trust upon which you can build meaningful relationships.
About the Author: Kevin Svec is the Chief Content Strategist at E2M Solutions Inc. When he’s not working or hanging out at one of San Diego’s beaches, he is managing Impulsive Wanderlust, a travel + leisure website he founded – here is a marketing-focused piece he wrote on SEO Tips for Travel Websites. Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn and Twitter