We’re in the age of brand trust, and buyers expect dependability from their favorite brands.
Great promises are great, but do you know what actually makes your customers stick around? Your ability to live up to those promises and deliver stellar products. When you do that consistently, that means you’re building consumer trust online.
Users need to trust you before they buy from you. This is not only a question of communication, honesty or accountability. It’s about nurturing an emotional connection. That’s the importance of brand trust, and below we’ll show you how to build customer trust and loyalty.
What is Brand Trust?
Brand trust is when customers believe a brand will do what it says it will. Simply put, it’s the buyer’s faith in a business. You can earn it by delivering great products and services, but also by protecting and caring for users.
Trust has been important since the early days of trade: in ancient markets, merchants needed a good reputation to attract customers. People trusted sellers who were known for being fair and selling good products.
However, the Industrial Revolution changed how goods were made and sold. Mass production led to the creation of brands. Consumers couldn’t always meet sellers in person, so they started to rely on brand names to signal quality and reliability.
Consumer trust is hard to build and easy to lose. It takes more than preaching a unique credo. You must also prove that you’re an honest, authentic brand that won’t harm its customers.
For example, how do you reply to customer emails? How do you respond to negative reviews? The way you handle these actions will determine your long-term consumer trust.
Credibility
Consumers look at your past performance, marketing messages, and endorsements to see if you deliver on your promises.
For example, if you’ve consistently provided high-quality products or services and have positive reviews, you build credibility.
Being transparent about your actions and staying true to your commitments reinforces this trust.
Reliability
Consumers need to know they can count on you every time. Whether it’s the quality of your products or the responsiveness of your customer service, delivering a consistent experience strengthens reliability.
For instance, if a customer always receives their order on time and in good condition, they’ll trust you more.
Integrity
Customers need to believe that you operate with high moral standards and prioritize their welfare. This means fair business practices, truthful advertising, and responsibly handling customer data.
For example, if you admit to a mistake and make it right, you demonstrate integrity.
Benevolence
Consumers need to feel that you have their best interests at heart. You can demonstrate this by providing excellent customer support, engaging in community service, or offering helpful advice through your content.
For instance, a brand that goes out of its way to solve a customer’s problem or contributes to local charities shows benevolence.
Emotional Connection
Emotional connection goes beyond rational trust; it’s about how your brand makes people feel. Positive emotional experiences can build strong trust. Personalized interactions, friendly customer service, and storytelling that resonates with your audience can create this bond.
For example, a brand that remembers a customer’s preferences and tailors recommendations accordingly builds a deeper connection.
Why is Brand Trust Important?
The digital landscape poses more risks to customers than ever before. Around 4 in 5 consumers need to trust a brand to consider buying from it. This means that increasing your brand trust can help you get more clients.
Trusted brands enjoy higher retention and conversion rates. Loyal customers make repeat purchases and are less likely to switch to competitors. For example, a user who trusts your brand is more likely to stick with you even if a competitor offers a lower price.
Satisfied and trusting customers are more likely to recommend your brand to others, leading to organic growth. A trusted brand can also better withstand crises. Customers are more forgiving of mistakes if they trust your brand’s integrity and intentions.
Brand Trust vs Brand Loyalty
These two ideas are linked: trust often leads to loyalty.
- Brand trust means consumers believe in a brand’s reliability and honesty based on consistent positive experiences and clear, dependable actions. It’s about feeling confident that the brand will deliver quality and act responsibly.
- Brand loyalty goes a step further. It shows how likely consumers are to keep choosing one brand over others. This comes from being satisfied with the product or service and feeling a strong connection to the brand.
When people trust a brand, they’re more likely to become loyal customers. And when they’re loyal, it reinforces their trust because they keep having good experiences.
Brands that build both trust and loyalty tend to have better relationships with customers, more repeat business and more people spreading the word about them.
To build trust and loyalty, brands need to be consistent, honest, and understand what customers expect. By being clear, delivering on promises, and creating good experiences, brands can strengthen their position and build lasting connections with customers.
How to Build Trust in a Brand
Loyal consumers will share personal data with brands. And that’s on top of their money. This makes it really tough to build consumer trust in online shopping.
Users also expect great and honest experiences, in exchange for such information. Misusing such data could cost you followers, sales, and profitability.
In order to convince users to share part of their lives, brands need to learn how to build trust with customers.
Customer Service
Trust is a two-way street. You can start building it with stellar customer service.
