Brand Trust Stems From Authentic Engagement

Speak with me for five minutes about audience trust and branded social media outreach, and two things will be readily apparent. 

ONE: I can talk your ear off about things I have passion for. 

TWO: I know like I know the sky is blue that improving trust of your brand is a matter of being better at: 

• Starting with audience 
• Meeting ’em where they are 
• Recognizing that people trust people more than they trust brands 

Challenges

These challenges are often overlooked, taken for granted, and ultimately not addressed by all too many marketers. And maybe they’re getting in the way of your brand’s outreach too.

• Does your messaging start with what’s in it for your audience, or what you want from them?
• Do your efforts focus on the platforms your audience chooses for brand engagement, or with arbitrary platforms most appealing to you?
• Do you take it for granted that people will engage with an unresponsive social channel topped with a corporate logo? 

Engagement vs. Scale

More than ever, today’s social-engaged, always-connected audiences expect responsiveness, transparency, and information they value. But what’s the pushback in many enterprise organizations? “Authenticity and 1-to-1 contact don't scale.” 

When it comes to Engagement vs. Scale, you can’t have it both ways. Scale a channel to the point it’s an enterprise bullhorn, and today’s audiences clock it as advertising. Neglect your audience's voices, preferences or engagement, and you lose hard-earned online & social connection. Worse, in some cases you’ll even invite their contempt. 

Which brings us back to putting audience first by focusing on what’s in it for them, meeting ‘em where they are, and offering connections at human scale as opposed to enterprise scale. 

Earning Trust & Engagement 

Your brand can earn more audience trust and engagement in its social outreach by cultivating an audience-first mindset, and lending that perspective to these attainable tactics that bring a more human scale to your branded outreach: 

• No doubt some very smart people behind the scenes make your products viable and successful. Make these people rockstars. Connect them to your video, social, and blogging resources for transcribed interviews, first-person bylines, collaborative content with their peers, then amplify this thought leader content on social. 
• Embrace brand advocates in your customer base. Somebody out there appreciates what your brand does and posts favorable reviews & comments. Align resources for social listening, then engage and encourage those who vocally favor your brand. 
• Be open, transparent, and showcase social responsibility. Your audience consists of people from all walks of life, and so does your team. Instead of leading with a logo and ad spend, showcase your brand’s humanity in the face of events that affect us all, and showcase the people who bring your brand to life.
• Be responsive to constructive engagement, and especially to positive engagement. Not every interaction merits a response, but don’t forfeit opportunities for positive exchanges. Nothing builds trust like positive interactions, and nothing is more dismissive than ignoring praise. 

Investment

There’s just one catch: To have successful engagement and relationships with your brand’s audiences, you’ll have to invest people and resources. Relationships take effort and there’s not a whole lot that’s inherently social about outreach at enterprise scale. Like any relationship, brand trust on social takes work. 

Take action:

Got a minute for six quick questions that could transform your brand? https://bit.ly/2x1vFWB

Charles Dye has written for and worked in brand creative & content strategy with Nike, Oracle, Livestrong.com, AZCentral Fitness, and newsrooms across the US. Commercial & non-profit inquiries welcome - [email protected]