20 Nov 14 Tips to Build Consumer Trust and Establish a Unique Brand Identity
14 Tips to Build Consumer Trust and Establish a Unique Brand Identity
A question that is on the mind of many brand leaders is: How can we build brand identity and consumer trust?
Finding an answer to the question may seem daunting since today’s market is flooded with well-established brands as well as newcomers.
Standing out from the competition, attracting consumers, building consumer trust, and retaining them is no easy task.
Especially today, additional complications have presented new challenges.
To determine if you are taking the necessary steps, ask yourself: Why should consumers trust my brand?
Taking a look at your current strategies and asking these questions is the first step to set you off on the right path.
Remember, however, your brand can be successful no matter what stage of the business journey you are in, or how established you are, by taking the time to have a developed plan.
Two crucial focus areas that point to success include creating a brand identity and building consumer trust.
To accomplish this, you must look at your business plan holistically.
Building brand identity and loyalty do not stem from a single marketing tactic or by tweaking operations in one department.
Instead, take a careful look at your strategies and consider implementing the tips below to reach your goals.
Align Yourself With Solid Brand Values
Your brand must have a solid mission, vision, and values.
Today’s consumers respect brands that take a stand for good causes.
One way your brand can do good is by donating a percentage of proceeds to charitable causes or have an option for customers to round up their change when making purchases.
Consumers may be more likely to engage with your brand and choose your products when they know your brand’s values and that a difference can be made for the greater good.
Consumer confidence is built through respect, and brand values help to solidify your relationship with your community.
Create a One-of-a-Kind Logo
One way to set your company apart and foster brand loyalty is by creating a unique logo.
Your logo should be carefully thought out as it is often the first thing the consumer sees and thinks about regarding your brand.
That is why it is fair to say that your logo can serve as the foundation for your entire brand’s image.
A good custom logo design will look eye-catching no matter where and how it is displayed.
It should be scalable and deliver a consistent message that your brand represents and wants to convey.
The design should reflect your brand’s unique personality and style.
That uniqueness helps to create instant brand recognition.
Your logo can speak for itself as soon as a consumer sees it.
If done right, consumers will flock to your products to be associated with the prestige your logo carries.
Develop a Relevant Hashtag and Campaign
One way to attract a following to your company is by creating a branded hashtag.
Your organisation can run campaigns specifically for hashtag marketing.
There are several ways to get started using this marketing technique.
First, identify what you would like to build your hashtag for.
You can create one for a specific product, product line, your brand altogether, or a combination of all three.
Hashtags are a great tactic to get a movement behind your brand.
One way to get momentum is to encourage consumers and influencers to post to social media with your hashtag for a chance to be featured in your official feed.
Another great way is by offering a prize.
Either way, hashtags can help your company go viral because they often are associated with movements.
Hashtags can help you establish wide-reaching impacts and convert followers to customers using your product social media feeds.
It is a great way to build a community for your brand and its values.
Build Relationships With Influencers
The average user spends about 144 minutes on social media daily.
People look forward to scrolling through their feeds to keep up with what’s trending and their favourite influencers.
Taking that into consideration, social media is an excellent channel for not only reaching consumers but to resonate with them.
To get in front of consumers, you need to build relationships with popular influencers within your community.
There are platforms out there to help you identify the right trusted influencers for your niche.
Having influencers showcase or mention your product can generate interest in your brand.
Consumers are likely to value and trust in your products and services if respected influencers are endorsing them.
Therefore, influencer marketing is not only an effective method for growing a potential customer base, but for boosting your credibility and authority.
Showcase User-Generated Content
Leveraging user-generated content (UGC) is another fantastic way to build your brand identity.
If you have done your homework and fostered an environment that is conducive to driving organic brand engagement, then collecting and using UGC should be your next step.
There are UGC marketing platforms available on the market that can help manage this content much easier.
UGC can come from a variety of places on social media.
It is an excellent source of content because it is free and shows off your products in the most authentic way possible.
According to the Nielsen consumer trust index, 92% of consumers trust earned media, compared to traditional advertising.
This is a powerful testament of how consumer confidence is built through UGC.
It has been demonstrated that consumers trust fellow consumers when considering a brand’s products.
Therefore, UGC should be a component of your marketing tactics.
It does not take many extra steps to then showcase your UGC by creating a focus banner on your website.
Launch a Brand Ambassador Program
Many individuals are looking to represent brands and products on social media.
One way to gain interest in your brand and reach a wider audience is by launching a brand ambassador program.
What better way to showcase your products than by having actual passionate brand advocates share their praise of your offerings.
Brand ambassadors can attract more consumers by sharing a coupon or promotion code in their bio.
Utilise an Eye-Catching Web Design
Excellent web design can make or break the engagement with your site.
Your website is vital for first impressions.
It should invite the user in and drive engagement with your brand.
