When you run a business, particularly if it’s a small operation or something that’s run out of your home, it is so important that you are able to foster a sense of trust in potential customers.
We all know who bigger businesses are and how they work so we can be pretty confident that we will get what we pay for the vast majority of the time. The same cannot be said for new upcoming businesses and smaller operations who may not have had the time to prove themselves or who are consistently delivering the goods, but to such a small market that word has yet to get out.
That means, if you want to be successful, you need to do everything you can to build trust in your business so that people will feel confident enough to buy from you. Here are some of the best ways to do that.
Design an amazing website
If your company’s website looks like it has been thrown together in a matter of minutes, it will be hard to build must trust in your business because those kinds of websites are so frequently used by scammers. No, if you want your customers to trust you, you need to put plenty of time and effort into creating a website that looks goos, has great content, and offers a great user experience. Thankfully, this is easier than ever to do now that there are various hosting sites and software packages that will enable you to create something unique and professional in a few clicks.
Video testimonials
Video marketing is really popular right now because video is probably the easiest medium to convey various ideas and entertain the audience, not to mention the easiest medium to consume. So, it is not surprising that video testimonials can really help to build trust in your business. They can do this by showing your target audience what real people think of your products and services.
Of course, in order for this to work, you do need to ensure that your video testimonials are authentic, captured in the best quality you can afford and easy enough for your customers to access, but that shouldn’t be too hard, and you can always draft a professional in to help you if you prefer.
Third-party reviews
Although video testimonials are something you should definitely be using to build trust in your business, that doesn’t mean that you should not also be encouraging third-party reviews to do the same thing. Although video testimonials are increasingly popular, many people are wary of any reviews or testimonials that are hosted on a company’s own site. Third-party testimonials can, to some extent, alleviate these worries because they are hosted by an impartial third-party, and often they require verification of the reviewer’s identity and whether they have actually made a purchase too.
Respond quickly to complaints and queries
Consumers are more likely to trust a business that is good about communicating with them, which is why you should not only make an effort to answer phone calls and emails as quickly as possible, but why you should also invest in a customer service course for yourself and any employees you may have.
If customers get in touch and they feel like they have been dealt with kindly, fairly and fast, they will generally consider you to be a decent company that are trying to do the right thing even if something has gone wrong.
How do you encourage people to get more reviews from them? Email them with a code offering money off the next purchase or similar to try and convince them that it is something worth doing.
Put your details front and centre
Your company is less likely to be considered untrustworthy or unreliable if you place your contact details, including address and telephone number front and centre on your website. People who have something to hide, who are running dodgy websites and looking to scam people, will generally not provide this information, or provide fake details that can easily be found out with a quick Google, which means your customers can buy from you, with your legit details, with confidence.
Behave like a human, not a business
People might favour certain brands, but they want to connect with people, so whenever you have reason to engage with a customer, do so as one human being to another. As much as possible, cut the business-related jargon, personalise your contact to suit the customer and try to understand their point of view as a consumer rather than the business owner that you are. Oh, and don’t spend all of your time interacting with them doing a really obvious sales pitch lest you descend into dodgy csar salesman territory!
Have a money-back guarantee
If it is possible to do so, providing your customers with a money-back guarantee is a great way to instil trust. The fact that you offer the guarantee at all gives the impression that you are a good company who believes that your products and services are excellent, and the fact they know they have a route to get their money back if things do go wrong will convince those people who are nervous about making a purchase to go ahead and do so after all.
Ensure quality in all you do
From the materials you use to make your products to the content you post on your social media, if you can ensure that everything your business puts out into the world is of the highest possible quality, people will naturally have more trust in your company because… well they’ll have no reason not to.
Building trust in your business can take time, and you may need to make a few changes to how your business operates right now, but it will be so very worth it when you have a whole host of happy customers who make you their go-to because they know you won’t do them wrong!
