Building trust with your consumers plays a key role in sustaining a successful business. In order to build this trust, digital marketers should present themselves as credible, transparent and authentic. Why, you ask? media update’s Taylor Goodman explains. 

Transparency between digital marketers and consumers

Since the coronavirus became a global pandemic, there have been many businesses that chose to capitalise off people’s fear and paranoia. They have done this by selling supplies that are in high demand at an exorbitant price — such as hand sanitiser, protective masks or toilet paper. Although this epidemic will have a long-lasting effect on how businesses function, this does not mean that businesses should behave unethically. 

From a digital marketing perspective, it can be easy to want to take advantage of any new business prospects. However, for some, this can lead to secrecy and deceit at the expense of the consumer. This usually comes in the form of marketers withholding or misrepresenting data.  

In these trying times, money is tight and transparency with the consumer is essential for generating revenue. Digital marketers should give their clients a peek behind the curtain; this straightforward approach allows clients to know exactly where their money is going so they feel secure in spending it. According to Global Marketing Professor, 94% of consumers favour brands that show transparency in their marketing, as this ignites feelings of trust and credibility. 

A prime example of transparency in digital marketing is McDonald's Canada’s ‘Our food. Your questions’ campaign. As the fast-food chain constantly has rumours and misinformation being spread around its products, it decided to let consumers in and ask any questions they may have. This was effective because customers got to ask their burning questions and McDonald’s got to be transparent, dispelling rumours and boosting credibility. 

How to implement transparency in digital marketing

Now that we’ve uncovered why transparency is important in digital marketing, you’re probably wondering how you can implement this into your strategy. 

Well, transparency can be implemented by doing the following: 
  • Become more personal in your approach by letting your customers in. Showing them the ‘human’ side of your business can boost authenticity. This will aid your company in making sales as people want to know who they're doing business with. 
  • Give clients insight into your process. By engaging the customer in your operation, you leave no room for miscommunication, and this allows you to gain that all-important trust.
  • Utilise tracking data and analytics and share them with your clients. This will allow you to prove the effectiveness of your digital strategies. 

Digital marketing during trying economic times 

Businesses everywhere are feeling the strain that COVID-19 has brought on; the landscape of marketing is under great stress. Marketers are now unable to host events, trade shows or go on the road and make sales, meaning that they have to adapt to the changing economic climate. As Forbes put it: “A key factor in resilience is adaptability”— enter digital marketing. 

Since technology has become such an essential feature in many businesses' marketing strategies, many have chosen to integrate digital marketing into their marketing models as employees have started working remotely. 

Digital marketing opens up a whole new way of doing business that doesn't require face-to-face sales. By enforcing a digital strategy, marketers will be able to migrate to social media marketing, content creation and SEO. As people will be self-isolating during the 21-day lockdown, they will feel more inclined to consume content and use social media, so marketers need to ensure that they capitalise on that.

Digital marketing will play a major role in reshaping your business. Some of its many benefits include: 
  • Digital strategies can be applied universally; this gives you broader access to many new potential clients, allowing you to expand your consumer base. This is possible as everyone these days has a digital presence. 
  • The results of these strategies are measurable, allowing you to keep track of what’s working and what isn't. You can keep track of brand mentions by utilising a media monitoring tool. 
  • Digital campaigns are more cost-effective to implement in comparison to traditional marketing techniques — digital strategies are cheaper than traditional marketing methods because you save money on distribution as everything can be easily shared online. Digital marketers also save with online ads as they are cheaper than print or television.
  • These strategies allow you to tailor your content to suit your audience — more refined consumer interaction means a greater potential to boost sales.
  • Social media marketing allows brands to present themselves as more approachable to the consumer as they can engage with followers and share relatable content. By doing this, they are able to boost interaction with their audience and build loyalty.
Do you have any tips for integrating transparency into digital marketing? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Want to know more about how to excel as a digital marketer? Be sure to check out our article, How to optimise your digital marketing during COVID-19.
*Image courtesy of Vecteezy