In order to be successful in business, you need to be able to build trust with your customers. This is especially true for online businesses, who can’t rely on face-to-face interactions to create that trust. Here’s how you can use your brand’s marketing to communicate trustworthiness and credibility to your customers. This covers everything from the design of your website and marketing materials to the messages and language you use in your content.

Many marketing professionals focus on marketing the product or service their company sells. That is the point of marketing, after all. But sometimes marketing works better when you don’t focus so much on achieving the sale. Brand building and generating trust in your brand is just as important in the marketing world. In fact, creating traction this way can even lead to more sales and long-term interest in your brand and its products or services.

Here are some tips on how to communicate the trustworthiness of your brand, in order to see a noticeable increase in customer conversions and loyalty.

Shout About Your Company’s Commitment to Social Responsibility

A lot of businesses like to talk about how they’re committed to social responsibility. And that’s great! You should be shouting about the amazing things your company is doing to make the world a better place. But you need to back up your words with actions.

Your customers are savvy. They can see right through greenwashing and other forms of empty marketing. So, if you want them to believe that your company is actually committed to social responsibility, you need to make sure that your actions match your words.

One way to do this is by integrating social responsibility into your brand identity. For example, Ben & Jerry’s has been known for its commitment to social and environmental issues since it was founded in the 1970s. This is reflected in its brand identity, from the names of its ice cream flavors (like “Save Our Swirled”) to its marketing campaigns (like “Lid for Life”).

When you make social responsibility a part of your brand identity, it shows your customers that you’re not just paying lip service to the issue. It shows that you’re actually committed to making a difference. You can use your marketing analytics software to measure your audience response to these kinds of messages, as well as the more traditional sales-focused messages you put out there. You might just be surprised how much interest you garner from social responsibility messaging.

Be Transparent About Your Business Practices

Transparency is important in building trust with your customers. They need to know that they can trust you with their information and that you’re not going to take advantage of them.

In order to be transparent, you need to be open and honest about your business practices. This includes everything from how you source your materials to how you treat your employees. If there’s something about your business that you’re not proud of, own up to it and show your customers that you’re working to improve the situation. Consumers respond really well to businesses who are actively trying to employ more women and minorities, who publish their salaries and pay scales, and who are proactively improving their supply chain from sustainability and human rights perspectives.

Customers appreciate honesty, and they’re more likely to do business with companies they feel they can trust.

Use Simple, Straightforward Language

The language you use in your marketing materials says a lot about your brand. If you use complicated jargon or industry-specific terms, it can make your customers feel like they’re not part of the inside group. This feeling of exclusion can damage trust and prevent customers from doing business with you.

Instead, use simple, straightforward language that everyone can understand. This will make your customers feel like you’re speaking to them directly and that you’re not trying to hide anything behind complicated language.

If you haven’t already got a tone of voice guide for your company, work on getting one done. This is an important part of your brand, and helps to ensure all your materials are created with the same ‘voice’. This helps customers understand who you are, and you can integrate good practices such as the use of plain English into this.

Make it Easy for Customers to Get in Touch

If your customers need help, they should be able to get in touch with you easily. That means having a customer service team that’s easy to reach and quick to respond. Companies who hide their contact information on their websites, or who don’t provide an email address and phone number, are often viewed as being untrustworthy by customers. It comes across as being a way to discourage customers from getting in touch.

It can also be helpful to have a live chat feature on your website. This allows customers to get help right away, without having to wait for a response from customer service.

Making it easy for customers to get in touch shows that you’re accessible and that you care about your customers’ needs. It also helps to build trust, as customers feel like they can rely on you to help them when they need it. Build on this by having clearly articulated policies on returns, damaged goods or customer dissatisfaction with your service.

The bottom line is that trust is essential in building relationships with your customers. If they don’t trust you, they’re not going to do business with you. Use these tips to help you build trust with your customers and create a strong, lasting relationship.