Trust is important in all industries, especially in the world of marketing and digital marketing. It's a complex world with many moving parts and different ways for users to interact with companies and brands. Marketing relies on the idea that people will trust brands, but if they don't, there's no point in trying to sell them anything: Without trust, there's no relationship between consumers and marketers, which means there's no way to build strong customer loyalty or grow your brand as widely as possible. You're just throwing money away on advertising campaigns that don't work because they don't impact people's lives or their perceptions of your brand or products.
The trust factor increasingly hinges on your ability to demonstrate value and transparency throughout the buyer's journey. While some might think of social commerce as a fad, it’s been around for decades. In the 1990s, companies such as Travelocity and Expedia have already established players in the nascent world of social media travel. Two decades later, social commerce—where people make purchases through personal connections on platforms like Facebook and Twitter—remains slow to take off. The more you can build trust with your audience and potential customers, the easier it will be for them to connect with your brand. If they trust you, they'll be more likely to buy from you, recommend your product or service to friends and family, and even purchase additional products from your company.
Consumers have a lot of questions about social commerce: What kind of products are available? Are they safe? Can they be trusted? Will they be delivered as promised?
According to Hootsuite Social Media Trends Report*, based on a survey of over 10,000 consumers and has identified several barriers to adopting social commerce. Consumers’ biggest problems stem from a lack of trust in vendors and sellers. Their second biggest concern is the quality and authenticity of products and sellers on social media. The third most common concern is their worry about sharing their financial information with social networks.*
To increase its adoption, social commerce first has to improve the trustworthiness of the users using the platform. If a seller isn’t trustworthy, their products won’t sell. And if people don’t trust the buyer, buyers will be hesitant to buy. However, vendors shouldn’t feel discouraged by this news. While social commerce clearly still has room to improve in terms of trust and to protect consumers, it also shows signs of great promise. By getting involved now, when everyone is still learning, businesses might be able to capitalise on a market that can only grow as more people get involved in social commerce.
Buyers need to feel comfortable that their data and purchases will be safe, but they also want to know that the vendor is legitimate. Consumers are worried about the quality and authenticity of products, but they’re also hesitant to provide their financial information. While social commerce adoption is still low, there’s hope for the future.
So how do you build trust? Here are five tips that will help:
Your reputation should be built on three pillars: credibility, transparency, and consistency. If you can demonstrate these things to your audience consistently over time, they'll start to see you as an authority on the subject matter and trust your advice more than ever before!
When you focus on relationships instead of transactions, you'll find that people are more inclined to engage with your brand because they feel like they know who you are as a person or company. And when people feel like they know something about you (or even just one thing), they're much more likely to trust what you say—and buy from you!
Be honest and transparent!
Don't try to hide anything from your customers; be open about your business practices, policies and products. If something negative could affect their buying decision — such as bad news about a competitor or a recall — let them know right away so they can make informed choices rather than choose based on rumours or hearsay.
Offer great customer service.
People don't just want quality products these days — they also want great customer service, which means doing everything possible to make sure that every customer gets exactly what he or she needs and wants at all times. This includes responding quickly to questions and concerns via phone calls or email messages (and even social media), addressing complaints immediately when possible, and offering refunds when appropriate.
The bottom line is that social commerce will not reach its full potential unless we can address consumers’ trust concerns. There are growing strides to allow users to protect their information better and empower follow-through by vendors. But, as we’ve seen, there is still a long way to go.
Comentários