You’ve probably seen the Taco Bell commercials. Viewers are shown a tweet from a consumer about how Taco Bell is only good after midnight. The commercial continues with a celebrity – in this case Jason Sudeikis – surprising the tweeter during the day with Taco Bell, which he tries and enjoys, recanting his statement on camera for everyone to see.
The premise is one used over and over by a number of brands, especially in the food and consumer goods space. There are countless examples over the last few decades, from the blind taste test to man-on-the-street situations trying to dispel preconceived notions – most of them taking a shot at competitors (at the apex of the Pepsi-Coke battle, this was probably the most famous) or showing that the healthier option isn’t that bad.
And there’s a reason why the strategy is so popular. It comes down to trust. Consumers get targeted in such a competitive market to the point where we’ve seemed to hit a saturation point on the value of these brands’ messages. The perception has turned into one faceless corporation after another trying to mine consumers’ data and using technology to push out what they think customers will like.
But while the corporations wear the hat of the villains – or at least the distrust-worthy – we still trust people, at least more so. And this is important, not just in a perception capacity but in a business one as well. In our 2024 CX Trends Report, 97% of the consumers we talked to said they’re more likely to buy from a brand they trust. For those older than 40, that number jumped up to 99%.
It makes business sense to build trust. Which is why if you want to build a more meaningful relationship with consumers, real people need to be involved.
Think about your day-to-day life as a consumer. You likely have a routine when searching for products. Maybe you swipe through some images, check out the specs, and at some point before you’re ready to reply, you click on the reviews. We can make informed opinions for ourselves, but there’s a level of ease and confidence that comes with the opinion of others who have already gone down the path and can assure us it’s OK.
It happens in every industry, and not just online. We check out new TV shows because a friend recommended them at dinner or switch pharmacies because a coworker swears on a better experience after doing the same. This is just as prominent in the B2B world, where we may place even more trust in what we hear, as recommendations can come with the referrer’s reputation on the line.
Even if we don’t know the person doing the referring, we trust the judgment of fellow people more than what the brand is telling us. That’s what makes bad customer experiences so costly. Not only do they impact the person who experienced it, but now that person is going to share that poor experience with countless other potential customers.
Including ratings and reviews on your website is table stakes at this point. So, in addition to that, start collecting the positive experiences from your customers or clients and finding creative methods for sharing those stories.
Showcase user-generated content to add to the sense of community in your products and feature real quotes from customers in your marketing messaging. In the B2B space, include testimonials on your site and in your case studies and get your clients to appear with you as collaborative partners, either on stage at an event or in another format.
Happy customers are generally willing to share their praise, especially if they are getting something in return. Tie engagement to their loyalty programs, allowing them to earn points or rewards for reviews or submitted content. Or get creative with contests, games, or other ways you can get them talking.
Arguably the most influential source that companies continuously overlook are their own employees. If a brand posts on LinkedIn about their awesome culture and family atmosphere, you might roll your eyes or continue to scroll through. Of course that’s what they would say. But if multiple employees are commenting about the feeling of support and pride from their work, you’re more likely to take notice.
Again, companies should get creative with how they use their people. Automating the same message from 50 personal employee accounts doesn’t resonate. But allowing them to tell their story does. It just has to be authentic and not something you force. If the culture is bad, employees will not want to get involved, and then you have a bigger issue to address.
Let’s say Ted walks up to you and announces to you that he’s just a really good person. Great at his job, nice to strangers, all of it. Your reaction is likely first that he’s an egomaniac, but then that he’s not that believable. He’s trying too hard. But if multiple other people you know or trust say that this Ted guy really is amazing, you start to believe it.
The messenger is as important as the message. Let your customers and employees be your messengers.
