A company that pays lip service to sustainability while dumping plastics in the ocean will be found out and boycotted. 

The same is true for transparency: If your company claims to be open and honest about how it deals with customer data, that claim better be rock-solid.

4. Pursue a higher purpose to build trust

It’s tempting for brands to stay neutral on social issues in the current polarized environment. But the report shows that people not only expect brands to speak (and act) on social issues, they say brands aren’t doing anywhere near enough.

Edelman asked about six pressing social issues, and for each one people were +5X more likely to say brands were not doing enough, versus overstepping.

It’s worth noting that in particularly polarized countries (like the U.S.), the majority of people say that brands can’t avoid being political when addressing contentious social issues. 

However, brands can combat being viewed as political by being a consistently reliable source of information, basing their actions on science, and acting on the same values over time.

If your business has a clear purpose, consistently works to make the world a better place, and builds trust and credibility over time, you can avoid the effects of political polarization.

[bctt tweet=”“Brands can combat being viewed as political by being a consistently reliable source of information, basing their actions on science, and acting on the same values over time.” — Joshua Nite @NiteWrites” username=”toprank”]

5. Positivity is a killer app

The content team at TopRank Marketing has a positivity policy. We want our content to be aspirational, helpful, optimistic and supportive. The days of effective marketing through negativity— fear, discontentment, anger — are over. The world is scary enough without telling someone that if they don’t buy your solution, they’ll get fired and have to live in a van down by the river. 

It’s easy to see the difference in mindset. For example, compare:

1. If your business violates privacy laws, you can end up paying millions in fines. Better get yourself a CDP.
2. With the right data governance in place, you can personalize your marketing without worrying about compliance. Here’s how.

Positivity shouldn’t stop with content related to your solution, either. Some of the most memorable marketing campaigns remind people of their shared humanity, with optimism and hope for the future. 

In Edelman’s report, 68% of respondents agreed with the statement: “Brands celebrating what brings us together and emphasizing our common interest would strengthen the social fabric.” Uniting and uplifting versus dividing and sowing fear — who knew that would help build and maintain trust, eh?

[bctt tweet=”“Some of the most memorable marketing campaigns remind people of their shared humanity, with optimism and hope for the future.” — Joshua Nite @NiteWrites” username=”toprank”]

Now that we’ve found trust, what are we going to do with it?

The last few years have seen businesses take the lead as the most trusted societal institution. But we must admit we’ve hit that position by default: It’s the erosion of trust in government, the media, etc. that put us in the top spot.

But we can still reward that trust, make good use of it, and use it to make our businesses both a better partner to customers and a better citizen of society.

And that’s better than a box of chocolates any day, even Valentine’s Day.