How to Build Trust on Social Media
By now, your company probably has some type of presence on social media. But you may have found that it’s getting more difficult to reach your audience. People are growing tired of being advertised to, and they are especially good at tuning out automated, robotic messaging. Building trust is one of the best ways to connect with your audience, cut through clutter and earn attention and interest. But building trust also takes time.
Are there any ways that you can begin earning the trust of your audience and work toward stronger relationships? There are! Let’s take a look.
Know Your Personal Brand
The first step is defining your personal brand. Who are you? What do you strive to be? What are your strengths and weaknesses? In other words, what do you want the rest of the world to think of your brand?
It’s important to have a clear direction as to how you want your brand to appear to others, but it’s possible for a personal brand to be created without your input. If you don’t take control of your personal brand, you won’t own it. Instead, others will be left to come to conclusions based on the things you post on social media.
Communicate in a Consistent Voice
Your brand should have a voice, and it should be consistent across channels. Maybe this voice is serious or witty or excited. It should fit your company and the type of products that you sell. Your voice should also be sincere, genuine and honest. It should convey confidence and sound like it’s coming from a human being rather than a corporation. Robotic messaging has no personality and doesn’t allow people to feel emotionally connected to the brand.
Make Time to Laugh
No matter how serious your industry is, you can always find time for entertainment. For instance, you can post a funny meme about Monday mornings, or share a hilarious video from YouTube. If you find it funny, chances are, your audience will too. And if you can make them laugh, they’ll find you more memorable, more fun to follow and more relatable.
Respond to Comments in Real Time
Social media is a real-time asset. Your audience expects you to be there, so if they leave some type of feedback, respond to it. Good comments, bad comments or neutral comments all deserve some type of acknowledgement. Try to follow up as soon as possible, otherwise your response loses value.
When you respond to feedback, it shows your customers that you care about what they have to say. Even if things don’t always go perfectly, how you handle these situations speaks more about your company than the original issue. Always be armed and ready to provide solutions that make your customers satisfied again.
Be Transparent
A final way to build trust on social media is simple: be transparent. This means being open, honest and vulnerable. Transparency shows people that you have nothing to hide.
Don’t be afraid to admit your shortcomings or some of the things that you want to do better. This makes your brand more personable. Plus, it shows your customers that you intend to get better. If you’re not growing, you’re stagnating.
Being on social media is not enough. You need to be active on these channels, communicate with your audience and show humility. This is what makes your brand personable and relatable, and this is what makes people trust and believe in you.