Building a fresh brand in any category is never easy in the face of competition from established players. Within this context, building trusted customer relationships is essential for small and medium-sized independent businesses.
New research from Intuit Mailchimp shows that 46% of consumers are more likely to buy from brands they connect with trust, according to its Brand Trust in the Age of Information Overload report.
The study also reveals that while the price point of products and services remains a big factor in shopping decisions (60% of UK shoppers are looking for cheaper alternatives to brands they’ve purchased from in the past), they are also driven by the customer’s relationship with the brand.
Successful businesses are well aware of the importance of growing these connections with shoppers. For example, Ramona’s Kitchen, which markets Mediterranean foods such as houmous and falafel, has built a strong identity for its products that creates a sense of standout on shelves.
Andrew Dobson, head of sales and marketing at Ramona’s Kitchen, says that its use of “big, bold colours” creates an impact in a category that “is a sea of beige.” Ramona’s Kitchen, founded by Ramona Hazan in 2005, is based on three core values: authenticity, confidence and inclusivity. The business invests in traditional advertising and sponsorship (of ITV1 cookery show James Martin’s Saturday Morning) to convey these values to its customers. It also adds a personal touch to build close connections.
On the rare occasion things may slip, communicating with customers quickly, honestly and with integrity is always appreciated
Dobson adds: “Ramona still works in the business and is heavily involved in product development and taste testing. She also has her email on every single tub, so if consumers want to email her, which they frequently do, she replies to each and every one in person. Her background is from the Mediterranean, so we have a very authentic product, made from recipes handed down from generation to generation – and her story features on every pack.”
The approach of Ramona’s Kitchen resonates with customers at a time when trust is hard to achieve for brands. In the context of an online environment of misinformation, 32% of UK shoppers say that they now trust brands less, compared to 21% who trust them more. Over half of those who trust brands less say transparency around a company’s actions can help rebuild trust.
Maintaining this transparency is important for Ramona’s Kitchen. Dobson adds: “On the rare occasion things may slip, communicating with customers quickly, honestly and with integrity is always appreciated. These are quite basic values but ones that have served us well along our growth journey and no doubt will serve us well in the future.”
IDA Sports is a soccer brand built on providing footwear and training gear for women footballers. Tabitha Tice, the head of marketing at IDA Sports, says: “We say that our soccer cleats are built for women and backed by science. A key part of our marketing and messaging is around education. We know that women often have to navigate whether something labelled ‘women’s specific’ is actually backed by design features or if it’s ‘just marketing’.”
Bringing people together and creating a sense of community is important to IDA Sports and the company hosts a series of webinars with experts for its customers.
“We also regularly share news reports and scientific research that backs the need for women’s specific footwear and sheds light on female players’ dissatisfaction with current offerings from competitors,” says Tice. “As a new brand, we also rely heavily on customer reviews to provide authentic testimonials and build brand trust. Our customers say it better than we can sometimes.”
IDA’s marketing creates a sense of trust by connecting its product with a clear purpose. As Tice puts it: “The brand logo and the community that’s been built around it are both endearingly referred to as the ‘IDA Wave’. We see IDA as a brand that’s about more than just shoes, but rather IDA is about building a movement.”
She adds: “When women see a brand that is built by women and focused fully on their needs, they immediately get it and are eager to share it with their teammates, friends, colleagues and extended community. Through word of mouth and a commitment to our core values of prioritising women, we’ve seen our reputation, reach and brand sentiment grow rapidly.”
Customers are clued-up enough to know that their name in the opening paragraph of an email isn’t there because it was hand-typed
Beyond this sense of connection and community, brands can also build trust levels with customers through managing the relationship responsibly. Mailchimp’s research shows that the majority of UK shoppers are open to personalisation driven by their data. Many are happy to receive targeted brand recommendations based on personal data after web searches (59%), in person (61%), or on a website (61%). However, 80% want assurances about how their data is used.
Michael Peters, the head of marketing at Suri, which markets electric toothbrushes, says that it adopts a “light touch” when it comes to email and other data-driven communications with customers. He adds: “A lot of personalisation in modern marketing isn’t actually very personal, and customers are clued-up enough to know that their name in the opening paragraph of an email isn’t there because it was hand-typed. We try to side-step those gimmicks and approach our emails with our own authentic and warm tone, while always using additional segmentation to ensure our communications are as relevant as possible.”
Peters concludes that a personalised customer service is a powerful way to gain and grow trust and connections. “We’ve tried to develop our entire customer journey to build a strong connection with our customers – from being delighted by our ads, exploring our website, placing an order, all the way through to that first unboxing moment and eventually using the product,” he says.
“It all ladders up to a deeper connection with the customer, and it only takes one weak link to undermine the entire chain.”
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Disclaimer: The views, information and opinions expressed in this article are those of the people interviewed and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of Intuit, Mailchimp or any of its cornerstone brands or employees. The primary purpose of this article is to educate and inform. This article does not constitute financial or other professional advice or services.
