How to Get Your Clients to Trust You and Why You Should

American small business owners, I have great news! According to a new Gallup poll, small business is the institution with the highest confidence rating, 68%, in the United States. There is a perception that because your business is small, the interactions will be more personal, more of a first-degree connection, and that they know who their dollars are benefiting. So, how can you capitalize on this?

Establishing trust between your business and the consumer is an essential business function. These days, brand loyalty relies on trust. You need the proper marketing, business practices, and strategy.

What Do Consumers Value In a Business?
Let's view statistics about how trust affects a company's success:

• ​Gartner Research did a study where 83% of consumers said they won't do business with brands they don't trust. ​
• 41% of consumers believe that “brand loyalty” means having an emotional connection to the brand.

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• According to Hubspot, 80% of consumers believe that “authenticity of content” is the most influential factor in their decision to subscribe to a brand.

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• 14% of Americans trust advertising, but 90% trust brand recommendations from people they know.

Note that word-of-mouth is a crucial business driver, even online.

Trust Leads To Loyal Customers
Trust is “a psychological state comprising the intention to accept vulnerability based upon positive expectations of the intentions or behavior of another.”

Of course, as a small business owner, you need customers to trust you, but you must reflect that you trust them back. Humans tend to value what others think of them and cooperate with people who trust them. When strangers show trust toward each other, their brains release social signals that cause a temporary attachment to each other.

So, consider whether or not you display trust in your target audience and consumers. Are you accidentally doing anything that shows distrust in your customers? Consider how trust influences your purchasing decisions and use that for inspiration.

Consider marketing with emotional content. Pringle and Field did a study in which they found that advertising campaigns with purely emotional content performed twice as well as those with strictly rational content. The purely emotional content also did five percent better than mixed emotional and rational content.

There are some other business methods to try:

• You and your employees should translate your care for consumers to the online world, like your social media pages and website. Learn the difference between a marketing statement and a welcoming website page.

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• Show customers that you care about their opinions and feedback. Offer surveys with difficult questions and respond to messages and comments.

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• Rather than giving quotes and ending your conversations with a “no,” try negotiating.

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• Your tone matters. Talk to customers how they want to be talked to and smile warmly, even online! Smiling while you type influences your tone.

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• Share customer feedback and testimonials on your website, social media, and blog posts.

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• Prioritize customer service.
  1. Call customers by name.
  2. Personalize every interaction with a customer.
  3. Always anticipate the customer's needs and have clear pricing information available.

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• Emulate transparency and authenticity. Stay consistent; otherwise, you could make a wrong impression and appear less trustworthy.
  1. Follow a style guide and establish brand guidelines.
  2. Have your marketing, sales, and support teams speak in a singular voice.

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• Connect with customers. Engage with them online daily. Stay active on channels your target audience uses most often, like email, social media, live chat, or the comments section of your website.

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• Establish yourself as an expert in your field by sharing valuable content on social media.

So, let us establish trust through marketing for YOUR small business. Call STS Media, Marketing & Consulting Agency at 616-881-3753 or fill out our contact form to get in touch.

Prepare to have more loyal customers!