Why build trust online? Well, here’s a quick question for you.
What do you think has the most significant impact on growth?
If you’re thinking its trust, you have significant data agreeing with you. And as 4.66 billion of us are actively online, businesses that prioritize building trust online are making sound investments in their future.
Let’s look at 4 tips to help you do that.
Tip #1: Get to know your users
Have you ever tried to help out and it didn’t go so well? It happens. But, if we listen a bit we can get a better understanding and offer meaningful support.
How well do you know your users? What matters to them? How are they feeling? Is their experience creating “oxytocin” that feel good molecule which according to research builds trust?
You can do this in a number of ways but using qualitative methods or non numerical information gives you a deeper insight and understanding into the individual. You can gather this through interviews, forms or questionnaires.
“I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully.” - Ernest Hemingway Click To Tweet
Tip #2: Acknowledge your users
How have you felt when someone acknowledged you? Whether they responded to a need you had or appreciated something you did, validation feels good (and remember feeling good creates “oxytocin” which builds trust😉).
There are many opportunities to acknowledge someone online. Likes and replies on social media comments, timely email responses to questions or concerns and looking for ways to publicly express gratitude for subscriptions, follows and other commitments work wonders.
You can acknowledge people by including them in content or social media. You can also reward their loyalty by sending surprise discounts or gifts via email or even regular mail. You can even do a branded hashtag search every now and then. You might find a gem!
“Make the customer the hero of your story.” - Ann Handley Click To Tweet
Tip #3: Be generous with your users
How do you feel when someone gives you something valuable and asks nothing for it? The key word here is valuable.
In order to be generous with others, you need to know yourself. This is the key to providing value. The better you know the person you are helping (Tip #2) as well as your unique contribution, the greater the value.
You can do this by developing clarity and consistency around your vision, values and brand. That is step one. Step two is simply offer what you have with no strings attached.
“The greatest gift you ever give is your honest self.” - Fred Rogers Click To Tweet
Tip #4: Engage your users
How often do you rely on customer reviews to book a hotel or buy a product? There is no denying that having users engage with other users is a mark of success.
According to research, people learn by watching decisions that others made. When it comes to online behavior that translates to reviews or even social media posts. This user-generated content makes other users feel 71% more comfortable. So you are build trust from a different angle.
All it takes is a focus on making that happen and inviting them to respond in a variety of ways and on a variety of platforms. The more you encourage users to be a part of your ecosystem, the more you grow. Whether you do this through email, social media or your website, respect goes along way. Respect their time by making it easy. Respect their contribution with a thank you or reward of some type.
“Feedback is the breakfast of champions.” - Ken Blanchard Click To Tweet
These 4 tips help build trust online from different angles but from the same perspective which is that when people feel good about an experience it builds trust for future ones. With over 2.14 billion people around the world expected to buy goods and services in 2021, it just makes sense to do so.
