People Trust Your Brand. Should They?

In the last 11 months (almost 12 by the time you read this…), the world has redefined the word “crisis.” What once had very specific - and rare - boundaries has now become the norm of our digital climate. Before, a business may have to worry about an angry Tweet from a former employee gone viral, or an untrained executive in front of a TV camera. Now though… it doesn’t matter your industry. It doesn’t matter the service you provide or the widget you make. The word “crisis” has taken on a much deeper - and broader - meaning.

In a recent study, 61% of people trust businesses and brands. The next closest? Government agencies at 58%. The study found that people turn to brands and businesses when they don’t know what - or who - to trust for factual information and news. I’m not sure if that’s a sad sentiment for the state of our country or an amazing opportunity for brands to connect with their followers.

Does this mean that your accounting firm should now be talking about politics? Not necessarily. Unless there is news or tax reforms that will affect your clients, then, yes. Or if you manage social media and Facebook is - yet again - under scrutiny.

The point is this: no matter your industry there is something going on that affects you, your employees, your clients or perhaps all three. The important thing to remember is that your followers online are actually expecting you to respond to these events (over 80% of people expect CEOs to respond to major news stories).

When “fake news” is, unfortunately, a common term, and social media platforms flag a post if it contains sensitive words, it makes sense why people are turning to companies - and people - that they know and like. This becomes an amazing opportunity for you to not only provide true, helpful information but also deepen that connection with a contact.

SEMrush is a great example of this. It sells a product (platform) for businesses, but I know it just because of their blog. They provide real-time, helpful information within the changing digital landscape, and even though I may not need their product right now, they’re going to be the first (if not only) business I go to when I do.

It’s a simple equation. Be helpful + Become a trusted resource = Watch brand allegiance (and sales) go up. Are you ready?