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When
most people think about building their company's brand they think about
investing in marketing and advertising strategies. Typically the focus is on brand
awareness and brand perception.
That's a
good start. But longer term strategy is to work on building brand trust. And
that's even harder to do. But it's worth it. Research shows people want to do
business with people and companies they trust. Trust is closely associated with
long-term loyalty and positive word-of-mouth.
Building
brand trust requires a well-integrated marketing approach. Your external
communication efforts are important, but your internal communication and
internal branding efforts are even more important when it comes to building
brand trust.
That's
because building trust is personal. It's about people.
Trust is
built on communication. By that I mean two-way communication. This isn't just
about getting your marketing and branding messages into the heads of your
customers and potential customers. It's about listening as well. To build
trust, you have to clearly understand what your customer wants and needs from
you.
As
businesses, the more time we spend seeing the world from the perspective of our
customers, the better. It's the only way to really understand how to meet the
needs of your customers. And after all, it IS about the customers. So you have
to ask and then listen. Have a conversation.
There
are a lot of ways to get the insight you need – some more formal than others.
Consumer research can be a great start. Especially qualitative research, which
allows you to look below the surface and better understand the "how" and "why"
of the decisions consumers make.
Social
media tools are rapidly opening up a whole new dialog between consumers and
businesses. It's a space where the rules
are still not set, and that's the beauty of it. The web was built for communication,
not commercialism, and businesses are trying to figure out how to participate
in the consumer conversation. They're looking for ways to talk, understand and
advertise. Even if you're not ready to start conversing with customers on the
web using social media tools, you should at least listen in to hear what your
customers are saying about you.
Your
front-line employees – those who interact with your customers every day - are
an excellent source of insight into what your customers want and need. Are you asking
them the right questions? Are you creating opportunities for your employees to
share what they know so you can act on it as a company?
Make it
as easy as possible for your employees to do what's best for your customers.
Nordstrom does this with a simple handbook that spells out the company's number
one goal: "To provide outstanding customer service." To do that, the employees
need to follow one rule: "Use good judgment in all situations."
While
your corporate mantra may be about doing what's best for the customers, if you
don't equip your employees with the power to do what's best for the customers,
you can't build trust.
Building
trust with your customers comes down to the actions of individuals within your
company. You can invest heavily in
marketing communications to get your message in front of customers and
potential customers, but if your employees aren't equipped to deliver what
you've promised, your marketing investment will be a waste of time and money.
Lynn Manternach is President of MindFire Communications. For more information, visit www.mindfirecomm.com.
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