What is brand trust?
Brand trust is the confidence and belief consumers have in a brand’s ability to deliver on its promises and meet their expectations consistently. Trust is built upon the brand perception as being reliable and competent, capable of fulfilling its commitments and acting on behalf of consumers’ interests.
Brands gain more trust when they perform their tasks consistently and resist changes from the external environment. Over time, trustworthy brands become well-known for their expertise and in-depth experience in a specific sector (e.g. Apple = smartphone, Mercedes = car, etc.).
Why does brand trust matter for all businesses?
1. Brand Trust fosters customer loyalty
Customer loyalty refers to the state in which customers consistently choose a particular brand/product to satisfy a particular need. In other words, loyalty involves people’s commitment to the company in terms of action (repeat purchases) and emotion (self-identity).
Building brand trust is key to fostering customer loyalty as the fundamentals of trust represent both given commitments. When brands satisfy their customers’ needs by providing reliable and high-quality products or services, over time customers will feel safer and more confident buying stuff from these brands.
As a result, they will become loyal and less likely to be affected by other competitors’ offerings because trying something new with higher perceived risks is unnecessary. A survey by Edelman shows that firms have to build their trust before considering customer loyalty as around 67% of consumers say they are only loyal to the brand they trust.
2. Trustworthy brands create more satisfied customers and positive Word-of-Mouth
As mentioned above, brand trust is built upon the customer-centric approach in which firms put customers’ interests at the heart of their business practices. These include reliable and relevant products, excellent customer service, transparent communications, seamless omnichannel experiences, etc., all of which demonstrate great care and concern for customers and their pain points.
Besides, research has proven that brand trust can lead to customer advocacy and positive Word-of-Mouth. There are two states in which people are willing to advocate and engage with the brands – one is when they are very satisfied and the second is when they are highly disappointed. Undoubtedly, brand trust is synonymous with the former state.
When the brand builds trust by satisfyng customers with relevant and valuable offerings, customers will feel obligated to do something back for the brand. More often than not, customers will become brand advocates, willing to support and co-create values with the brand voluntarily. A study by Fellerton in 2011 defines this as normative commitment. It’s a win-win relationship.
How to build brand trust in today’s business world?
1. Create a consistent brand experience
A consistent brand experience is one of the core pillars of gaining brand trust. The term refers to the coherence of a brand’s messaging, visuals, values, and interactions across physical and online touchpoints.
- Visual Identity: Because the elements of visual presentation such as logos, colour, packaging, product design, etc. are the first thing customers see, their consistency will provide a feeling of security and credibility towards the brand.
- Messaging and tone: Communication with a consistent tone of voice across channels is a prerequisite for building brand trust. It is recommended that brands should only stick to a specific tone to avoid confusing customers who tend to associate themselves with the brand identity.
- Values and promise: Brands must put customers’ values at the centre of their strategy. This helps them focus on a particular objective and create a set of unique propositions that can perfectly address their needs.
- Omnichannel integration: Customers now prefer the same level of service, quality, ease, and convenience across all touchpoints in their buying journeys, ranging from websites, mobile apps, and social media, to brick-and-mortar stores.
- Brand storytelling: Brands must convey a cohesive narrative and message across channels and content formats. As consumers tend to reinforce their self-concept through the consumption of specific brands, the brand’s story needs to resonate with what customers truly desire to achieve.
Read my previous blog on digital engagement: All We Need To Know About Digital Engagement Strategy
2. Be transparent and authentic
Transparency gives customers a sense of security when they interact with brands.
Authenticity helps customers reinforce their desired self-image and better relate themselves to the brand identity.
Transparency represents the willingness of businesses to communicate their business practices and organisational activities with the stakeholders. A study in 2019 on organisational transparency and authenticity proves that being transparent can help brands build more trust and advocacy among customers.
To explain, transparent brands give customers a sense of security and ease as they can ensure their favourite brands do not engage in deceptive and misleading activities. The top priorities that brands have to be transparent when communicating with their customers involve:
- Data handling practices: tell customers how their data is collected, stored, and used every time they input their information whether it is voluntary or not.
- Product Information: accurate and detailed specifications are a must.
- Pricing and Fees: disclose all pricing details, including any unexpected charges.
- Customer Service: provide responsive and helpful support to address inquiries and concerns promptly
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): maximise community engagement for social initiatives, and turn customers into working consumers.
- Feedback and Reviews: user testimonials should include both positive and negative remarks.
As we move towards a more sustainable future, businesses must become even clearer about how they are tackling climate change and the scarcity of natural resources. A study in 2017 shows that consumers have already changed their lifestyles and weighted more value on the brand’s commitment to social corporate responsibility and sustainable practices. Brands will lose trust if they are discovered misleading customers with obscure messages to manipulate their behaviours.
Also, authenticity is another key pillar of brand trust. Brand authenticity is the quality of being honest and genuine to the brand identity and essence. The brand should remain authentic and consistent with what it is expected to perform no matter how the environment changes. Authentic brands build trust as they always keep their identities intact.
Consumers trust a brand not only because it meets their personal needs but also because it embodies their desired self-image. Every brand possesses a set of symbolic meanings and characteristics that customers want to obtain and associate with their own traits.
3. Build and nurture brand communities
As human beings, we tend to derive part of our self-identity from the groups we belong to. Communities create a space where consumers feel connected to other like-minded members, who share similar interests, values, and beliefs. Thus, brands can build trust by nurturing their communities, giving participants a sense of belonging and shared values.
