5 Tips For Creating Trust Online
by Kimberly Clark
In a world of scams, misinformation, and lacking online privacy standards, it can be difficult to create trust online. This struggle to build trust online can cause problems within your business. Trust impacts people’s willingness to purchase from your brand. In a survey by SurveyMonkey, they found that 68% of the adults that they surveyed said that trust in a brand that they are making a large purchase from influences their decision a lot or a great deal.
That said, you may be wondering how you can build trust with your customers. Here are 5 tips to help you create trust between your company and your customers.
1. Provide a good user experience to everyone, new customers, returning customers, and even those people who lurk in the shadows with no intention of making a purchase. A trustworthy website should be easy for everyone to use.
“Websites that provide visitors with a good user experience regardless of their familiarity with the site, tend to be perceived as more trustworthy” Natalie Nahai, Webs of Influence.
2. Do not ask users for personal information right away. People will downright refuse to use your website if sharing personal information is required. In a digital world, the need for users’ privacy is growing every day, and to have a successful website, you need to respect that.
Pictured above is a graph showing how safe different age groups feel with different privacy measures online. Of the largest age group, 25 to 44, only 55% of people trust online companies with their basic personal information. Also in the 25 to 44 age group, 55% of people say that they think that their personal information will be stolen in the future. This is why it is important not to force users to give you their personal information before building trust with them.
“If you can find a way to balance your need for customer data with users’ need for privacy, you will be much better placed for long-term success” Natalie Nahai, Webs of Influence.
3. Be a human. A brand isn’t just a logo that sells something, there are people behind all of it. Customers want to know, even when shopping online, that there is a living, human person with a voice on the other end of their transaction. So, speak your voice. People like when things are “relatable,” and at the end of the day, everyone who visits your site can relate to being a human.
4. Have good customer service. People are going to interact with your brand, and some may have a negative experience. Customer service is there to make that right. If you do make it right, those users are more likely to come back. On the other end of the spectrum, if users have an enjoyable experience with you, interact with them too.
Walmart interacts with all feedback on their different Instagram pages, whether it is good or bad.
5. Be honest. Just like building trust person-to-person, building trust between a brand and a person requires honesty. If you are hiding something, chances are people will find out. Especially as your brand starts to grow and become more visible by the public eye, they will find out.