In the quest to forge a brand that resonates with authenticity and trustworthiness, we’ve gathered insights from twelve industry experts, including marketing strategists and founders. They share strategies ranging from maintaining brand consistency across platforms to staying agile in marketing. These actionable tidbits provide a comprehensive guide for creating a memorable and reliable brand.
- Maintain Brand Consistency Across Platforms
- Provide Educational Content to GainTrust
- Leverage Video Storytelling for Engagement
- Foster Kindness and Empathy
- Embrace Vulnerability for Deeper Connection
- Exceed Post-Purchase Expectations
- Inject Authenticity and Humor
- Develop Market-Ecosystem Relationships
- Showcase Customer Reviews and Testimonials
- Build a Strong Community Engagement
- Create Multi-Sensory Brand Experiences
- Stay Agile in Marketing
Maintain Brand Consistency Across Platforms
Consistency is key. Your messaging tone, logo, graphics, and brand colors should be consistent in every format of your marketing, so your company is easily recognizable. Your brand is your company’s face, and like friends and family, being able to recognize a familiar face is important for trust and credibility.
Sarah Belanus, Marketing Strategist, Research Designed
Provide Educational Content to Gain Trust
Education is something I value as both a consumer and a business founder. I’m someone who likes to really understand what I am getting into when I find a new brand or business, which is why I like educational materials. Blog posts, webinars, or informative videos all add value to a consumer and help you to build trust and authority.
Educational content can also help to differentiate a brand from its competitors. When a brand takes the initiative to educate its audience, it stands out as a thought leader and a valuable partner in the consumer’s journey.
I also find that brands that educate stay attuned to evolving consumer needs. This adaptability allows them to adjust their products, services, or messaging in response to changing market dynamics and customer preferences.
Curtis Feather, Founder, Franboost
Leverage Video Storytelling for Engagement
The best strategy for increasing our brand reach has been through video. Through video, we are able to tell our story, sell our brand, and show in detail what makes our products different from anything else on the market. It has allowed us to achieve over 90,000 followers on YouTube and have a popular monthly show watched by thousands.
Customers constantly mention our videos as the reason they decided to shop with us. And all this was done with just a couple of iPhones, mics, and a YouTube channel.
Jeff Michael, Ecommerce Business Owner, Moriarty’s Gem Art
Foster Kindness and Empathy
Kindness and empathy. As someone who connects with patients daily, I understand the importance of being understanding and kind.
By fostering a culture of kindness, you not only build a supportive environment but also establish trust and credibility with customers. Showing kindness and empathy in your brand’s actions and communications cultivates a reputation for reliability, encouraging loyalty and positive recommendations.
Diane Howard, RN and Founder, Esthetic Finesse
Embrace Vulnerability for Deeper Connection
While consistency and authenticity are critical, I believe vulnerability is the hidden gem in building a brand that people truly know and trust. Sharing your brand’s story beyond your appearance and highlighting your past struggles and true values creates a deeper connection. Admitting mistakes and actively improving upon areas of deficiency shows humility, not weakness.
This emotional transparency allows consumers to engage rather than just receive information and feel like they are partners in your journey, not just customers. In a world full of marketing, vulnerability makes brands more likable, memorable, and trustworthy.
Fahad Khan, Digital Marketing Manager, Ubuy India
Exceed Post-Purchase Expectations
A customer’s post-purchase experience is one of the most important factors in building a well-known and trusted brand.
While there are many ways brands can reach new audiences pre-purchase, exceeding expectations once a browser becomes a buyer can help create a long-term customer. It’s your most committed customers who will often be the loudest supporters of what you do, and this helps build ongoing brand awareness and trust.
Ben Donovan, Founder, Brand Builder University
Inject Authenticity and Humor
One key strategy or factor that I believe is essential for creating a brand that people recognize and trust is embracing the unexpected and injecting authenticity into your brand’s communication. Ditching the polished script and allowing your brand’s personality to shine can make a lasting impact on your audience. Injecting humor, spontaneity, and even a little goofiness can help your brand stand out and connect with people on a deeper level.
When brands show that they’re not afraid to laugh at themselves and express their true personality, it creates a sense of authenticity that people can relate to and trust. It humanizes the brand and breaks down the barrier between the corporate entity and the consumer. This approach helps build rapport, fosters a sense of connection, and establishes a level of trust that goes beyond just product or service offerings.
