You Are In The Trust Business
I’m in the trust business. You are in the trust business. When it comes right down to it, we’re all in the trust business. The more our customers and prospects trust that we’re going to deliver for them, the more willing they are to buy from us.
Edelman, the world’s largest PR firm, believes that so much the company created its Trust Barometer. It measures trust in business, trust in government, trust around the world. When you go to the Trust Barometer page at Edelman’s website, it features a brief description regarding what the Trust Barometer is all about and a pretty cool info graphic.
But do you know what I found most interesting? On a web page devoted to trust, the very first thing you’ll find… is a video.
The trust business trusts video
It’s one of the biggest benefits of video, and there’s a good reason why video helps build trust. When someone looks for you online, they get text and maybe some photos. Those things are necessary and valuable, but they don’t bring much life to your business.
Video on the other hand… video is all about emotion. It’s about tapping people’s emotions and building a connection with them. Video brings your business to life in the eyes of your customers.
Put a face on it
The Edelman video isn’t anything Earth-shattering. It’s simply a series of sound bites featuring business people around the world talking about why trust is important. Here’s why the video works though. It puts a face on the Trust Barometer. It tells us, this is more than facts and figures on a website. The Trust Barometer is a survey of people… real people.
It’s hard to communicate that with just text and an infographic.
People respond to people
Start thinking about your own company or organization this way. Imagine giving your customers an opportunity to get to know your team members. Videos featuring what they do in their jobs to help serve clients. Videos highlighting how they decorate their office space. Video letting them talk about their hobbies and interests.
All of these things help us get to know them. Information like this helps us build a connection with these people. And for content marketers, team members provide a cornucopia of content ideas.
Connection = Trust
Sometimes it’s hard for business leaders to imagine that videos featuring employees talking about their love of Star Wars or quilting or muscle cars or jogging or… whatever… could lead to better sales. But hobbies and interests establish common ground.
Would you rather buy from an impersonal company filled with sterile cubicles and robots or a company with real people who have family photos over their desks and diverse interests?
When your customers start connecting with your team, you’re on your way to earning their trust.
It’s possible
Video is a way to make this sort of thing happen. It provides clients with a chance to see you and your team in action. They get a chance to meet team members they normally wouldn’t get to meet. They get to see your company as more than just a vendor.
Video helps build trust.
–Tony Gnau
Tony Gnau is the Founder and Chief Storytelling Officer at T60 Productions.
He’s a three-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, has led T60 Productions to winning 18 Telly Awards for its corporate videos, and is the author of the Amazon #1 Bestseller “Lights, Camera, Impact: storytelling, branding, and production tips for engaging corporate videos.”