Should your prospects and customers trust you?

“Well, of course they should trust us,” you may respond with some annoyance.

Let us rephrase the question. DO they trust you, and have you given them ample reason to do so?

We work in an era in which it is more than a little hard to trust. Our email is rife with phishing schemes and spam. Our online accounts get hacked. Companies with whom we work may make promises they can’t keep.

And yet, trust is extremely important in business relationships. People prefer to work with companies they trust… companies they like.

So, how to build trust among people who (let's face it!) may hardly know your company?

Communication is key.

And since you probably cannot meet with or even talk with all your prospects and customers as often as you like, it’s important to use the best communication strategies and tactics available to support your trust-building efforts. Here are just a few:

Content development: You hear about it all the time. Good content development is simply talking about the things you know and believe in, the ways you help, the resources and insights you can share, and more. Blog, use social media, write articles, speak at a meeting… and keep it coming. Consistency and frequency are key, as is relevance. Finding the balance between “getting out there” enough and running out of new things to say is important!

Editorial endorsement: Public relations, specifically media relations, in which you get your news and stories in the press, brings with it the benefit of implied editorial endorsement (and thus believability).

Connecting your leader(s) with the brand: In all of your outreach, it helps to take a “top down” approach. An admirable, accomplished or charismatic leader can speak for your brand, your commitments and the ways in which your company stands out from others. Select a thought leader to speak for your brand.

Brand building with demonstrated expertise or problem solving: Tell your story everywhere from your website to your webinars to your online videos, calculators and apps: “We solve a problem. Here is the problem we solve. Here is why you may care.”

Show that you are “good”: We have become advocates of cause marketing and active sponsorships, in which your company partners with a non-profit whose mission is aligned with your values. What a way to build trust while doing good!

Finally, be patient. Neither Rome nor Reputation, nor the trust that goes with it, is built in a day. Start now!