Your company’s brand distinguishes you from your competition. Your brand is more than just who you are at any given moment. It’s also what you strive to be. It’s a way of connecting with customers who want to make you stand out.
Many companies think their brand is all about a nice logo, flashy ads, or beautiful websites. Enron and Bear Stearns could still be around if this were all that was needed.
Branding is about telling the truth and being consistent in this truth. Trust is the key to attracting potential customers. However, honesty can attract them but not trust. Trust is the basis of 95% of customers’ loyalty.
Consumers want brands that do more than solve a problem. They are looking for brands that provide authenticity and transparency. They also make these judgments based on what they find online.
Your company’s online visibility is crucial for success. But visibility can be a double-edged weapon. You won’t be seen if you aren’t visible enough. High visibility means you won’t be missed.
Building your brand online is just the beginning. Your brand’s success is dependent on the information consumers find about you online. So be strategic. Three ways online visibility can affect consumer trust in your company.
1. Review
Reviews have replaced traditional word-of-mouth advertising. 95% of consumers check online reviews before buying. Many consumers won’t purchase if customers give five-star reviews.
Your brand can be overlooked if it has poor reviews or very few. This could cause potential buyers not to choose another more trustworthy brand. However, I am reluctant to buy a product that qualifies me as “be the first reviewer of this product.”
Negative customer reviews about a product’s inability to meet or exceed expectations are the fastest way consumers lose trust in your brand. They are too powerful to ignore. Poor reviews must be addressed with solutions that restore brand trust.
Reviews from satisfied customers should be prominently featured across all online channels.
Ask customers to send you text or email requests to solicit reviews if they aren’t giving you enough. While incentives can be used to encourage positive reviews, companies are not advised to do so. Dishonest reviews can destroy consumer trust.
Customers who are happy with their products sell them better than anything else. Your customers will be pleased if you show them. Spread the word.
2.Your Website
Before social media, a site was the hub for brand marketing efforts. While you can achieve online visibility via various channels, your website remains essential to your content marketing strategy.
A website can’t be just a simple purchase of a URL. It must have strategic and deliberate content. A wrong website could spell doom for your brand.
Too slow loading on a tablet or smartphone? The user is already clicking next on the search page. The homepage was not clear. They have moved on.
Your website is still an essential tool in your trust-building arsenal. Just make sure your website is focused on only the most important elements. This list may not contain your products or services, as you might be surprised. Instead, you’ll need:
- A landing page copy that draws readers in immediately
- In respected publications, prominent displays of brand mentions, reviews, testimonials, and reviews
- Focused on the solution of problems, results-driven copy
- You can create content that allows visitors to interact and not just buy what you are selling.
Your brand story must be consistent with other stories to build trust. Visitors will leave your website if the voices of your customers and those in your industry aren’t prominent. A brand that is only spoken of by itself is suspect to intelligent consumers.
3.Digital Public Relations
PR is the best advertising money cannot buy. While you can pay an agency for their services, they are not paying for the space. This has always made PR more trusted than paid advertising.
This is a simple concept. Consumers will be more likely to trust it if it’sthird parties use itan example for an exceptional product.
Brands are no longer issuing press releases for industry and mainstream media. Digital PR, like most things, has become digital. It is visible online. Digital PR can differentiate your brand and instill trust by consumers.
Contrary to popular belief, bad press is possible. Yes, it can bring attention to your brand. Bad press is a permanent part of digital media and can continue to exist, eroding consumer confidence forever.
A digital PR strategy is essential to transform a trust break into trust. If you try to convince them otherwise, they won’t believe you. However, increasing your online visibility on a mainstream, niche, and industry platforms can help to restore trust.
Start building consumer trust in your brand with a thoughtful, strategic digital PR strategy. You can raise the voice of advocates who have no vested interest. These may be the voices that consumers trust the most.
Your brand will fail if you don’t have online visibility. It will also fail if the visibility you have only highlighted your strengths. To gain trust from consumers, your digital presence must be engaging and positive.
Trust is earned and not given. Make sure you are not just showing up online every day. You must make sure your online visibility is showing up at work.
