Social media has become more than just a way to keep in touch with friends, share a song we like or post photos from vacation. It has become a way for brands to establish a real connection with existing customers and attract new ones.
In order for consumers to choose you over another brand, they need to see you as trustworthy. When used right, social media becomes one of the most powerful tools to establish trust and put yourself out there as an expert.
But what goes into using social media to build trust? Well, there is no exact recipe, but the following techniques will help you get a few steps closer to your goal.
Establish yourself as an authority
People are more likely to trust experts, or authorities in certain domains. To establish yourself as an authority, you need to produce high-quality content, and never claim something that is not true.
Social media accounts with a large number of followers are usually considered more trustworthy than others, because it appears as if more people are vouching for them. This is why many companies use tools such as Famoid to increase their follower base and establish themselves as authorities in a particular field.
Provide useful and valuable information
One way to provide information that helps your followers is through your posts. Share content you find interesting and matches your niche, but don’t forget to create some original content as well.
Be it the latest trends, news that are relevant to your field of activity, or photos and videos from events in the industry, original content shows you are an active part of your business field and are contributing to its development.
Another way to provide useful information is through comments. Monitor questions that you receive and answer them as promptly as possible. Comments are a way to communicate directly with your consumers, so take advantage of it.
Keep followers engaged
Engagement is the key to succeeding in social media marketing. Use your content to ask questions, encourage followers to communicate with you by sharing their experience with your products and give something in return for their efforts. This will help boost brand awareness and reach more potential customers.
Simple ways to keep followers engaged are contests and giveaways that include sharing your posts or mentioning your brand, sharing their posts when your brand gets mentioned and keeping communication open.
Show who’s behind the brand
Intimacy builds trust, and in order to create intimacy, people need to see there are other humans behind a brand. They need to be able to put a face on the name and relate to you as a person.
We don’t relate to companies, objects and products; we relate to other humans because we can identify with them. From time to time, show who’s behind the curtain, even if it’s through a short video or a company lunch photo.
Messing up and admitting it when you do is part of being human. So, if it happens to be mistaken, own up to it. If anything, it will help you become that much more relatable.
Support AFP
Share
Contributors
