Branding and trustTrust is an issue today. Without trust there is no love is a common cliché. Whether in a marriage or just casual relationship. People do not open up their minds to people they do not trust.When it comes to brands, people avoid brands that concentrate on gimicks, advert at the expense of building relationship that leads to long time commitment. To get the best value in any brand, trust, emotional connection and love will go a long way to help the brand. What I have discovered over time is that no matter how daunting a task is, when we approach it with dedicated approach and willingness to achieve tangible result,it is usually achievable. We live in an age and time when people want fast and instantaneous result, but trust is not instantaneous. It is a product of little act of caring, helping and bonding that add up to living together in unity.

Trust entails having a firm believe in the honesty and integrity of others. Since trust will be the greatest differentiator and competitive edge now, I guess it will be great to know what it will take to build trust with your brand’s audience so they can always be there for you.

Invest in the people: your brand is seen and appreciated by what your internal audience say about it.They must truly represent you otherwise many will not trust you. You can not be a luxury brand and your representatives are dressing like a pauper. What they broadcast and how they broadcast issues about the brand will affect the level of trust people can have. I have noticed this among educational institutions here. Some of them charge huge amount as school fees and pay staff peanuts. This has been noticed when many of the employees beg parents to help them secure a new job. Meanwhile the general perception is that if you charge high school fees , internal audience must also benfit from this.

Brand education: It takes faith in any brand to stake personal integrity into it. Many brands’ audience can not become brand advocates because they have little information about brands’ activities. Staking personal integrity costs if the brands disappoint. So constantly speak with your audience. Constantly brief them of what you are doing and where you are going together with them and how you are working hard to bring desired changes to their lives. In  all you are doing, make sure you are doing what you say you will do.

 Endorsements and Testimonials : Realize that people trust others people than they trust any organization’s messages. Marketing messages through advocacy method or third party will build strong trust in your message than what you have to say.

Law of commitment: Be extremely committted to your audience. Go extra mile with them in helping out. All good boughts in good conditions are not returnable will not work today and age. These are my thoughts today. Let me hear from you, use the comment section.

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