Customer service offers a direct line between sellers and buyers. It’s a forum where users can share their concerns. It’s also a point of contact where you can delight them.
Here are some tips you can use to boost your customer service:
- Use consumer data to anticipate the user’s needs.
- Offer product information (like pricing) at a moment’s notice.
- Offer pre-filled forms to speed up data submission.
Your goal should be to deliver quick and efficient solutions. Also, focus on patience and attention.
Users are asking for help and taking time out of their day to talk with you. So, always reply with kindness. This way, customers will remember your service in the future.
Consistency
First, you need to be consistent with the information you put out there. Make sure all your communication efforts, from advertising to social media, align with your brand values and promises.
For example, if you promote sustainability, you can’t collaborate with products that have the opposite reputation. This will make your users hesitant to believe you are actually committed to what you say you are.
Transparency
No one wants to admit problems, but try to be as open as you can with your customers when something is not going as expected. Tell them everything about your processes, challenges and successes. If something goes wrong, communicate honestly with your customers.
For example, if there’s a delay in shipping, let customers know immediately and explain why.
People make mistakes, and so do businesses. But don’t shy away from errors, it’s always better to own and address them. Users will respect this, and they’ll trust you to set things right.
Honesty
Tell customers how you’ll help and protect them. Explain what you can do to keep their data safe. This is as important as sharing your values and policies. It lets customers know who you are, and the standards by which you operate.
Also, make sure that your words and actions match. Be upfront about your possibilities and limitations as a business. And when the time comes, don’t make promises that you can’t keep.
This should also apply to marketing. Be honest about what a product can do, and how it will help customers. False publicity will only attract bad repute, and also repel new leads.
Quality Assurance
Maintain high standards for your products or services. A single quality issue can cause consumer trust issues, while consistent quality reinforces loyalty.
For instance, you should be focusing on paying attention to feedback and making changes based on what your clients have to say about their experience.
Customer Engagement
Actively engage with your customers and listen to their feedback. Show that you value their opinions and are willing to make changes based on their input.
For example, you should have systems in place that allow you to respond fast enough to customer inquiries, and incorporating their suggestions into your products can build trust.
You can even have your own email marketing strategy to make sure you are communicating with them on a regular basis. This also opens the door for tailored marketing activities such as sharing special deals, discounts, and exclusive information about upcoming products.
This makes them feel special like they are VIP clients with a special pass to your store’s backstage.
Customer Reviews
Customers trust customers. That’s why reviews are so important for brands. Positive reviews build trust and credibility. They speak about what a brand can do for the market, from the user’s point of view.
To attract new buyers and build trust, it’s paramount that you request and share customer reviews. Doing so will prove that real users can vouch for your products and services. Plus, it will only add to your brand’s legitimacy.
Customer Feedback
Requesting feedback is key to building consumer trust. It shows that you care about your customers’ opinions. But to take things further, you should also share their feedback.
- Include reviews and on your website. You can even set up a dedicated page to showcase testimonials.
- Post customer reviews in your blog posts, and across your social media channels.
- Share them in your product pages. This will increase engagement and boost your conversion rate.
Another great thing about requesting customer feedback is that you can act on it. When you come across negative reviews, you’ll have the opportunity to act on it.
Reach out to customers and ask them to share their experience in depth. Then, take their insights and solve the issue. The user will feel as part of the solution, and also know that his experience is valuable to your brand.
Ethical Practices
Treat your employees fairly, practice environmental responsibility, and market honestly. For instance, using eco-friendly materials and providing fair wages can enhance your brand’s integrity.
Final Thoughts
Building brand trust takes time and effort, but it pays off once you see returning customers and referrals. And if you feel overwhelmed by this broad concept, remember that it is all about small changes.
Create great products, provide great services, and go beyond transactions. This means listening to customers. Start posting on social media on a consistent schedule and, above all, make your customer service a priority.
It’s an ongoing journey, in which you must not let buyers think they can rely on you; rather, make them feel like they can. Prove to them that you have the buyer’s best interests in mind. That is how you build consumer trust in brands.
Authors
Esteban Muñoz is a content manager with several years’ experience in digital marketing and ecommerce. He’s been able to achieve incredible growth for his associates by optimizing and managing their accounts, and creating in-depth content marketing strategies.
Antonella Fleitas is highly adept at creating fact-based, evergreen content about science, language learning, and culture. Her main goal is to build a strong content foundation for her clients, based on meaningful stories that people can learn from.
