We know that people choose to do business with those they know, like and trust.
Recently, the annual Edelman Trust Barometer was released. Each year for the past 25, Edelman has measured trust in four institutions: Business, Government, Media, and NGOs. This year, Edelman surveyed 33,000 respondents across 28 countries.
Which do you think is the MOST trusted institution?
It’s business.
Yes, BUSINESS.
That hasn’t changed since 2021.
But – the percentage of those who trust business is only 62%.
NGOs (non-governmental organizations, also known as nonprofits) rank second at 58%. Government and media come in last, each with 52%.
Do Business Leaders Mislead Audiences?
Despite business ranking as the most trusted of the four, the percentage of respondents who believe business leaders “purposely mislead people by saying things they know are false or gross exaggerations” is at an all-time high. It’s up from 56% in 2021 to 68% this year.
What does this tell us?
Businesses need to prioritize building trust – but how do they do that?
“When institutions can’t be trusted to do what is right, grievances fester and outlooks darken. To dissipate grievance and increase optimism, prioritize and rebuild trust across your organization,” says the report.
As a professional working in B2B public relations and communications, my goal is to put forward truthful information about my clients. It makes sense. Why would you not? Because even if a company doesn’t want the truth out there, it always comes out.
However, even if we share accurate information with our audiences, they may not always regard us as truthful. Truth, it seems, is in the eye of the beholder. My truth may not be the same as your truth.
So, how do we build the trust we need with our audiences?
How to Build Trust with PR
As you consider how to increase trust with your audiences and manage your corporate reputation, here are some ideas to keep in mind:
1) Be Consistent
Consistency means engaging in PR not only when you have a new product or service to promote. An ongoing public relations effort helps you stay in front of your audiences with a variety of news and stories.
This is why maintaining an ongoing PR program is so important. Beyond one-off announcements or campaigns, it’s about sharing thought leadership and developing a steady stream of positive media coverage.
You also want to maintain consistent messaging across channels. Make sure your entire team understands the messaging and is using it throughout their communications efforts.
2) Be Transparent
Go beyond telling your audiences about what you’re doing – SHOW them.
Create content that features the company’s customers, showcases the perspective of thought leaders, shares employees’ stories, and educates audiences about how your offerings can help them address problems. Include visuals—photos and videos—of your team in action (and maybe your customers, if they’ll give their permission).
Authentic storytelling helps humanize your brand.
3) Be Honest
“Honesty is such a lonely word – everyone is so untrue.” – Billy Joel
While we may never have believed that something seemingly as simple as being honest would help a company stand out, it absolutely can.
It can be difficult to tell who’s being honest with us at times, but entities that embrace honesty have a better chance of building trust with their audiences.
“A majority of Americans (58%) say it’s important to raise the level of confidence we have in each other. And around 9 in 10 say that we can make progress here,” according to this Pew survey. Respondents say one way to do this is by embracing values such as honesty.
4) Stay Visible
When a company goes quiet (as some did during the pandemic), that might cause your audiences to wonder where you went.
Communicate regularly with your audiences, no matter the circumstances. Have a schedule for at least some of your communications. Do you send out an email or publish a newsletter every week on the same day? Stick to that schedule as much as possible.
In times of crisis, you may need to communicate more frequently with your customers. Otherwise, they may fear the worst.
5) Build Your Community
Engage on social media to build a community of loyal followers. You’ll want to do this consistently, not just when you need to call on them for something. When you engage with your followers, they’ll be there for you, in good times and not-so-good times.
6) Contribute to Causes That Match Your Values
When brands actively contribute to the betterment of their community and to causes they care about, trust is fostered. It can also increase employee satisfaction.
7) Think Before You Speak
Be honest, but THINK before you act or speak. If you question any action you’re taking or message you’re sharing, be sure to get your PR or communications team to weigh in before you move forward.
It’s much easier to prevent potential damage a careless action or comment might do to your brand than to try to repair it after the fact.
8) Put Ethics First
Businesses that do the right thing succeed in enhancing customer loyalty, employee retention, and attracting investors.
One current example? DEI is in the news. Companies that embrace diversity, equality, and inclusion find that these factors increase employee satisfaction and positively impact the bottom line, among other benefits.
We see that it can have an effect on not only consumer support but also on their public image and news coverage, as well. Brands like Costco are attracting new customers because they’ve publicly stated they’re not forgoing their DEI policies. Media coverage of this impacts their corporate reputation and, of course, impacts trust.
9) Get Your Executives Involved
Putting your C-Suite leaders out there is part of reputation management and also increases trust. When your leaders are behind closed doors, that doesn’t foster a sense of confidence in them. (I could talk about the Wizard of Oz here, but you get the idea.)
Get them out at events, and, for B2B companies, encourage them to be active on LinkedIn. Work with them if they need help formulating messages. Offer to interview them and ghostwrite articles and posts. When you share your expertise, audiences will look to you for guidance.
Some research suggests that putting executives in the public eye more often can not only increase the level of trust but boost a brand’s visibility.
10) Don’t Neglect Your Audiences
Companies need to communicate with various audiences, including customers, partners, shareholders, employees, vendors, and the media. The trick is to ensure that none of them are overlooked.
For example, when I see a statistic that employees are not at the top of the list of most essential audiences for CEOs, I cringe a little. In a recent Weber-Shandwick report based on a survey of executives, CEOs prioritize customers — 86% named this group as “very important” — while just 45% said the same of employees.
Yes, customers are crucial, and it’s good to see them at the top of the list. However, if you don’t consistently prioritize your internal audience—your employees—you’re bound to run into challenges.
11) Educate
Don’t only promote what you sell but produce content that educates. Share that on your site, in your newsletter and on social media.
When someone is looking to learn more about your company, make it easy for them to find what they need. For example, don’t gate educational content.
Make Building Trust a PR Priority
Trust has always been vital in reputation management, but its importance will only grow, as some entities seem actively engaged in undermining it. If you can build trusting relationships with your audiences, you can succeed.
What are some ways you work on building trust with your audiences?
Are you a B2B company that needs help building trust with your audiences?
Learn more about my freelance PR consulting services here. Book a no-obligation call to talk about your needs here.
About the author: Michelle Garrett is a B2B PR consultant, media relations consultant, and author of B2B PR That Gets Results, an Amazon Best Seller. She helps companies create content, earn media coverage, and position themselves as thought leaders in their industry. Michelle’s articles have been featured by Entrepreneur, Content Marketing Institute, Muck Rack, and Ragan’s PR Daily, among others. She’s a frequent speaker on public relations and content. Michelle has been repeatedly ranked among the top ten most influential PR professionals.
100% of this blog post was written by me, the human.
Featured image is courtesy of Adobe Express.