Incorporating unexpected elements, such as humor, spontaneity, and authenticity, into your brand’s communication can leave a lasting impression on your audience. It shows that your brand is not just a faceless entity, but rather a relatable and trustworthy companion.
Connor Ondriska, Co-Founder and CEO, SpanishVIP
Develop Market-Ecosystem Relationships
In my experience, market-ecosystem relationships are key to developing a known and trusted brand through word-of-mouth communication. I have observed that businesses can’t position their brand in the market because a position is a mental place a brand occupies in the prospect’s mind, and the brands have not developed a strong enough identity or relationships yet to leave a lasting impression.
Most prospects consider brand communications as ads- or outreach-biased because a company wants to sell and has economic interests. Thus, to become the owner of a mental space in the prospect’s mind, they must learn about a brand through different communication channels and third-party players. This is achieved by creating a communications strategy based on a market ecosystem. The way to do it is to identify the market, build relationships, and communicate positioning messages to third-party players in the market ecosystem of the company.
This ecosystem is built by the press, media, publications, magazines, thought leaders, luminaries, consultants, other suppliers, educational institutions, standardization organizations, and industry associations, among other types of organizations. Notice that an ecosystem strategy is not just a PR strategy. PR typically focuses just on press, media, and publications. However, with an ecosystem communications strategy, you can develop word-of-mouth across all types of players in the market. Hence, they position your brand in the prospect’s mind by positively talking about it, building trust and awareness.
Jose Bermejo, Founder and Managing Partner, Predictable Innovation Strategy
Showcase Customer Reviews and Testimonials
Building trust in an online store involves prioritizing customer reviews and testimonials. This can be accomplished by actively encouraging satisfied customers to share their positive experiences and then showcasing these testimonials prominently on your website. Positive feedback from real customers serves as social proof, reassuring potential buyers about the reliability of your products and services.
Additionally, promptly address any negative reviews with a solution-oriented approach, demonstrating your commitment to customer satisfaction. Implementing a transparent review system not only boosts credibility but also fosters an authentic connection with your audience. This strategy leverages the power of customer endorsements, creating a trustworthy brand image that resonates with potential buyers.
Durgesh Maurya, Marketing Manager, IGP.com
Build a Strong Community Engagement
A strong sense of community and engagement will take your brand reliability from 0 to 100!
Everyone loves to feel like they are part of something greater than themselves. Many brands use this notion to build a community on social media platforms. Your brand will build a loyal following by fostering a sense of belonging on social media.
Brands like Benefit Cosmetics and Huda Beauty have created branded hashtags for customers to include in posts featuring their products. E.L.F. also ran a campaign encouraging their customers to participate in challenges like the “#eyeslipface” challenge to get their community engaged and talking.
Brands can also harness this sense of community by hosting Q&A sessions live, creating giveaways, and hosting other online or in-person events for influencers or community members.
Chelsea Evans-Flower, Owner, Scott Social
Create Multi-Sensory Brand Experiences
Emotional connection with customers is important for building long-term relationships. In a recent project, my team executed a multi-sensory branding strategy.
In December, we hosted a sustainability bazaar, with over 28 brands from the brown-living ecosystem there to showcase their products with live music, touch-and-feel of the products, and direct interactions with consumers. This resulted in testimonials and real-time feedback.
We also hosted a discussion about sustainability as a topic. It created a memorable brand experience, which increased foot traffic and positive word-of-mouth.
Brands can create deeper connections and enhance brand recognition with the help of multi-sensory branding.
Chaitsi Ahuja, Founder and CEO, Brown Living
Stay Agile in Marketing
In the business world, staying adaptable and flexible is crucial. Without this, it’s tough for businesses to stand out in such a competitive market. Agile marketing allows brands to stay relevant in the market. Staying agile includes quickly responding to market trends, customer preferences, and competitors’ actions.
By following the same approach, my brand is always in sync with the needs and desires of my target audience. This system not only helps me stay relevant but also helps build trust with customers, as they see my brand continuously evolving to meet their needs. Integrating agile marketing into your brand strategy can definitely be a game-changer.
Nikhil Soni, Founder, The Tribe Kids