The social identity theory has explained why brands should bolster their communities to build trust and advocacy. As each community reflects a distinctive identity with a set of values and beliefs, customers often compare this to their self-image and likely affirm their belonging to the community if it resonates with them.
Overall, when consumers perceive that a brand community aligns with their own identity and values, they are more likely to trust the brand and feel a sense of pride in being associated with it.
4. Identify a clear brand personality
Brands that possess personality traits such as sincerity and competence tend to gain more trust than others.
When a brand establishes a clear and consistent personality that aligns with a specific archetype, it resonates with consumers on a deeper, subconscious level. For instance, a brand that depicts the archetype of the ‘Hero’ may convey traits such as bravery and courage, appealing to individuals who value strength and resilience in life.
This refers to the theory of archetypes by Carl Jung, which describes universal symbols and patterns residing in our subconscious mind, forming our behaviours and perceptions. Briefly, if the brand possesses traits that align with what customers love and value in life, it will easily connect with them emotionally, which leads to more brand trust.
A study on the effects of personality on brand trust discovers that brands that have the personality traits of sincerity including being reliable, down-to-earth, friendly, honest, etc., will gain more trust than those who do not have. Sincere brands are more approachable, people can get to know them much easier than other brands. Undoubtedly, the more customers know about your brand, the more trust they will have.
To help brand managers imagine this better, I will refer to the 5 dimensions of brand personality (sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication, and ruggedness) proposed by Aaker in 1997 (Figure below). Besides the quality of sincerity, customers are also likely to trust competent brands that are known as experts, and leaders in the industry. Hence, for companies who consider being a leader in a new market/category, it is recommended that they build their image of being a competent and technically reliable player.
5. Increase social proof (reviews, testimonials, etc.)
Social proof is one of conformity. It depicts a tendency for individuals to look at other people’s behaviours to guide their own decisions, especially in uncertain situations.
In the context of marketing, social proofs such as customer reviews and testimonials can play a significant role in building brand trust as they provide reassurance to potential customers. When prospects see others positively engaging with a brand, whether through reviews, testimonials, or social media interactions, it signals them that the brand is reputable and trustworthy.
This also explains why 95% of consumers nowadays prefer to read online reviews before buying a product. A study on customer reviews back in 2010 discovered that we tend to read others’ reviews to reduce the risk of making bad buying decisions, especially when we buy products from unfamiliar brands.
Besides, as people become more suspicious of the information given by brands nowadays, they may perceive non-expert opinions (other customers’ opinions) as more trustworthy because they are more objective and personally driven. In conclusion, to gain more brand trust, companies can consider including a non-expert Q&A page or feedback communities on their digital channels for customers to interact with each other and discuss the products authentically.
6. Prioritise personalisation
Nowadays, the use of big data in Marketing has become more and more prevalent. Insights from data analysis help brands create more personalised experiences and offer customers products or services tailored to their personal interests. In the UK, around 70% of customers expect brands to customise shopping experiences specifically for them.
Personalisation directly contributes to brand trust for many reasons. Research in consumer psychology suggests that personalised experiences create a sense of exclusivity and importance for individuals, increasing their appreciation for the brand value.
This high perceived value fosters brand trust among consumers as they assume the brand is committed to delivering meaningful and valuable offers exclusively tailored to their needs. And again, great care and concern will create trust no matter the circumstances.
To conclude, personalisation will become a key priority for businesses to compete with each other and gain more trust. Firms should invest more money in big data and data analytics to optimise their offerings. Yet, personalisation should be relevant and designed to address each consumer’s pain points, not to scare them with unexpected stuff.
7. Guarantee data privacy & protection
A survey by Exploding Topic has given a clear picture of how people are concerned about data privacy in different regions. For instance, 75% of US citizens feel vulnerable to cyberattacks, and 64% have taken measures to safeguard their online privacy using various tools. In China, almost 40% of users use ad-blocking software while browsing the internet, and over 25% refuse cookies on websites due to concerns about potential misuse of their online data.
As a result, ensuring data privacy and protection is paramount for businesses to gain brand trust in several ways. First, as consumers advocate for stricter enforcement of data privacy regulations such as GDPR, businesses should demonstrate their transparency and commitment to protecting customer data by openly complying with these regulations.
Second, despite concerns about data privacy, many consumers still expect to see more customised and specifically relevant offers from brands in exchange for their data. Hence, brands can prioritise transparent data collection practices, and provide customers with a clear explanation of how their data is used and protected. Additionally, brands can employ advanced data analytics to segment their audience effectively, allowing for the delivery of highly targeted and personalised marketing messages.
Read my previous blog: Are consumers concerned about data privacy in 2024?
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Academic Sources For My Blog:
Aaker, J. (1997) Dimensions of brand personality. Journal of Marketing Research, 34(3), pp.347-356.
Burton, J., and Khammash, M. (2010) Why do people read reviews posted on consumer-opinion portals? Journal of Marketing Management. 26(3-4), pp.230-255.
Fullerton, G. (2011) Creating advocates: The roles of satisfaction, trust and commitment. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services. 18(1), pp.92-100.
Molinilo, S., Japutra, A., Nguyen, B., and Chen, C.H.S. (2017) Responsible brands vs active brands? An examination of brand personality on brand awareness, brand trust, and brand loyalty. European Journal of Marketing. 50(1/2), pp.236-259
Sung, Y., and Kim, J. (2010) Effects of brand personality on brand trust and brand affect. Psychology & Marketing. 27(7), pp.639-661.
Sy Chu
As an analytical and creative marketing enthusiast skilled in customer analysis, content research and brand management, my passion is help businesses gain insights into their brand and marketing strategies to drive impactful outcome to their success.