Brand trust is the belief that a brand is honest, reliable, and trustworthy. Can you name a few that fit the bill? Perhaps brands like Harley-Davidson, Disney, or Toyota made your list. These brands instill confidence in customers that their brand will deliver on its promises. You build brand trust over time through consistent interactions and messaging with customers.
In today's uncertain marketplace, it is more important than ever for brands to build and maintain customer trust with their buyer. This is especially true for today's small business. Trust has always been the foundation of a strong brand relationship, but it can become overlooked during the brand development process, and if it isn't, a lack of consistent focus on it can affect your results over time.
A continually complex world and rapidly evolving marketing environment have led to this rather basic concept getting left behind. It’s understandable why that happens. Your brand needs to accomplish so much. There's a lot to think about. It must be structured to address your core audience while potentially attracting new ones. It must have the ability to evolve. It must live in a world of competing messaging and have the edge to cut through the noise. It must be optimized for various technologies. Those are just a few reasons, and you better believe there are many more. Forgetting to build or not consistently focusing on customer brand trust in every message you put out can be catastrophic to your business overnight.
A focus on brand trust in your brand development
As an SMB in the current business climate, you sure do. Brand trust leads to increased customer loyalty. Unfortunately, your business is not the only one that does what it does or sells what it sells. Customers have a large number of providers to choose from these days. Customers who trust a brand are more likely to repeat their purchase and recommend your brand to others.
Brand trust can help companies to weather difficult times. A perfect business does not exist. The most prominent brands in the world make mistakes. If you've focused on brand trust in your brand development, customers will understand if you drop the ball. Customers who trust a brand are more likely to forgive mistakes and give the brand a second chance.
Brand trust can help companies attract and keep the best employees. Your team spends a tremendous amount of their time at work. Companies with the highest employee retention rates tend to have successfully cultivated their brand and communicated trust and admiration.
To succeed, you must focus on trust as a core pillar of your brand development. Your brand must communicate honesty and transparency. Your brand must be authentic, accountable, and engaging. Your brand must deliver on your promises while being helpful and responsive to customers. Most importantly, you must be consistent in your messaging over time. We call it building trust for a reason. It does not happen right away. Don’t lose that message down the road. Your business will thank you for it.
If you’re committed to growing your business and spending your marketing resources wisely, I’d highly recommend you consider engaging in a brand development process. You may also want to consider aligning yourself with a brand development company experienced in guiding you and your team through the process. If you need help getting started or want to chat more about it, we'd love to talk!
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