The most powerful companies all have one thing in common: a dedicated following of trusting customers. Every company strategy relies on trust; it is difficult to build connections, acquire a business, and retain clients without it. The way people perceive your company is important. It affects more than your reputation; it also impacts your bottom line.
Most customers prefer to buy from a known and trusted internet retailer. In fact, 81 percent of buyers say they will only buy from businesses they know and trust. Let’s look at effective practices for establishing brand trust and developing long-term, rewarding connections with your customers.
Following Through on Promises
You must deliver on your promises. Isn’t it self-evident? Of course, there are still many businesses that rate their performance based on their skills and fail to compare what they deliver to what others deliver around them. This is significant because the best delivery, the most dependability, and the most timely product and service are the actual benchmarks that you should be monitoring and will be judged by.
Doing your best and doing the best are two different concepts—and, in fact, two different standards. Say exactly what you do. Follow through on what you say. Excel in a way that your brand can be proud of, explain why this is important and do it all on a continuous basis.
Do you congratulate yourself and move on after gaining a new customer? If so, you’re doing your business a disservice because 48 percent of purchasers feel the most important time to win their loyalty is when they first make a purchase or begin using a service.
Consider this, your customer has just committed to your service, paying you time and money that they could have given to competition. If you drop the ball once they sign the contract, they will have little reason to believe all of your pre-sale claims.
As a result, we advocate that you create a post-sale strategy that makes each buyer feel like a part of your company rather than just a paying consumer. Here are some tried and true tactics to do that.
Follow Up Often
Reach out to the customer after each sale. Allow them plenty of time to ask questions and provide feedback as they begin to implement your solution or utilize your product. Demonstrate that you value existing clients as much as you value new ones.
Create a Loyalty Program
Work with your customer support team to provide discounts, benefits, and early access to new products. These programs are excellent for fostering trust because they demonstrate that profit comes second to client delight.
Building Trust and Keeping It
Creating a brand that clients can relate to is critical to expanding your practice and earning your clients’ confidence and loyalty. Clients should be able to recognize what you stand for in the same way that they can identify with large consumer brands such as Nike, Coca-Cola, and Apple. Here are three actions you may take to position your business as a reliable brand.
Build Awareness
Building brand awareness begins with your company’s first impression. Instead of being transactional, try to be informative and helpful. Use video or blogs to deliver educational and interesting material. This will position your company as an industry thought leader.
Advertising Impressions
A brand identity is a framework for everything you would use on a business advertisement, whether it is in print, online, or as a preroll commercial on YouTube. A brand with a face and industry credibility is well-positioned to market itself and make an impression on potential customers.
Although the logo is not the full brand identity, it is an important aspect of the branding process because it is the most recognizable feature of your brand. It’s everywhere, from your website to your business cards to your internet advertisements.
Your branding should be quite cohesive with your target audience by using creative and functional merchandising, such as through stress balls with logos on all elements.
Be Transparent
Finally, you must always be transparent and honest with your clientele. For example, make sure your clients understand what they’re paying for and what they’re getting in return when it comes to fees. Such candor, according to Heft, can go a long way toward increasing the value of your brand.
The Secret Sauce
Multiple marketplaces are tremendously oversaturated these days, making it more difficult than ever for businesses to distinguish their brand as the most trustworthy in their area. It’s even more difficult with so many various business forms available — from internet shops to brick-and-mortar stores.
One pleasant customer experience will not have a significant influence on your brand. Consistency is essential in developing a brand that people trust. That entails consistent messaging and, more crucially, consistent outcomes. Aim to deliver on your promises and exceed expectations one buyer at a time. Your efforts will not go unnoticed, and you will soon have established a brand that people can rely on.
To boost your company’s credibility in a crowded, competitive environment, you must effectively convey your vision, consistently deliver on the promises you make, stay involved with your cohorts, and be willing to share the knowledge. As a result, you may become the go-to guru everyone wants to know and seek advice from, whether the economy is booming or stagnating.