Ensuring that customers trust your business is vital, particularly when you’re competing in a busy market. Having a business that seems trustworthy will help to attract new customers and keep existing ones loyal.
Studies show that customers buy more from businesses that they can rely on. A report by Adobe found that customers are 61% more likely to recommend a brand they trust to a friend. The report also found that 71% of UK consumers will stop purchasing from a company if their trust is broken.
Making your business seem trustworthy is easier said than done though. It’s a process that takes time and doesn’t have an end date; business owners need to keep an eye on public perception constantly.
Let’s look at three places to start.
We’ve all had the frustration of wanting to reach out to a business about an order, only to find that there’s no phone number listed and the email address directs you to a generic, unmonitored inbox.
Make sure contact details are visible on your website, including your phone number, email address, social media accounts and the registered address for your business. FAQs and informative content are useful too, but you’ll want to limit how often customers have to find their own solutions.
Finally, keep an eye on your customer response times. The ideal response time will vary depending on your business, but consider:
Ask your customers for reviews and testimonials and, as @Mark T Jones explains in this thread, make sure they are “clear, accessible, and verifiable”. You can display testimonials on a dedicated page on your website and promote them on social media.
It can help to give your customers an incentive to provide a testimonial, like a discount on their next order or entry into a prize draw.
“We’ll do video testimonials. This is a customer testimonial of a real person who can be found online and has real credibility. We have to structure the testimonial in a certain way to make it absolutely 100% real, otherwise it's useless,” @PaulFilmMaker said.
“You can also show your employees and team on video. People buy from people. Show them talking, advising or educating prospects – that works really well.”
@Webshop Mechanic estimates that a product or service would need at least 25 reviews to give it credibility. Once you’ve got a strong level of social proof, it’ll be much easier to gain traction.
“Video reviews are always the best. If you can ask people to give a detailed review of how it changed their life or approach, that will be an even more effective marketing tool. Remember, people are looking for the transformation or end result, not the product itself,” he said.
This means you can get ahead of complaints and your customers can prepare accordingly. You can read more about how to communicate difficult topics like price increases in our guide to coping with inflation.
If you do encounter a customer complaint, make time to review it and respond appropriately. Avoid sounding defensive or trying to shift the blame, and instead take accountability.
Customers are much more likely to appreciate you admitting a mistake and coming up with a solution. You can both then move forward with their trust in your company’s capabilities intact.
How have you made your business appear trustworthy? Have some things worked better than others? If you would like to join UKBF to submit your own ideas or questions, you can sign up for free here.
Studies show that customers buy more from businesses that they can rely on. A report by Adobe found that customers are 61% more likely to recommend a brand they trust to a friend. The report also found that 71% of UK consumers will stop purchasing from a company if their trust is broken.
Making your business seem trustworthy is easier said than done though. It’s a process that takes time and doesn’t have an end date; business owners need to keep an eye on public perception constantly.
Let’s look at three places to start.
1. Make it easy for customers to get in touch
Making it easy to get in touch with your business is one of the best ways to build trust with customers.We’ve all had the frustration of wanting to reach out to a business about an order, only to find that there’s no phone number listed and the email address directs you to a generic, unmonitored inbox.
Make sure contact details are visible on your website, including your phone number, email address, social media accounts and the registered address for your business. FAQs and informative content are useful too, but you’ll want to limit how often customers have to find their own solutions.
Finally, keep an eye on your customer response times. The ideal response time will vary depending on your business, but consider:
- How urgent this particular issue is to your customer
- The expectations you’ve set around response times in the past
- What your website promises customers (eg. do your FAQs tell customers that you’ll respond within 24 hours?)
2. Share testimonials and reviews
Sharing customer experiences is one of the best ways to validate your business and increase trust with potential buyers. As UKBF member @PaulFilmMaker puts it: who would you trust more, the business selling to you or one of their customers?Ask your customers for reviews and testimonials and, as @Mark T Jones explains in this thread, make sure they are “clear, accessible, and verifiable”. You can display testimonials on a dedicated page on your website and promote them on social media.
It can help to give your customers an incentive to provide a testimonial, like a discount on their next order or entry into a prize draw.
Creating video testimonials
Video is also an effective option when it comes to creating testimonials.“We’ll do video testimonials. This is a customer testimonial of a real person who can be found online and has real credibility. We have to structure the testimonial in a certain way to make it absolutely 100% real, otherwise it's useless,” @PaulFilmMaker said.
“You can also show your employees and team on video. People buy from people. Show them talking, advising or educating prospects – that works really well.”
@Webshop Mechanic estimates that a product or service would need at least 25 reviews to give it credibility. Once you’ve got a strong level of social proof, it’ll be much easier to gain traction.
“Video reviews are always the best. If you can ask people to give a detailed review of how it changed their life or approach, that will be an even more effective marketing tool. Remember, people are looking for the transformation or end result, not the product itself,” he said.
3. Be transparent and keep your customers up to date
Maintaining high levels of communication is a great way to build trust with your customers. Let them know in advance about any changes that could affect them and why they’re happening – for instance, slower delivery times or limited availability for certain products.This means you can get ahead of complaints and your customers can prepare accordingly. You can read more about how to communicate difficult topics like price increases in our guide to coping with inflation.
If you do encounter a customer complaint, make time to review it and respond appropriately. Avoid sounding defensive or trying to shift the blame, and instead take accountability.
Customers are much more likely to appreciate you admitting a mistake and coming up with a solution. You can both then move forward with their trust in your company’s capabilities intact.
How have you made your business appear trustworthy? Have some things worked better than others? If you would like to join UKBF to submit your own ideas or questions, you can sign up for free here.
