You may think you know your target consumers well enough to win their trust, and their patronage. But maybe you should be asking yourself how well do you think they know you?
Image via Pixabay.com
While marketers often believe they are providing the kinds of information their prospects and customers need to make a confident purchase decision, according to new reputation research from Spong PR, marketing mainstays like expert testimonials, media coverage, and even your own website barely factor into their brand evaluations.
As reported in a research brief by MediaPost, the Spong study found that 74% of consumers put far greater value on their own personal experience with a brand than on what experts believe or what the brands say themselves; and 58% prefer to rely on family, friends or colleagues and family as a trusted source. When you compare that to their reported reliance on advertising (23%), third-party expert reviews (22%), the brand's website (15%) and editorial coverage (14%) in their decision-making process, it's clear that brands need to be showing consumers why they are trustworthy—not just telling them and expecting that they will be willing to listen.
Customer acquisition is a tricky process; to succeed, brands need to come to terms with the fact that the customer is now in charge. For our clients at Prove, this means creating meaningful digital experiences as part of our Acqretention process. By analyzing key insights on your target audience, we build customized solutions that will help you influence their perceptions of your brand value—and quickly convert them into connected prospects.
These digital experiences are essential for driving consumer confidence in their offline experiences with your brand. And when customers have trust in your brand, they'll be eager to share that experience with others on your behalf. These are the kinds of testimonials that increase the value of your marketing investment without increasing your costs—something we at Prove place our trust in, every time.