Eight Ways Brands Can Build Trust on Social Media

By Jessica Alex

You’ve probably heard something along the lines of “Without trust there's no relationship” — well this rule applies in business too.

You have an amazing opportunity to use social media as a tool for building relationships and offering a great customer experience. However, in order to start building those relationships you first need to build trust.

Here are 8 ways you can build trust on social media:

1. Be authentic, from telling your story and brand story to what you post about, it should be real and a true representation.

A few examples of being inauthentic would be:

Preaching online to followers about being sustainable but you don't live sustainably in your day-to-day life 🌎.

Or imagine being a home-organization guru, but your home and office is cluttered 🏡.

Or being a natural hair guru, but you chemically straighten your hair regularly 🤷🏾‍♀️.

Would any of these sit well with you as a follower or customer? Probably not.

Authenticity is vital.

2. Engage with your followers and show that you care. Whether it's responding to their messages or comments, or getting their feedback, let your followers know that what they think and want, matters.

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ― Maya Angelou

3. Speak your audience’s language. Be professional, but approachable. Don't speak over your audience's head or use company jargon.

4. Provide value to your followers. Besides entertaining your audience, use your platforms to educate them as well.

5. Showcase testimonials and reviews. Allow your followers to see what their peers are saying about your products or services.

6. Treat your followers (and customers) well. How you treat people both on and offline goes a long way in building trust and maintaining trust over time.

"Good customer service costs less than bad customer service." — Sally Gronow

7. Offer an incentive. Give people a little taste of what they can get from working with you. E.g. It can be done by creating how-to videos or offering free or low-cost guides so that your followers can see you knowledge and how it impacts them positively.

8. Be consistent. Show consistency in your brand message, consistency in showing up, consistency in the level of service you provide, consistency in your aesthetics — be consistent all-around.

It’s important to note that once you earn that trust, you’ve got to remember the importance of maintaining it.