Trustworthiness helps gain new customers, and retain existing customers. The same applies for B2B, as businesses will need to trust each other in order to have repeat sales and strong relationships which can then help with generating leads and reaching new contacts. B2B is a balancing act, ensuring that the services or products sold to another business are up to standard, but also the business purchasing is stable and without risk of unfulfilling contracts later down the line. Essentially, trust works both ways in B2B, so how can businesses implement smart B2B strategies that build trust?
Values
Every business will have their own set of values which are core to the manner in which they function on a day-to-day basis. These values will be mostly unique to each business, however it’s the clarity of these values that is key.
Being able to communicate your values and demonstrating how they’re met will help businesses understand more about you, as well as feel comfortable about going into business with you. A strong etiquette and ethical way of working will give others confidence that they’re making the right decision and feel more trusting in your business.
Moreover, shared values will further develop relationships with other businesses and help you become more trustworthy.
Content & Branding
The content being published on your website, social media, and any other channels that may be used to communicate with potential customers should be of high quality and consistent.
A company’s website should include more than the standard main elements you’d expect to see, such as About Us and Contact pages. The content should be there to show your voice and let users know about the great work you do. A company blog can help you become more trustworthy as users will be able to get more of a sense of the work being carried out, as well as the knowledge and experience you possess as a business. For B2B services business this is particularly important, as you’re largely selling the capabilities and experience of your people.
Social media is also a powerful tool for building relationships and increasing trustworthiness. Being able to directly communicate with users online, whether it’s the posts you publish, direct messaging, or replying in comment sections. Responding to users by answering questions or encouraging discussions will help you become a brand people can connect with and therefore trust.
References & Networking
Delivering the best service and products to customers will help build trust indirectly, as these businesses that are happy with your work may recommend you when meeting with others.
Customers will find you trustworthy if they’re receiving a recommendation from a partner or company they already have a trusting relationship with. Networking is essential for B2B strategies in order to grow your business, so it’s worth investing time and effort meeting new customers, whether it’s online or at events for example.
With B2B marketing especially, showing the face behind a company is key for building trust. Whether it’s using your voice through social media or meeting people in person, having that personality people can feel and relate to is extremely valuable.
Verification & Certification
Many industries have audits and certifications that can help verify your trustworthiness. Depending on the industry, you may be able to organise for auditors to visit your business and assess the work you do. The value of these audits is the certification received after passing.
Smaller companies may particularly benefit, as many of the certifications are aimed at small business owners. A business that has certification is essentially demonstrating to customers that your work is of high quality and recognised by other industry professionals, therefore increasing trustworthiness.
Testimonials
The work you have done for others in the past is a valuable source of information that can be used to instil confidence in new customers, demonstrating your ability to deliver on their requirements. If given permission, you’ll be able to feature testimonials in your smart B2B strategies, perhaps on your website or share them on social media to show others what industry professionals have said about your work. People want to see that a business has favourable reviews, and in B2B, having these testimonials can significantly increase the trust that others will have for your business.
Conclusion
Of course, the most important element of building trust is ensuring the service and products you offer are consistent and reliable. Aiming to build trust using the strategies above will be impossible if the work being conducted isn’t of high quality. Smart B2B strategies especially require strong networking, branding and establishing relationships with other industry professionals. Trustworthiness really is a crucial aspect for finding success, and it cannot be forced onto customers or other businesses. Being genuine and honest, as well as using the strategies and ideas mentioned above, are key to becoming a trustworthy business.
About Inflowing
Inflowing is a B2B marketing agency. We help B2B organisations do meaningful things with marketing. Whether that’s getting more leads, more visibility, or supporting their sales teams.
We’re an experienced team of marketers with an incredibly strong background in B2B. To learn more about B2B and improving your marketing, check out our other blogs or get in touch.
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