Honesty Is The Best Policy In Marketing
It can be easy to keep things cordial, and we all may practice honesty in our own ways, but as Bruce Lee once said, “To express oneself honestly, not lying to oneself..that is very hard to do.” The idea of Lee’s famous quote is that it’s difficult to break from tradition in order to get your expression across most effectively. With so many trends of marketing and predetermined paths of success available to learn from, finding a unique voice in any industry can be difficult. In marketing, going against the grain with your marketing tactics or providing an astounding amount of transparency to your consumers can be what separates your brand from the rest. In honor of National Honesty Day, let’s take a look at some examples of times when brands displayed an unquivering level of truth, and why transparency can be such a potent formula for establishing brand trust.
Owning Up To Mistakes
“The truth shall set you free” is an ancient quote that rings true in both life and business for a plethora of reasons. When you tell the truth to your clients, they understand that they’re dealing with a brand that can be relied upon to continue being honest. That means that when it comes to explaining product specifications or claiming superior service over your competitors, they’ll be more likely to believe you. In a modern marketplace where there are so many companies available for every consumer to compare before purchase, the thing buyers want to see most is honesty. Personally, when selecting a new place to dine, I love seeing restaurant managers respond to negative reviews with an apology and explanation. That kind of engagement and commitment to customer service acts as a trust-establishing force which other potential customers will notice.
Honesty doesn’t just mean great customer service that follows up with customers to provide extra insight into the choices made by the brand, it also means owning up to mistakes whenever they occur. As so many different problems can happen throughout each department of a business, it’s important to figure out a calm strategy for dealing with issues as they come up. We’re a Florida SEO company that can help brands deal with their outreach to inform consumers of problems on the fly. Shipping issues, for example, happen often and are most times unavoidable by the brand selling the product. In cases of a shipping delay, it’s important to inform your customers about the delay and to consider granting them some sort of benefit like a small discount.
One example of when a company maintained amazing transparency during a large disaster happened this year when BeatStars experienced a data hack. As the battle to reclaim their stolen information ensued on their end, they immediately sent out emails and tweets informing every user of the breach. Their willingness to inform their patrons of the hack was especially important because each ticking moment represented sales that were being lost to downtime. Ultimately, as the community crowded around one another to discuss the event and praise BeatStars for their transparency, the data breach actually served as a magnificent showcase of the company’s honesty. By remaining calm and collected in a stressful time, the brand was able to garner positive support instead of negative.
Another company that leveled with their consumers in order to regain brand trust in recent years was KFC after they mistakenly ran out of chicken. While they could have simply apologized for having to temporarily close down their stores, the fast food giant leaned inward to joke about the event in a clever way. With an apology intact, the brand cheekily revised their signature box to display the frustration of having no chicken in a photo posted on social media. The response from their previously frustrated customers was overwhelmingly in their favor once again, and the brand managed to turn a time of disaster into a memorable campaign.
Brand Trust
The main incentive to stay transparent with your audiences is that they will trust your brand more, and will feel more comfortable making purchases. We’re a Florida SEO company that has worked with a variety of companies to connect with their audience in an authentic manner. Sometimes, sticking to a script or generating too much of an act can turn consumers away because the approach feels too constructed, which is why developing your own voice is a level of honesty in itself. No matter what the industry, we’ve helped promote brands from animal rental farms to automotive repair shops because we’re a Florida SEO company that understands the different voices of each realm. Lastly, honesty is the best policy in marketing because it helps the team grow toward being accountable for their mistakes and accepting of critique from concerned buyers.
