By Joshua Nite

Nothing sends up red flags faster than someone saying “Trust me.” It’s the same as “Honestly, I swear, it’s the truth!” You can’t build trust by demanding it — the more you talk about it, the less credible you sound.

Building trust takes continued action over time. It’s always a work in progress and it’s incredibly fragile.

Brands need to work on building that credibility with their audiences. In the 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer report, 53% of respondents ranked trust as a deciding factor in purchase decisions, second only to affordability. The report also found trust is a crucial indicator for customer loyalty, with half of respondents saying it played a major role.

But here’s the challenge: less than half of those surveyed — in 11 countries across the globe — said they trust major brands. 

As content marketers, we should be helping build that relationship. And there’s good news on that front! Advertisers are no longer the least trusted source of information.

We’re now the second least trusted. Politicians are the one institution with less credibility.

Okay, enough doom and gloom. Here are six ways that B2B content marketing can build trust with your buyers.

6 Trust Builders through B2B Content Marketing

I’ve divided this list into two sections. The first three are table stakes — these are things that brands should already be doing, that customers expect and demand. The second three are ways to kick that trust up to the next level.

Base Level Trust Builders

1 — Honesty

You can’t get more basic in building trust than not lying to potential buyers. Your content should never attempt to mislead or misdirect your audience. This includes claims about your solution, or your competitor’s solution. 

I would extend the definition beyond product, though, to the quality of the content itself. If you promise practical, valuable content but deliver a sales pitch, that’s dishonest. 

2 — Transparency

It’s not just what you say that can damage trust; it’s also what you don’t say. For a business, that could mean using consumer data without their express consent. It can be as major as covering up a scandal, or as small as deleting negative reviews. 

In the Information Age, anything hidden will eventually be brought to light. If your business is lacking transparency, it will be found out — and trust will take a serious nose dive.

3 — Consistency

Customer experience expert Shep Hyken says the secret to creating a raving fan is to consistently exceed expectations. It’s the “consistently” part that makes all the difference. For B2B content, that means establishing a regular cadence for publishing high-quality content and continually following through. 

It’s much better …read more

Source:: Top Rank Blog

Author: Aaron