The first impression can make the difference of users leaving your site never to return or to propel your user further through the purchase funnel.
Your web design should be both aesthetically pleasing and practical, without sacrificing one for the other.
Establish a Good User Experience
User experience is a crucial component of a brand’s overall online presence and ranking.
Your website, mobile app, and social media accounts must be structured in a way that provides for seamless navigation.
Products should be categorised in a logical structure to reduce bounce rate and make your products easy to find.
Site visitors should be able to apply filters to find better what they are looking for, rather than being distracted and interrupted by poorly designed pop-ups during their online shopping experience.
A smooth user experience is memorable and can boost sales and interaction with your brand as a whole.
Respect Consumer Privacy and Data
In our rapidly expanding digital world, it seems that there are more threats to our privacy and data every day.
Retailers and e-commerce consumers can easily fall victim to cybercriminals.
Consumer data from credit cards, store cards, social security numbers, email addresses, to phone numbers are captured and stored with every interaction and transaction with your brand.
Consumer data can quickly become vulnerable without proper protection.
Build trust with your consumers and give them peace of mind by being transparent about the safeguards you have in place to protect them.
There are a variety of solutions like password protection, VPN, SSL, and next-generation firewalls, for example, that can add an extra layer of protection and encrypt data so hackers will not compromise your consumer’s information.
Consumers are more likely to sign up for your store rewards and make purchases if they know that their sensitive information is safe.
Bring Humility to Customer Service
A staggering 96% of consumers say customer service is vital in their choice of loyalty to a brand.
Especially now, stress levels can be high, and consumers are looking to be reassured and have their questions answered efficiently.
Nowadays, many companies have reduced customer support staff and have transitioned to using chatbots to guide support services.
However, consumers don’t want to talk to robots, but instead like an actual professional support agent to speak with.
Therefore, it is paramount to bring humility back into customer service.
Keep a staff of compassionate and dedicated representatives that will respect consumers, embody your core values, and provide the best experience possible that will leave consumers raving about your customer support department.
Solicit Feedback
Consumers are looking to have a voice, increase their influence, and engage with today’s brands.
Business does not end with a consumer purchase.
Brands need to foster dialogue and allow the consumer to impact future product offerings, customer service, and beyond.
One way to improve your service and gauge sentiment is through surveys and brand trust questionnaires.
Quick follow-up messages can be sent via email with a survey tool to make it fast and convenient for those to respond.
Also, encourage consumers to leave candid and honest reviews by offering coupons or reward points.
This does not just help increase the potential of gaining consumer trust but shows gratitude to those who bought your products and took time out of their busy schedules to leave a review.
Keep Up With Consumer Trust Using Email Marketing
Keeping your brand on the minds of consumers should be a priority.
Please don’t wait for consumers to remember a purchase they made from you in the past or something they left in their carts.
Ensure to send them a daily dose to keep them up to date on your brand’s latest projects, products, and initiatives.
However, consumers are bombarded continuously, and their inboxes are overflowing with promotional emails. Stand out from the dry and dull emails by creating consumable and memorable marketing materials.
Make your consumers look forward to your content, and encourage them to want to digest the latest news and trends in your industry.
Distribute Polished Print Materials
Although the majority of marketing materials are distributed digitally, print materials cannot be forgotten.
Your brand’s personality can also shine through print campaigns.
Flyers and catalogues should be bold and entice recipients to open them.
Many brands may neglect print promotional materials altogether for seeing them as static.
However, print materials can foster interaction that has a digital component as well.
They can contain QR codes that can be scanned or lead you to check out a video or even download a mobile app.
Besides, print materials can also potentially contain samples of products that can be tried out on the spot.
Deliver Your Product in Style
Once a purchase is made, delivering the product goes hand in hand with marketing and brand identity.
Whether you make a sale at a retail location or online, handing the product off to the consumer should be done stylishly.
Product packaging is a purposeful way to continue to promote brand consistency.
Packaging should not only protect your product but be unique.
Your bags and boxes should embody a design that can be instantly recognised and stand out from the rest.
As soon as someone sees the consumer walking with your brand’s shopping bag or sees one of your boxes in front of a door – they will know that it is undeniably yours.
Building a unique brand identity and fostering trust does not happen overnight.
The most trusted brands have invested considerable time in building strong relationships with consumers.
Therefore, it takes looking at processes from a different angle.
Be bold and don’t be afraid to use out-of-the-box concepts.
The most memorable brands are those who are in tune with their community and not afraid to be different from the rest.
Take the time to truly understand your community and what they value and would appreciate in a brand.
Fostering unity and creating a movement behind your brand can genuinely launch you to the next level.
Remember, it is not always about sales, but more about the people who respect your brand and will be advocates, rather than one-time customers.
Never forget that your consumers are the base of your brand.
Sometimes, industry leaders become caught up in the process rather than the people.
Always remember to start building your consumer trust, and the rest will fall into place.
