Digital marketing nowadays is so competitive; how can you seriously contend with all the other brands out there that are seemingly doing the same thing you are
One way to break this mould and promote your brand, products, and services to the masses is to build trust and authenticity. If customers see your business as the one they want to choose over any other, then they’re likely to spread the word to their friends, family, and anyone else they speak to.
//There are many ways to build trust and authenticity with your customers, so keep reading to learn how to keep them coming back for more.
Why You Need to Build Trust and Authenticity in Digital Marketing
Authenticity and trust are vital in building meaningful relationships with your customers.
These days, consumers are bombarded with email after email and advert after advert, all vying to win the viewer's attention and inciting them to open, click, and purchase.
What sets brands apart from the rest is their ability to connect on a deeper level, showing honesty and a commitment to having the customer’s best interests at heart. On top of this, consumers like to see the human side of a business, whether it be through learning the brand’s story or by getting to know the people who work there.
TikTok may be the most impactful social media platform for building trust with an audience. Brands can hop onto the platform and create so many different forms of content to showcase different parts of their business, with the aim of appealing to viewers.
One page absolutely smashing it at the moment is Merchant’s Fish and Chips, which creates content centred around one main star, who’s been dubbed “Chip Shop Diva,” serving food to someone off-camera.
Their page has surpassed 300,000 followers, and nearly all of their videos receive millions of views, one of which currently has 28+ million views.
It’s the authenticity behind the videos that makes them so popular. Chip Shop Diva is just talking to the camera in what seems to be her own voice about something as mundane as what’s included in a Mini Haddock meal.
Plus, customers who see your brand as authentic and trustworthy are much more likely to become repeat customers. Social media nowadays is fraught with misinformation. If you show your brand as one that customers can trust and believe, they’re likely to choose you over your customers time and time again.
How to Build Trust and Authenticity in Digital Marketing
There are many options on offer for businesses looking to build trust and authenticity. Some of these can simply be applied throughout your marketing strategy, whereas others are a little more time-consuming and should be kept going for the foreseeable.
Communicate Clearly
How your brand appears online says a lot about how it’s run in the background.
Ensure there are no spelling or grammatical errors, mistakes on social media graphics, broken links to your site, confusing pricing, or hidden contact information. All of this and much more can easily deter your customers from your business.
Clear communication can remove any doubts prospective customers may have and inevitably save them time in their decision to shop with you.
Encourage Customer Reviews
Reading reviews is the first thing so many people do before they decide to shop from an online store.
Customers want to know what the overall service is like, how reliable delivery is, and whether the products are true to the brand’s word. The easiest way to find this information is through reviews left by other customers.
There are many ways to encourage customers to leave reviews. One of which, and perhaps the simplest, is to just ask. Many brands don’t offer incentives for customers to leave reviews; they just kindly ask and remind the customer how appreciative they would be. And this does work.
You must also ensure that negative reviews aren’t just deleted but responded to appropriately. This will show prospective customers that you take all forms of feedback seriously and professionally, further showing that your business actually cares for its customers, whether they be positive or negative.
Provide a Timely Service
No one likes ordering something online and waiting weeks and weeks for it to arrive. Unless you’re a bespoke furniture company and you advertise your products as “made to order” with an “extended delivery timeframe,” then you’re just going to annoy your customers.
This doesn’t mean you have to offer next-day delivery on absolutely everything (or even anything), but you should ensure you can deliver your customers' orders in a timely fashion.
However, timeliness also relates to your site’s performance. A study by Strangeloop found that 57% of mobile users will abandon a website if it takes longer than three seconds to load.
Don’t discourage customers before they’ve even clicked through to your site or make them wait while their purchase is being processed. Don’t leave them in limbo, questioning whether the sale has gone through or if they have to try again (and risk purchasing twice!).
Keep Your Brand Fresh
The market is changing constantly. You don’t want to fall behind the crowd and your competitors, so ensure you stay fresh and keep your brand updated and current to appeal to your current customer base and any potential shoppers.
This doesn’t mean you have to change your whole brand identity if a new, innovative, industry-specific update gets released. But you should be open to evolving and switching things up when necessary.
You should also keep your website fresh and updated relative to what’s current. This includes clearly displaying any promotions that are running, utilising seasonal designs and banners (such as snowy artwork to push your Christmas products), and a regularly updated blog/information/staff page.
Allow Customers to Opt Out
A lot of customers love to stay up-to-date with offers and product launches relating to your business.
But many others may not, so in this case, you need to give them the option to opt out of any emails or newsletters.
Some customers may not even know they’ve subscribed to your newsletters, so if you then start peppering them with email after email after email, you could seriously turn them away from your business. Make any ‘unsubscribe’ button impossible to miss if someone is looking for it, and always ask for permission before sending any emails or notifications to customers.
And there you have it! Our comprehensive guide to building trust and authenticity in digital marketing in 2024.
Being seen as trustworthy can make or break your digital marketing and impact when and if customers choose to shop with you. Don’t give them any reasons to opt for your competitors over you, so by being authentic with your messaging and building trust among your customers, you can take your marketing to the next level.
If you need assistance with paid social advertising, Google advertising, or email marketing, then get in touch!
.svg)