Using Social Media to Build Trust

In our last post, we discussed the importance of a social media strategy, but now we'd like to focus on how you can actually use social media to your advantage. As the owner or employee of a business, you want people to buy your products or services - it's as simple as that. But why do consumers buy products? Features alone used to sell products, but in the digital age, things have changed. As a brand manager, you now need to tell stories to evoke emotion in potential buyers; when your customers become emotionally connected to your brand, they tend to trust you more - and trust leads to sales. If you want to generate trust among your current and potential customers, we have a few tips to keep in mind when you need ideas for content on social media:

• Be creative: Creative content sells. You can take ideas from other social media campaigns when you need them, but always put your own spin on things to keep your brand fresh and appealing. You're sure to lose the trust of consumers if they notice you blatantly ripping off other brands' social media efforts.

• Be a storyteller: Create emotion by telling stories about your brand such as your journey, your founding principals, and how you've overcome struggles. Stories help create an emotional connection, and emotion can sell products.

• Showcase reviews and testimonials: People trust other people more than they trust companies. You need to show how your product has genuinely helped real customers in order to gain the trust of new customers.

• Be transparent: Being honest with your customers helps facilitate trust. If you are having issues, or need help with something, be as honest as possible (as long as it won't hurt your image). You'll be surprised by how helpful  and supportive your fans and customers can be!

• Involve your fans: Your customers and fans follow you for a reason - they want to be involved! Get them in the action however you can: ask for suggestions on new products, advice on how you can improve, and anything else you can think of. Your fans will trust you more if you're willing to involve them in your company.

• Always be responsive: When someone writes on your wall or tweets at you, it's usually because they're expecting a reply; make sure to reply to people timely and accurately. You're likely to build trust with fans when you can answer their questions or concerns - don't make it look like you're hiding anything.

These are just a few concepts to keep in mind in order to help you build trust through social media. Your customers are the life blood of your company; treat them with respect, and always give them reasons to trust you. Trust will help you build a loyal fan base and develop valuable relationships with your customers - use it to your advantage.

Visit our website at http://www.cyclonestrategies.com/ to learn more!