How does a business build trust with its customers, though? There are several ways to do this, but we recommend building trust with testimonials, reviews, and case studies.
Why is Trust in Your Business Important?
As we stated before, trust is critical to the success of any business. Ninety-two percent of customers will hesitate to buy a product if there are no reviews. Imagine how your sales will be affected if you have primarily negative reviews or no reviews at all.
Trust can make or break your business. This is twice as important if you provide a high-end service, such as home improvement or accounting.
Ensuring that people trust you is a great way to increase sales. The more confident customers are in your service, the more likely they’ll share that with others. The more people speak positively, the more will come through your door.
Building Trust With Testimonials and Reviews
Testimonials and reviews are a simple yet effective way to build trust. If you haven’t been set up with Google My Business, then it’s time to do that now. When people look up your business, you want them to see glowing reviews and great testimonials.
Eighty-four percent of people trust online reviews just as much as recommendations from friends or family. Many even trust online reviews more. If customers aren’t leaving you reviews, then you could offer a discount or other incentive for doing so. This is part of a digital marketing strategy, and you can learn how to create one here.
On the subject of testimonials, the protocol is relatively the same. When people see your website, you want to make sure that there are quotes from satisfied customers talking about how great their experience was. When using quotes for your website, though, be sure to reach out to customers and directly ask permission to use their words and their name.
- Video testimonials are another great way to build brand trust. Not everyone likes to read while scrolling through social media, but a video that plays on their feed automatically will grab their attention. These videos can easily be shared across all your social channels and work well hand-in-hand with written testimonials.
Building Trust With Case Studies
Creating case studies is an involved process, but it can prove even more useful in building trust. Think of case studies as a verified source in a news article or academic paper. Customers see reviews talking about how good your business is, but they can read about it for themselves if they see that case study.
Before you get too excited, it’s important to know what a case study is and how to use it. A case study is an in-depth explanation of a particular problem that your business solved. Case studies usually describe a customer’s problem, how they had a difficult time solving it, and how your business swooped in and saved the day where other businesses couldn’t. It puts your best foot forward and makes your business look like some sort of superhero.
Case studies aren’t necessary in every business, but they can make the difference between a free consultation and a paying client. They come in handy when dealing with higher-value services and will help you land that sales pitch.Trust is critical in any business and can’t be ignored. By utilizing testimonials, reviews, and case studies, you can let the world know about the quality of your work. Those trust-building tools can be used in many ways to reach potential and existing customers through email campaigns, websites, social media, newsletters, and more.
