Social media is a great place to build and nurture brand trust.
By Dianne Davis-Dianne Davis Consulting in Nixa

Businesses and organizations of all sizes should know social media isn’t just a platform for marketing and advertising; it’s a great space in which to build and nurture brand trust. The goal is to build on current relationships, increase customer reviews and referrals, and develop new relationships with people unfamiliar with your brand. Social media channels offer an excellent opportunity to communicate your brand’s value and better engage with current and potential customers.

Nurturing trust through social media channels requires brands to find ways to have a free flow of dialogue and let people see who you are. Showing your human side and increasing transparency builds confidence with audiences of all ages. Focus on fun, informative, simple engagement, be responsive to all customer communication, and find meaningful ways to show your social responsibility. These practices will ensure a consistent brand voice when responding to both positive and negative comments across everything related to your brand.

Brands must find easy ways to create private and more intimate connections with their audiences without becoming overly intrusive. Improving relationships will likely include building brand communities or groups where your message is relevant, but where both your customer and you are receptive to direct messaging. For many organizations, direct messaging from customers through social media platforms has significantly reduced phone calls, emails, or website contact form fills.

For example, a recent Facebook survey of 8,000 people reported 69% of their respondents think the ability to send a direct message to the company helps them feel more confident about the brand. The goal is to give your audience more meaningful connections and a feeling of being heard and in an exclusive, safe environment.

An essential key to creating brand trust through social media is the trustworthiness of the content, how content is presented, and the opinions, if any, that are shared. Posting great content is also a way to build trust while positioning you as an industry authority.

Brands who do nothing but sell, sell, sell on social media will have much lower customer engagement than companies who educate, inform, entertain, share their passion for community involvement, values, and personalities. Don’t be afraid to show the human, personal side of your staff and business. Applauding continuing education, individual, sales, and other achievements are also excellent ways to show customers your company’s “true colors” while also building trust.

The last thoughts I’ll share relating to trust are specifically about content. Social media posts, websites, brochures, and other materials should be error-free. If you cite sources in your content, then ensure it’s accurate. Check all parts of your grammar, including spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure. Do not plagiarize content from other sources and do not download photos from Google or other sites without proper permission or subscription.

Our ever-changing social media landscape can be an overwhelming or confusing place for many businesses. It’s important to know help is available when you need it.