The ease with which an individual can start a company or start something which has at least the semblance of being a company, means that one of the things that brands are competing for is customer belief. The semblance of a company isn’t enough to convince a potential customer that you are worth taking a risk on. Instead, more work has to be done to ensure that something can be created in terms of your brand for reassuring the general public and building credibility. This is achieved in a variety of different ways but, given its importance, it must be worked on across a period of time. So, without further delay, let’s take a look at what needs to be done and how to do it.
Flawlessness
I don’t mean this in a literal sense, since there’s no point in being unrealistic about your expectations. However, it is a concept that is absolutely worth keeping in mind. Credibility is an asset and, sadly, it is an asset which is very hard to earn and extremely easy to lose. This is why, at least from a public perspective, it is vital that your company remains ‘flawless’ at all times. Information travels so quickly these days that the second you slip up in some regard which relates to credibility and trust, your whole company’s public image can be reduced to nothing in a matter of minutes. “The power of platforms like social media is such that it has become vital that your exterior image, what you want the public to observe, remains untarnished as best as possible”, advises Clark Stoltz, tech blogger at State Of Writing and Assignment Writer. Once you’ve understood the importance of this it informs all of the decisions which you make as a brand manager, so make sure that it is at the top of your priority list moving forward with your company.
Be Communicative
No-one is going to instinctively trust a company that operates in total secrecy. It’s important that you remember that communication, between you company and the general public, is expected in this day and age. Given the importance of the point I’ve just mentioned, this means that investing in an ultra-professional high-level customer service team will make a massive difference in this area and could be crucial in the long run. Find some innovative ways, beyond just releasing statements, like around the clock social media customer service. Customers will notice this and will respond with an inherent trust of your brand, all through your openness.
Be Credible
This is not exactly some high-level advice, but it’s the most important advice in many ways. Any brand that thinks that there is a fast-track, easy way to fake heavily enough that people begin to trust them without any concrete evidence, is coming at this whole issue in the wrong way. “The best way to build trust in your brand is to make your brand trustworthy. This two-dimensional advice is actually crucial, since, eventually, the truth about your brand will come out if you are falsifying”, warns Jessica Stoneham, brand marketer at Paper Fellows and Write My Essay. This simple piece of advice will take you far and will save you in the long run, so heed it well.
Utilize Customer Reviews And Testimony
This one can’t be emphasized enough. Testimonials are a really concrete tool for reinforcing and building up your brand’s credibility. Customers want that insight, that ability to put someone else’s experience ahead of their own and have the experience through someone else before risking taking it on themselves. Testimonials allow them to do just that. The good thing is that, from the perspective of a branding department, there are so many new ways to garner testimonials, thanks to the everchanging nature of the internet. Of particular emphasis right now is the social media review, where people Tweet or Instagram their response to an experience with a company. Partly it’s good because it feels extremely genuine, given that social media is made up of ‘real people’ in the public’s perception. Partly it works because you are able to disseminate these reviews very quickly and partly because it is a form of marketing that you are receiving without needing to put in work. Of course, people can be negative over social media as well, so make sure you’re impressing your customers.
Be Consistent
Consistency is key when it comes to building credibility. It’s even more important than blowing your customers away with your quality sometimes but letting them down other times. Most companies are better off just maintaining a good quality and consistent service throughout. Consistency is a form of credibility and its importance, though varied, is always present. So, for example, a restaurant can afford to serve a few below par meals every so often. But a vehicle breakdown service, or a movie theatre can’t afford to not show up for hours or have a faulty screening.
Acknowledge Mistakes
Mistakes happen. That is a fact of life. Even though the general public are far less forgiving of mistakes from businesses than from individuals, a well-worded and honest apology can, ironically, actually win your brand additional credibility, when you might assume it’d do the opposite of that.
Conclusion
Credibility will build your customer base and the more that your brand is known as being trustworthy amongst existing customers, the more your customers are likely to market your brand on your behalf. Use this list as a starting point and make sure you stay honest and you should find results in no time.
Beatrix Potter is a successful writer and editor at Essay Services and Boomessays. She specializes in topics related to social media, business and job seeking. In her role she has helped hundreds of people. Also, Bea is a business writing coach at Essay Roo academic service.