Brand trust is more important than ever. The pandemic brought this into sharp focus for customers, and it remains an important consideration for all businesses.

In 2020, 82% of customers surveyed said that trust in a brand is important to them[1] (Forbes, 2020). And if your customers don’t trust your brand, they won’t want to part with their money for your goods or services.

So, what can you do to build that trust as we start to emerge from a time where disinformation and lack of transparency has made people unsure of where to place that trust? 71% of people said they would lose trust in a brand if they felt that the company was putting profit above people during the pandemic[2] (Edelman 2020), so it’s no small challenge.

Get to the point

One area where you can quickly build trust with your customers is your website, and what better place to start when it is likely to be where they first get their first impression of your business. Remember, the longer it takes for your website’s pages to load, the more likely it is that a prospective customer will go elsewhere. The optimal load time for peak conversions on a desktop PC is 1.8 seconds[3]. The same urgency should apply to your website content. Get to the point!

The longer you take to try and convey your message the more likely you are to lose the customer so focus on your proposition, make it clear and succinct. Don’t dwell on features, tell your customers how what you do will meet their needs and make their lives better.

Make your business discoverable

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) simply refers the tactics used to help you rank higher on a search engine’s page (such as Google), increasing traffic to your website. SEO can seem complicated, but it doesn’t have to be, there are some basics you can implement today. Did you know that the optimum range is between 100 and 1,000 words on a web page, with the optimal figure falling between 400 and 600 words[4] (SEO.CO, 2021)? Use however many words you need to convey your message quickly and concisely. You can find out more about SEO here.

Whether you are a small or large company, setting up Google My Business should also be a crucial part of your marketing plans. Google reviews is an excellent way to capture and display customer testimonials, so don’t be afraid to ask for them. You can read more about this here.

Put in a good word

Nothing speaks volumes more about your products and services than glowing testimonials from your happy clients. 72% of consumers say that positive reviews and testimonials make them trust a brand more[5] (Boast, 2021).

However, as with the rest of your content, make sure the testimonial is concise. Make it a snippet from a longer more detailed testimonial to capture the essence and use it as a link to find out more.

By promoting trust in your brand, they increase your chances of converting leads and keeping the clients you already have. Adding testimonials to your sales pages can increase your conversions by 34% on average⁵ so make sure you display them in a prominent position.

Let’s get engaged

Customer engagement helps to build more trust with your brand and there are a few strategies you can use to ensure potential new clients and current clients alike are more comfortable in dealing with your business. After all, if you can fully engage your customers, it can mean a 23% higher share in profitability, revenue, and relationship growth[6] (Outgrow.co, 2021).

Make use of your social channels to up your engagement with your clients. Tag or ask them to comment on your social media posts, your latest blog, or video and keep the conversation going. Doing something as simple as placing a video that explains your business on your home page or a landing page can boost your conversion rate by up to 80%[7] (Explain.Ninja, 2020).

Look to the future

Consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about the privacy of their data. 84% will trust a brand more if it prioritises a privacy-safe approach to handling client data[8] (MediaMath, 2022).

Using technology that keeps that data secure will help build closer customer relationships and trust now and in the future. Using a secure online client portal to perform a client fact-find like that within Mortgage Brain’s CRM platform, The Key, not only speeds up your processes but builds a bond of trust between you and the client as they can be assured you are using a secure system to guard their data.

QR codes are an increasingly popular way to attract customers to your website. Use them on your marketing materials or social media to direct them to a landing page on your website where you can be transparent about your business and its company values and start building the trust your clients are looking for.

We can help

At Mortgage Brain, our experts can help you optimise your current website or build a whole new one to help boost your brand. Web Brain offers a flexible and professional service focused on representing you and your company professionally. With this service, we offer plug-ins you can add to your site to help increase your leads.

Adding one of our range of plug-ins, like our best buy table, to your website will encourage visitors to stay on your site longer, meaning they're more likely to submit an enquiry. Our plug-ins automatically update to display the latest products and are configurable to your needs and those of your customers. If they find what they’re looking for they can fill in an enquiry form and you receive an email with their details. It’s also fully integrated with our CRM system, The Key.

You can read our article on website best practice in our online library of help guides and resources or you can find out more about Web Brain and our Best Buy and Mortgage Search plug-ins and start building the trust your brand deserves. We have a comprehensive library of help guides and videos in our online resource centre, including a section dedicated to Web Brain.

[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnhall/2021/03/21/how-website-copy-can-help-you-build-brand-trust/

[2] https://www.edelman.com/research/covid-19-brand-trust-report

[3] https://www.forbes.com/sites/jiawertz/2017/03/17/how-to-compete-for-consumers-online

[4] https://seo.co/many-words-homepage/

[5] https://boast.io/20-statistics-about-using-testimonials-in-marketing/

[6] https://outgrow.co/blog/customer-engagement-statistics

[7] https://explain.ninja/blog/20-video-marketing-statistics-2020/

[8] https://www.mediamath.com/blog/mediamath-research-shows-consumers-willing-to-exchange