Regardless of the type of business you’re talking about, the importance of building trust cannot be overstated enough. In many ways, it’s the most powerful weapon that an organization has — it’s what separates your brand from your closest competitor.
In the “old days,” building trust was primarily handled through word of mouth: One satisfied customer tells another, who tells two more, who tells three of their friends, etc.
But, thanks to the power of the internet, the concept of trust has changed for all time — and, unfortunately, it’s grown more complicated, as well. Trust is still more powerful than ever, but the mechanism you use to build it has shifted dramatically.
The key to building trust on the internet is understanding why it is so essential to your mission in the first place.
Trust as reputation management
In many ways, trust is as important as it is because of what it says about your brand’s larger reputation. Remember that trust isn’t something you’re entitled to; it’s something that must be earned. You do that by reaching out to your consumers intelligently and thoughtfully.
You also maintain connections with consumers across many channels, including social media, email, your website and more. You do so by acknowledging that not every experience is going to be a perfect one, so when problems do arise, you reach out quickly and handle those problems to customers’ satisfaction.
I asked Yuval Fine, founder of Medical Alert System Reviews, his opinion on the matter, and he said, “All of this feeds back into the larger reputation of your brand. Nobody is asking you to be…