Brand Managers - 3 Steps to Increase your Brand Trust

As a brand manager you know the stakes are high. Trust is hard won, but easily lost. And cultivating brand trust with your high value markets is your primary charge. As a graduate student at Northwestern University with a passion for branding, I have found two interesting articles on the importance of brand trust you will find interesting.

Josh Zywien in his article Is Your Brand Trusted? Here's What Happens When It Is—and Isn't at MarketingProfs presents an insightful analysis of how “Amazon's customer experience is so consistent and convenient.” His succinct report of customer relationships covers both Amazon's B2C example as well as B2B examples Salesforce and IBM. Josh then provides "Four Questions to Assess Your Level of Brand Trust." The compelling article advocates trust as a brand pillar.
Josh Zywien
Is Your Brand Trusted? Here's What Happens When It Is—and Isn't
MarketingProfs

Sasha Strauss states in 7 Social Media Tips for Business and Brands, “To have your customer listen to you is an honor… an honor.” He establishes the client relationship as a journey over time and he offers a map. According to Sasha, it starts with a strategic assessment of the audience, includes who is also trying to communicate with them, and advances to what the audience needs emotionally from the conversation. His insights will guide any brand to show up to the conversation on-topic, every time.
Sasha Strauss
7 Social Media Tips for Businesses and Brands
KPCC Southern California Public Radio

Josh Zywien is an accomplished writer and expert in content marketing. Sasha Strauss is a passionate and successful strategic brand builder. Through my assessment of these two articles and my work on branding at Northwestern, I have three recommendations you should consider when planning your next branding project. They are:

• Brand Authentically – You cannot fake values and behavior; be yourself every time and everywhere.  

• Listen with Enthusiasm – Seek out your communities and participate. 

• Champion Trust – Be transparent, and you'll empower your customers with knowledge. 

These recommendations may seem like a tall order. But it's what we expect from brands we engage and promote. These three cornerstones will help form a firm foundation for your brand marketing.

As a visual communicator I'm passionate about authentic branding. I've worked with B2B companies for more than 15 years to deliver compelling and relevant brand marketing content.
Anthony Bryant
@tbVisualDesign