How to make your business more trustworthy

No matter where you go to find your answers, if you ask ‘what qualities make a good business?’, the chances are trustworthiness will find a place on the list. Sometimes, it’s easy to tell the difference between a trustworthy business and one you should avoid. You only have to go online to see their poor reviews or pictures of what was ordered versus what customers received and it’s enough to make you steer clear.

But how can you differentiate your business from the untrustworthy ones who aren’t so brazen with their dishonesty? There are clear steps you can follow. Let’s take a look.  

Be transparent

Sometimes, people confuse being trustworthy with being transparent, but there’s a difference. Transparency might come into play on your website, on the phone, or any place your brand meets your customer. Customers want you to be forthright with information. They don’t want their experience with your brand to be like getting blood out of a stone. List all your prices clearly. There should be enough information for your customers to know exactly what they get for their money with no fuss.

Include shipping costs, prices including taxes, and other important information such as how long your service will take. Customers are more likely to believe you have nothing to hide and aren’t trying to swindle them out of their hard-earned cash. 

Their apprehension is understandable considering UK bank customers lost ￡500 million to scams in the first half of 2018, often paying in advance for non-existent products. If you’re transparent, they’re more likely to trust you.

Answer their questions

Even if you have as much information available as possible, some people may still have questions about your services and need reassurance. It’s a good idea to answer all enquiries, not only to land more sales, but to become more trustworthy as a business. Doing this is easier than ever with the help of social media, chatbots, and phone services.

Testimonials

They say all press is good press, but with your business, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Websites such as TripAdvisor, Yelp, and even Google give more power to consumers. People use them more to show their appreciation or dissatisfaction with services. If you find yourself on the receiving end of a bad review, thousands, even millions of people could see it, and this will impact your sales. The more positive testimonials you have, the more likely people are to trust you’re running a good business.

Content

You should create original, engaging content for your audience. This will help you generate leads and convert them into sales. It will also massively improve how trustworthy your business seems because:

• 62% of companies with 5,000 employees or more produce daily content. Big brands such as Coca-Cola, Netflix, and Topshop all produce daily content. By following suit, you’ll associate yourself with behaviour seen in other trustworthy brands.
• We design content to help the reader in some way. This could be by giving how-to instructions on common issues, giving them inspiration, or educating them on something they weren’t familiar with. Do this successfully, and you’ll build trust with your audience.
• It makes your brand seem down-to-earth and relatable, interested in the same things as your audience is. Just like when making friends, being able to relate helps you trust the other person.

There are many other ways to instil trust in your consumers and potential clients but these three tips are some of the most important. They’re also easy to do. All you need is a great online presence, excellent customer service, and some fantastic content. If you don’t know how to get these things yourself, there are brilliant companies who can give you a helping hand.

At Coster Content, everything we do is focused on helping businesses leverage the power of content marketing to grow and reach their business goals. We can teach you how to take control of your content so it captivates your readers, or we can use our expertise to do this on your behalf. Either way, our content services transform your relationship with your clients. For more information, get in touch with us on 0161 413 8418.